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XCCDF
Forescout Network Device Management Security Technical Implementation Guide
Forescout Network Device Management Security Technical Implementation Guide
An XCCDF Benchmark
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43 rules organized in 43 groups
SRG-APP-000001-NDM-000200
1 Rule
Forescout must limit the number of concurrent sessions to one for each administrator account.
Low Severity
Device management includes the ability to control the number of administrators and management sessions that manage a device. Limiting the number of allowed administrators and sessions per administrator based on account type, role, or access type is helpful in limiting risks related to denial of service (DoS) attacks. This requirement addresses concurrent sessions for administrative accounts and does not address concurrent sessions by a single administrator via multiple administrative accounts. The maximum number of concurrent sessions must be defined based upon mission needs and the operational environment for each system. At a minimum, limits must be set for SSH, HTTPS, account of last resort, and root account sessions.
SRG-APP-000317-NDM-000282
1 Rule
Forescout must terminate the account of last resort password when members with access to the password leave the group.
Medium Severity
A shared/group account credential is a shared form of authentication that allows multiple individuals to access the network device using a single account. If shared/group account credentials are not terminated when individuals leave the group, the user that left the group can still gain access even though they are no longer authorized. There may also be instances when specific user actions need to be performed on the network device without unique administrator identification or authentication. Examples of credentials include passwords and group membership certificates.
SRG-APP-000148-NDM-000346
1 Rule
Forescout must be configured with only one web account and one CLI account of last resort with limited access and used only when the authentication server is unavailable.
Medium Severity
Authentication for administrative (privileged-level) access to the device is required at all times. An account can be created on the device's local database for use when the authentication server is down or connectivity between the device and the authentication server is not operable. This account is referred to as the "account of last resort" since it is intended to be used as a last resort and when immediate administrative access is absolutely necessary. The account of last resort logon credentials must be stored in a sealed envelope and kept in a safe. The safe must be periodically audited to verify the envelope remains sealed. The signature of the auditor and the date of the audit must be added to the envelope as a record. Administrators must secure the credentials and disable the root account (if possible) when not needed for system administration functions.
SRG-APP-000065-NDM-000214
1 Rule
Forescout must be configured to enforce the limit of three consecutive invalid logon attempts, after which time it must lock out the user account from accessing the device for 15 minutes.
Medium Severity
By limiting the number of failed login attempts, the risk of unauthorized system access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-forcing, is reduced.
SRG-APP-000068-NDM-000215
1 Rule
Forescout must display the Standard Mandatory DoD Notice and Consent Banner before granting access to the device.
Low Severity
Display of the DoD-approved use notification before granting access to the application ensures privacy and security notification verbiage used is consistent with applicable federal laws, Executive Orders, directives, policies, regulations, standards, and guidance. System use notifications are required only for access via logon interfaces with human users. The banner must be formatted in accordance with DTM-08-060.
SRG-APP-000069-NDM-000216
1 Rule
Forescout must retain the Standard Mandatory DoD Notice and Consent Banner on the screen until the administrator acknowledges the usage conditions and takes explicit actions to log on for further access.
Low Severity
The banner must be acknowledged by the administrator prior to the device allowing the administrator access to the network device. This provides assurance that the administrator has seen the message and accepted the conditions for access. If the consent banner is not acknowledged by the administrator, DoD will not be in compliance with system use notifications required by law. To establish acceptance of the network administration policy, a click-through banner at management session logon is required. The device must prevent further activity until the administrator executes a positive action to manifest agreement. In the case of CLI access using a terminal client, entering the username and password when the banner is presented is considered an explicit action of acknowledgement. Entering the username, viewing the banner, then entering the password is also acceptable. The web management tool configuration setting works for both the CLI and the web management tool.
SRG-APP-000091-NDM-000223
1 Rule
Forescout must generate log records when successful attempts to access privileges occur.
Low Severity
Without generating log records specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an incident or identify those responsible for one. Log records can be generated from various components within the information system (e.g., module or policy filter).
SRG-APP-000495-NDM-000318
1 Rule
Forescout must generate log records when attempts to modify administrator privileges occur.
