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Host Security Hardening Systems Guide

Learn how to secure your hosts by hardening systems effectively. Steps include service disabling, application control, and management interface protection.

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Host Security Hardening Systems Guide

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  1. Ch 5: Securing Hosts and Data CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-401 Study Guide Darril Gibson

  2. Implementing Host Security

  3. Hardening Systems • A host is any device with an IP address; such as servers, workstations, printers, etc. • Hardening is the practice of making the system more secure than a default installation • Disabling unnecessary services • Disabling unneeded applications • Protecting management interfaces and applications

  4. Disabling Unnecessary Services • Improves overall security posture • Less susceptible to attacks • Reduces the attack surface • Prevents both known and 0day attacks against the disabled services • Reduces risks from open ports • Ports won’t be open when scanned

  5. Other Hardening Steps • Uninstall Unneeded Applications • For best protection • Disable unnecessary accounts • Watch for default and backdoor accounts • Protect management interfaces and applications • Change default passwords • Disallow administration from WAN, or limit it to specific source IP addresses

  6. Using Baselines • Security baseline • Configuration baseline • Host software baseline • Application configuration baseline • Performance baseline

  7. Security Baseline • Starting point for OS or application • Deployed by • Group policy • Group Policy Objects (GPOs) • On Windows domains • Security templates • Imaging

  8. Security Templates • Preconfigured settings for various common computer types • Domain Controller • Email server • Web server • etc.

  9. Security Templates • Image from css-security.com

  10. Security Templates • Security Templates contain • Account polices (like disabling Guest) • Password and lockout settings • Audit policies • User rights • System services • Software restrictions

  11. Understanding Imaging

  12. Capturing and Deploying Images • Prepare a reference computer with everything installed and configured properly • Capture an image of the reference computer • Deploy the image to many computers

  13. Image Deployment Tools • Norton Ghost • Acronis TrueImage • Microsoft Windows Image Backup • Windows Automated Installation Kit • Windows Deployment Services • Many others

  14. Imaging Benefits • Secure starting point • Reduced costs • Maintenance is much simpler • Laptops are often sold with built-in images, to restore factory default settings • Reduces Total Cost of Ownership

  15. Virtualization and Images • Images can be deployed to virtual or physical computers • Physical machines can be converted to virtual machines, and vice versa

  16. Configuration Baseline • A record of all the settings on a system, including non-security settings and security settings • The security baseline contains only the security settings • Every time a system is changed, the configuration baseline must be updated • Change management

  17. US Gov't Configuration Baseline(USGCB) • First: Standard Desktop Core Configuration (SDCC) in the Air Force • Then: Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC) • Mandated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for all federal agencies • Current version is the USGCB, also mandated by the OMB

  18. Link Ch 4b

  19. Link Ch 4c

  20. Link Ch 4d

  21. Host Software Baseline • Lists all software installed on a system • Lists all approved software • Also called Application baseline • Can be compared with a scan that finds all installed software • Unauthorized software is not maintained and often vulnerable

  22. Application Configuration Baselines • Proper settings for applications • Makes it easier to audit servers to ensure compliance

  23. Performance Baselines • Documents the overall performance of a system at a point in time • Useful for reference later when performance changes

  24. Performance Monitor

  25. Baseline Reporting • The process of comparing systems to a baseline to identify discrepancies or anomalies • Can be used to identify abnormal activity • Similar to anomaly-based IDS baselines

  26. Whitelisting v. Blacklisting Applications • Whitelist • A list of approved applications • Blacklist • A list of applications to block • Both can be implemented with Microsoft's Software Restriction Policies • Kaspersky maintains a whitelist database

  27. Trusted OS (Operating System) • Meets predetermined requirements, which emphasize authentication and authorization • Prevents modifications or movement of data by unauthorized entities • Common Criteria includes requirements for a Trusted OS • Intended for Gov't systems

