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ConfigProof

All controls

ASA-SEC-019MediumCisco ASA

Routing protocol without authentication

At a glance

Base severity

Medium

Area

Routing and Network Services

Platform

Cisco ASA

Evidence level

Fact0.90

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

An unauthenticated routing protocol accepts routes from any speaker on the segment, so a rogue device can redirect traffic.

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.

  1. In ASDM: Configuration > Device Setup > Routing > OSPF > Setup > Area/Networks (Authentication: MD5), or EIGRP > Interface (Authentication), and set the key on each interface. Apply and save.
  2. On the CLI: for OSPF, area <area> authentication message-digest and ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 <key> on the interfaces; for EIGRP, authentication mode eigrp <as> md5 and authentication key eigrp <as> <key> key-id 1 on the interfaces; then write memory.

Command line

Cisco ASA CLI

configure terminalrouter ospf <process>area <area> authentication message-digestexitinterface <interface>ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 <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 ospf neighbor
Values to fill in4
<process>
The routing process
<area>
The OSPF area
<interface>
The physical or logical interface
<key>
A new shared key
Before you type it4
  • 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.
  • For EIGRP, set authentication mode eigrp and authentication key eigrp on each interface instead.

How to confirm the fix

  • Run show ospf neighbor or show eigrp neighbors and confirm the neighbors come back.

Limits

  • Only the processes and areas the reading holds are judged; neighbors must change at the same time.

Compliance references

No benchmark recommendation is mapped to this control in this version.

More in Routing and Network Services

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