Low Severity
Without generating log records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an incident or identify those responsible for one. Log records can be generated from various components within the network device (e.g., module or policy filter).
SRG-APP-000499-NDM-000319
1 Rule
Forescout must generate log records when attempts to delete administrator privileges occur.
Low Severity
Without generating log records specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an incident or identify those responsible for one. Log records can be generated from various components within the network device (e.g., module or policy filter).
SRG-APP-000503-NDM-000320
1 Rule
Forescout must generate log records showing when successful logon attempts occur.
Low Severity
Without generating log records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an incident or identify those responsible for one. Log records can be generated from various components within the network device (e.g., module or policy filter).
SRG-APP-000504-NDM-000321
1 Rule
Forescout must generate log records for privileged activities or other system-level access.
Low Severity
Without generating log records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an incident or identify those responsible for one. Log records can be generated from various components within the network device (e.g., module or policy filter).
SRG-APP-000505-NDM-000322
1 Rule
Forescout must generate log records showing starting and ending time for administrator access to the system.
Low Severity
Without generating log records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an incident or identify those responsible for one. Log records can be generated from various components within the network device (e.g., module or policy filter).
SRG-APP-000506-NDM-000323
1 Rule
Forescout must generate log records when concurrent logons from different workstations occur.
Low Severity
Without generating log records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an incident or identify those responsible for one. Log records can be generated from various components within the network device (e.g., module or policy filter).
SRG-APP-000515-NDM-000325
1 Rule
The Forescout must configure a remote syslog where audit records are stored on a centralized logging target that is different from the system being audited.
Low Severity
Information stored in one location is vulnerable to accidental or incidental deletion or alteration. Off-loading is a common process in information systems with limited audit storage capacity.
SRG-APP-000373-NDM-000298
1 Rule
Forescout must be configured to synchronize internal information system clocks using redundant authoritative time sources.
Medium Severity
The loss of connectivity to a particular authoritative time source will result in the loss of time synchronization (free-run mode) and increasingly inaccurate time stamps on audit events and other functions. Multiple time sources provide redundancy by including a secondary source. Time synchronization is usually a hierarchy; clients synchronize time to a local source while the source synchronizes time to a more accurate source. The network device must utilize an authoritative time server and/or be configured to use redundant authoritative time sources. This requirement is related to the comparison done in CCI-001891. DOD-approved solutions consist of a combination of a primary and secondary time source using a combination or multiple instances of the following: a time server designated for the appropriate DOD network (NIPRNet/SIPRNet); United States Naval Observatory (USNO) time servers; and/or the Global Positioning System (GPS). The secondary time source must be located in a different geographic region than the primary time source.
SRG-APP-000374-NDM-000299
1 Rule
Forescout must be configured to use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Medium Severity
If time stamps are not consistently applied and there is no common time reference, it is difficult to perform forensic analysis. Time stamps generated by the application include date and time. Time is commonly expressed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), a modern continuation of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), or local time with an offset from UTC.
SRG-APP-000378-NDM-000302
1 Rule
Forescout must prohibit installation of software without explicit privileged permission by only authorized individuals.
Medium Severity
Allowing anyone to install software, without explicit privileges, creates the risk that untested or potentially malicious software will be installed on the system. This requirement applies to code changes and upgrades for all network devices.
SRG-APP-000380-NDM-000304
1 Rule
Forescout must enforce access restrictions associated with changes to device configuration.
Medium Severity
Failure to provide logical access restrictions associated with changes to device configuration may have significant effects on the overall security of the system. For Forescout, ensure only authorized users have access to user profile permissions. All other admins are blocked from access via the console tools and/or web portal based on permissions set on the Edit user profile.
SRG-APP-000381-NDM-000305
1 Rule
Forescout must audit the enforcement actions used to restrict access associated with changes to the device.
Low Severity
Without auditing the enforcement of access restrictions against changes to the device configuration, it will be difficult to identify attempted attacks, and an audit trail will not be available for forensic investigation for after-the-fact actions. Forescout must only be configures such that only authorized users have access to user profile permissions. All other admins are blocked from access via the console tools and/or web portal based on permissions set on the Edit user profile.
