BGP neighbor without authentication
At a glance
Base severity
Area
Platform
Evidence level
Benchmark reference
Reads the export, not the device
ConfigProof reads a configuration export. This control is evaluated against the objects in that file, and it reports what the file says. It does not connect to the device and sees no traffic, so a finding here describes the configuration, not what the firewall is doing right now.
Why it matters
Without the TCP MD5 signature a forged or hijacked session can inject routes into the firewall.
How to fix it
Web interface
The steps below are written for the web interface. A finding raised on your own export carries the same steps with your object names filled in.
- In ASDM: Configuration > Device Setup > Routing > BGP > IPv4 Family > Neighbor, edit the neighbor and set the password. Apply and save.
- On the CLI: router bgp <asn>, address-family ipv4 unicast, neighbor <peer> password <key>, and write memory; the peer needs the same key.
Command line
Cisco ASA CLI
configure terminalrouter bgp <asn>address-family ipv4 unicastneighbor <peer> password <key>endwrite memory
An example. Values in angle brackets are yours to supply; a finding on your own export fills in the names it read. Typed in configuration mode; write memory saves it, with no separate commit. Read every line first.
Read it back
show bgp summaryValues to fill in3
- <asn>
- The local BGP AS number
- <peer>
- The peer
- <key>
- A new shared key
Before you type it3
- Written from the ASA 9.x command reference and not run on a device: read each line before you paste it.
- In multiple context mode, type it in the context it applies to (changeto context <name>).
- The far end has to offer the same proposal, so coordinate the change with whoever runs it.
How to confirm the fix
- Run show bgp summary and confirm the session comes back after the change.
Limits
- No limitation is recorded for this control beyond the one that applies to all of them: it reads a configuration export.
Compliance references
CIS Cisco ASA 9.x Firewall Benchmark v1.1.0
Covers the whole recommendation
Where a control aligns with a recommendation of the CIS Cisco ASA 9.x Firewall Benchmark v1.1.0, that recommendation is cited as a reference. Only that version was checked. A reference is not a certification.
More in Routing and Network Services
See it on your own firewall
One complete analysis of one firewall costs nothing. A card is required and nothing is charged.