  28. Understanding Virtualization

  29. Virtualization Terms • Hypervisor • Software that creates, runs, and manages Virtual Machines (VMs) • Host • The physical server on which the hypervisor runs • Typically requires multiple processors, lots of RAM, fast and abundant storage, and one or more fast network cards

  30. Virtualization Terms • Guest • A virtual machine running in a hypervisor • Patch compatibility • VMs require patches, just like physical machines • Host availability/elasticity • Elasticity is the ability to resize computing capacity based on the load • Meets demand and lowers cost

  31. Snapshots • A copy of a VM at a moment in time • Useful as a backup • You can revert a VM back to the snapshot • Typically, administrators take a snapshot before any risky operation • Applying patches or updates • Installing new applications

  32. Sandboxing and Security Control Testing • VMs can run in an isolated environment called a sandbox • Prevents the VM from interacting with other VMs, the host, or other devices on the network • Can test antivirus against malware in the sandbox, or test patches

  33. VMs as Files • A VM is just a set of files • VHD files: virtual hard disk • XML files: configuration derails • AVHD files: Automatic VHDs—hold difference between the current disk and a snapshot • VSV files: Saved state for VM that was not shut down, like hibernation • BIN files: memory for VMs in a saved state

  34. Virtual Networks • NAT mode: puts the VM behind a virtual router • Bridged: connects directly to host's NIC • Host-only: networks only with the host • Isolated: no network connection at all

  35. Virtualization Technologies • VMware • VMware Workstation • VMware Player (free) • VMware Server (free) • VMware ESXi (Enterprise solution) • Microsoft's Hyper-V • Also Virtual PC • Sun's VirtualBox (free)

  36. Virtualization Risks • VM Escape • An attack that starts in a VM and accesses the host system

  37. Loss of Confidentiality • Each VM may have confidential company data • So there are more copies of the data that could be lot or stolen • Encrypt VMs as well as physical machines

  38. Implementing Patch Management

  39. Importance of Updates • Every software product has bugs and vulnerabilities • Patches must be deployed promptly to reduce vulnerabilities

  40. Deploying Patches • Automatic Updates on workstations • Appropriate for home or very small business networks • Not all machines will always be patched to the same level

  41. Deploying Patches • Patch management server • Company controls patch distribution • All machines are updated at once • Only approved patches are used (test them first)

  42. Testing Patches • Some patches create problems • All patches must be tested before deployment onto a large company network • Test them in an environment that mirrors the production network • Regression testing • Administrators run a series of known tests on a system • Compare results to tests run before patching

  43. Scheduling Patches • Patch Tuesday • Microsoft issues patches on 2nd Tues of month • Exploit Wednesday • Attackers reverse-engineer the patches and attack systems the next day • This is why Microsoft keeps vulnerabilities secret and doesn't patch them till there are attacks in the wild

  44. Mitigating Risk in Static Environments • Some systems don't change much • Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA) • Embedded systems • Mobile systems (Android and iOS) • Mainframes • Game consoles • In-vehicle computing systems

  45. Protecting Static Systems • Redundancy and diversity controls • Ensure that system continues to operate even when one component fails • Network segmentation • Makes it harder for an attacker to find and attack the protected system • Security layers • Firewall, NIPS, etc.

  46. Protecting Static Systems • Application firewalls • Manual updates • Firmware version control • Wrappers • TCP Wrappers filter traffic, like a host-based firewall • Only allow connections from specified source IP addresses

  47. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA) • Industrial control systems • Such as power plants or water treatment facilities • Should be in isolated LANs, not connected to the Internet

  48. Embedded Systems • Inside printers, smart TVs, HVAC • Point of Sale (PoS) systems

  49. Link Ch 4t

  50. Understanding Stuxnet • Infect Windows systems through infected USB drives • Search through network to find target • Update the worm if the target is found • Compromise target • Control target • Deceive and destroy target systems

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