SRG-APP-000131-NDM-000243
1 Rule
Forescout must prevent the installation of patches, service packs, plug-ins, or modules without verification the update has been digitally signed using a certificate that is recognized and approved by the organization.
Low Severity
Changes to any software components can have significant effects on the overall security of the network device. Verifying software components have been digitally signed using a certificate that is recognized and approved by the organization ensures the software has not been tampered with and has been provided by a trusted vendor. Accordingly, patches, service packs, or application components must be signed with a certificate recognized and approved by the organization. Verifying the authenticity of the software prior to installation validates the integrity of the patch or upgrade received from a vendor. This ensures the software has not been tampered with and has been provided by a trusted vendor. Self-signed certificates are disallowed by this requirement. The device should not have to verify the software again. This requirement does not mandate DOD certificates for this purpose; however, the certificate used to verify the software must be from an approved Certificate Authority (CA). Customer portal updates file download section on the vendor website has the MD5 hashes for the updates files. Currently, this is the method used by DOD to pull down files rather than using the internal connection to the Forescout server.
SRG-APP-000133-NDM-000244
1 Rule
Forescout must limit privileges to change the modules and OSs resident within software libraries.
Medium Severity
Changes to any software components of the network device can have significant effects on the overall security of the network. Therefore, only qualified and authorized individuals must be allowed administrative access to the network device for implementing any changes or upgrades. If the network device were to enable non-authorized users to make changes to software libraries, those changes could be implemented without undergoing testing, validation, and approval.
SRG-APP-000516-NDM-000335
1 Rule
Forescout must enforce access restrictions associated with changes to the firmware, OS, USB port, and console port.
Medium Severity
Changes to the hardware or software components of the network device can have significant effects on the overall security of the network. Therefore, only qualified and authorized individuals must be allowed administrative access to the network device for implementing any changes or upgrades. This requirement applies to updates of the application files, configuration, ACLs, and policy filters. There is a USB port and a console RJ45 port. The Console port is secured by the CLI security configuration. The USB port is only accessible via the CLI, not the web manager tool. The user will be prompted to see if it should be turned on. It is off by default and requires authorized login from the CLI.
SRG-APP-000516-NDM-000336
1 Rule
Forescout must be configured to use an authentication server for the purpose of authenticating users prior to granting administrative access.
Medium Severity
Centralized management of authentication settings increases the security of remote and nonlocal access methods. This control is particularly important protection against the insider threat. With robust centralized management, log records for administrator account access to the organization's network devices can be more readily analyzed for trends and anomalies. The alternative method of defining administrator accounts on each device exposes the device configuration to remote access authentication attacks and system administrators with multiple authenticators for each network device.
SRG-APP-000516-NDM-000351
1 Rule
Forescout must be running an operating system release that is currently supported by the vendor.
Medium Severity
Network devices running an unsupported operating system lack current security fixes required to mitigate the risks associated with recent vulnerabilities. In Oct 2021, there is plan to make Version 7 end-of-life. This will be stated on the product lifecycle page of the Forescout website. All versions of V8 and above are authorized for use in DoD. Version 8 or later is mandatory after October 2021.
SRG-APP-000329-NDM-000287
1 Rule
If the network device uses role-based access control, Forescout must enforce organization-defined, role-based access control policies over defined subjects and objects.
Medium Severity
Organizations can create specific roles based on job functions and the authorizations (i.e., privileges) to perform needed operations on organizational information systems associated with the organization-defined roles. When administrators are assigned to the organizational roles, they inherit the authorizations or privileges defined for those roles. Forescout has three predefined user roles: Admin, Web Access, and Console User. The Admin role has access to all data and management functions. By default, the Console role has access to the management console and the Web role has access to the view-only portal. However, both roles may be assigned one or more permissions, each with its own set of privileges to the data and functions.
SRG-APP-000516-NDM-000334
1 Rule
Forescout must generate log records for a locally developed list of auditable events.
Medium Severity
Auditing and logging are key components of any security architecture. Logging the actions of specific events provides a means to investigate an attack; to recognize resource utilization or capacity thresholds; or to identify an improperly configured network device. If auditing is not comprehensive, it will not be useful for intrusion monitoring, security investigations, and forensic analysis.
