RE: Managed switches outside firewalls?

["Dean Davis" <Dean.Davis () mbg-inc com>]

Hari:

Consider one of the following approaches:
 1. Use VLANs to separate the management traffic from the Internet traffic
  a. VLAN1 for management
  b. VLAN2 for Internet traffic
 2. Manage your external switches via their console ports, by connecting them to a trusted Linux | Unix box's serial 
ports, in the management VLAN. You would then access your external switches, indirectly, via the Linux | Unix boxes 
parked in the management VLAN.

Also, if possible, enable SSHv2 on those external switches, to further enhance security.

Regards,
Dean Davis, CISSP,RHCE,CCSP,MCSE,MCDBA,CCNA,Linux+
Sr. Network Engineer
MBG Expense Management, LLC
https://www.mbg-inc.com 



-----Original Message-----
From: listbounce () securityfocus com
[mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com]On Behalf Of Hari Sekhon
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 4:57 AM
To: security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: Managed switches outside firewalls?


Hi,

   I need to get some new switches outside of my firewalls, which means 
that they will have publicly accessible IPs if they are manageable switches.

I'm not quite sure what security stance to take on this. I know I can 
restrict the management interface to  certain IPs,  but I'm still not 
sure if this is asking for trouble to have switches will accessible IPs. 
Perhaps I should use a dumb switch and forgo any management features...

Do any of you guys have policies for this (like unmanaged switches 
outside firewalls and managed ones inside)?

Any thoughts and suggestions welcome.

-h

-- 
Hari Sekhon


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