Securing the Management Plane on Cisco IOS Devices

Accessing and configuring Cisco devices is a common occurrence for an administrator. Malicious router management traffic from an unauthorized source can pose a security threat. For example, an attacker could compromise router security by intercepting login credentials (such as the username and password). This chapter introduces the concept of the management plane (which is a collection of protocols and access methods we use to configure, manage, and maintain a network device) and examines how to protect it.

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz

The “Do I Know This Already?” quiz helps you determine your level of knowledge of this chapter’s topics before you begin. Table 6-1 details the major topics discussed in this chapter and their corresponding quiz questions.

Table 6-1 “Do I Know This Already?” Section-to-Question Mapping

1. Which one of the following follows best practices for a secure password?
   1. ABC123!
   2. SlE3peR1#
   3. tough-passfraze
   4. InterEstIng-PaSsWoRd
2. When you connect for the first time to the console port on a new router, which privilege level are you using initially when presented with the command-line interface?
   1. 0
   2. 1
   3. 15
   4. 16
3. Which of the following is not impacted by a default login authentication method list?
   1. AUX line
   2. HDLC interface
   3. Vty line
   4. Console line
4. You are trying to configure a method list, and your syntax is correct, but the command is not being accepted. Which of the following might cause this failure? (Choose all that apply.)
   1. Incorrect privilege level
   2. AAA not enabled
   3. Wrong mode
   4. Not allowed by the view
5. Cisco recommends which version of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) on your network if you need it?
   1. Version 1
   2. Version 2
   3. Version 3
   4. Version 4
6. How can you implement role-based access control (RBAC)? (Choose all that apply.)
   1. Provide the password for a custom privilege level to users in a given role
   2. Associate user accounts with specific views
   3. Use access lists to specify which devices can connect remotely
   4. Use AAA to authorize specific users for specific sets of permissions
7. Which of the following indirectly requires the administrator to configure a host name?
   1. Telnet
   2. HTTP
   3. HTTPS
   4. SSH
8. What are the two primary benefits of using NTP along with a syslog server? (Choose all that apply.)
   1. Correlation of syslog messages from multiple different devices
   2. Grouping of syslog messages into summary messages
   3. Synchronization in the sending of syslog messages to avoid congestion
   4. Accurate accounting of when a syslog message occurred
9. Which of the following commands result in a secure bootset? (Choose all that apply.)
   1. secure boot-set
   2. secure boot-config
   3. secure boot-files
   4. secure boot-image
10. What is a difference between a default and named method list?
    1. A default method list can contain up to four methods.
    2. A named method list can contain up to four methods.
    3. A default method list must be assigned to an interface or line.
    4. A named method list must be assigned to an interface or line.