SRG-APP-000516-NDM-000340
1 Rule
Forescout must be configured to conduct backups of system-level information contained in the information system when changes occur.
Medium Severity
System-level information includes default and customized settings and security attributes, including ACLs that relate to the network device configuration, as well as software required for the execution and operation of the device. Information system backup is a critical step in ensuring system integrity and availability. If the system fails and there is no backup of the system-level information, a denial-of-service condition is possible for all who utilize this critical network component. Perform scheduled backups of the Forescout system to FTP, SFTP, and SCP sites. Using scheduled backups provides extra safety and protection against hard drive failures and data loss. The system backup feature saves all CounterACT device and Console settings. This data includes the following: - Configuration - License - Operating System configuration - Plugins/Modules These categories include, for example: - Forescout platform IP address - License information - Channel - Email - Internal network parameters - Basic and advanced NAC Policy definitions - Legitimate traffic definitions - Report schedules
SRG-APP-000516-NDM-000341
1 Rule
Forescout must support organizational requirements to conduct backups of information system documentation, including security-related documentation, when changes occur or weekly, whichever is sooner.
Medium Severity
System-level information includes default and customized settings and security attributes, including ACLs that relate to the network device configuration, as well as software required for the execution and operation of the device. Information system backup is a critical step in ensuring system integrity and availability. If the system fails and there is no backup of the system-level information, a denial-of-service condition is possible for all who utilize this critical network component. Perform scheduled backups of the Forescout system to FTP, SFTP, and SCP sites. Using scheduled backups provides extra safety and protection against hard drive failures and data loss. The system backup feature saves all CounterACT device and Console settings. This data includes the following: - Configuration - License - Operating System configuration - Plugins/Modules These categories include, for example: - Forescout platform IP address - License information - Channel - Email - Internal network parameters - Basic and advanced NAC Policy definitions - Legitimate traffic definitions - Report schedules
SRG-APP-000516-NDM-000344
1 Rule
Forescout must obtain its public key certificates from an appropriate certificate policy through an approved service provider.
Medium Severity
For user certificates, each organization obtains certificates from an approved shared service provider, as required by OMB policy. For federal agencies operating a legacy public key infrastructure cross-certified with the Federal Bridge Certification Authority at medium assurance or higher, this Certification Authority will suffice.
SRG-APP-000142-NDM-000245
1 Rule
Forescout must use DOD-approved PKI rather than proprietary or self-signed device certificates.
High Severity
To mitigate the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information by entities that have been issued certificates by DOD-approved PKIs. Forescout generates a key-pair and a Certificate Signing Request (CSR). The CSR is sent to the approved certificate authority (CA), who signs it and returns it as a certificate. That certificate is then installed. The process to obtain a device PKI certificate requires the generation of a CSR, submission of the CSR to a CA, approval of the request by an RA, and retrieval of the issued certificate from the CA.
SRG-APP-000142-NDM-000245
1 Rule
Forescout must disable the Request Customer Verification setting.
Low Severity
To prevent unauthorized connection of devices, unauthorized transfer of information, or unauthorized tunneling (i.e., embedding of data types within data types), organizations must disable unused or unnecessary physical and logical ports/protocols on information systems. This option connects to a user verification server at Forescout infrastructure used for verification of customer profiles and must not be used in DoD. If accidentally checked, this must error out.
SRG-APP-000395-NDM-000310
1 Rule
Forescout must be configured to authenticate SNMP messages using a FIPS-validated Keyed-Hash Message Authentication Code (HMAC).
High Severity
Without authenticating devices, unidentified or unknown devices may be introduced, thereby facilitating malicious activity. Bidirectional authentication provides stronger safeguards to validate the identity of other devices for connections that are of greater risk. A local connection is any connection with a device communicating without the use of a network. A network connection is any connection with a device that communicates through a network (e.g., local area or wide area network, internet). A remote connection is any connection with a device communicating through an external network (e.g., the internet). Because of the challenges of applying this requirement on a large scale, organizations are encouraged to only apply the requirement to those limited number (and type) of devices that truly need to support this capability.
SRG-APP-000395-NDM-000347
1 Rule
Before establishing a connection with a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server, Forescout must authenticate using a bidirectional, cryptographically based authentication method that uses a FIPS-validated Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cipher block algorithm to authenticate with the NTP server.
Medium Severity
If Network Time Protocol is not authenticated, an attacker can introduce a rogue NTP server. This rogue server can then be used to send incorrect time information to network devices, which will make log timestamps inaccurate and affect scheduled actions. NTP authentication is used to prevent this tampering by authenticating the time source. Currently, AES block cipher algorithm is approved for use in DoD for both applying cryptographic protection (e.g., encryption) and removing or verifying the protection that was previously applied (e.g., decryption). NTP devices use MD5 authentication keys. The MD5 algorithm is not specified in either the FIPS or NIST recommendation. However, MD5 is preferred to no authentication at all. The trusted-key statement permits authenticating NTP servers. The product must be configured to support separate keys for each NTP server. Severs must have a PKI device certificate involved for use in the device authentication process. Configurable to use SHA-1 when SNMPv3 is configured which is recommended by the vendor and required by DoD. Vendor cautions that this may impact performance with other devices. Downgrade to not a finding if correctly configured.
SRG-APP-000166-NDM-000254
1 Rule
Forescout must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one uppercase character be used.
Medium Severity
Use of a complex passwords helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password complexity is one factor of several that determine how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password is, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Multifactor authentication (MFA) is required for all administrative and user accounts on network devices, except for an account of last resort and, where applicable, a root account. Passwords must only be used when MFA using PKI is not available, and for the account of last resort and root account.
SRG-APP-000167-NDM-000255
1 Rule
Forescout must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one lowercase character be used.
Medium Severity
Use of a complex password helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password complexity is one factor of several that determine how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Multifactor authentication (MFA) is required for all administrative and user accounts on network devices, except for an account of last resort and (where applicable) a root account. Passwords should only be used when MFA using PKI is not available, and for the account of last resort and root account.
SRG-APP-000164-NDM-000252
1 Rule
Forescout must enforce a minimum 15-character password length.
Medium Severity
Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password length is one factor of several that helps to determine strength and how long it takes to crack a password. The shorter the password, the lower the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Use of more characters in a password helps to exponentially increase the time and/or resources required to compromise the password.
SRG-APP-000168-NDM-000256
1 Rule
Forescout must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used.
Medium Severity
Use of a complex password helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password complexity is one factor of several that determine how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Multifactor authentication (MFA) is required for all administrative and user accounts on network devices, except for an account of last resort and (where applicable) a root account. Passwords should only be used when MFA using PKI is not available, and for the account of last resort and root account.
SRG-APP-000169-NDM-000257
1 Rule
Forescout must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one special character be used.
Medium Severity
Use of a complex password helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password complexity is one factor of several that determine how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Multifactor authentication (MFA) is required for all administrative and user accounts on network devices, except for an account of last resort and (where applicable) a root account. Passwords should only be used when MFA using PKI is not available, and for the account of last resort and root account.
SRG-APP-000170-NDM-000329
1 Rule
Forescout must require that when a password is changed, the characters are changed in at least eight of the positions within the password.
Low Severity
If the application allows the user to consecutively reuse extensive portions of passwords, this increases the chances of password compromise by increasing the window of opportunity for attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. The number of changed characters refers to the number of changes required with respect to the total number of positions in the current password. In other words, characters may be the same within the two passwords; however, the positions of the like characters must be different. Multifactor authentication (MFA) is required for all administrative and user accounts on network devices, except for an account of last resort and (where applicable) a root account. Passwords should only be used when MFA using PKI is not available, and for the account of last resort and root account.
SRG-APP-000179-NDM-000265
1 Rule
Forescout must use FIPS 140-2 approved algorithms for authentication to a cryptographic module.
High Severity
Unapproved mechanisms used for authentication to the cryptographic module are not validated and therefore cannot be relied upon to provide confidentiality or integrity, and DoD data may be compromised. Network devices utilizing encryption are required to use FIPS-compliant mechanisms for authenticating to cryptographic modules. FIPS 140-2 is the current standard for validating that mechanisms used to access cryptographic modules utilize authentication that meets DoD requirements. However, authentication algorithms must configure security processes to use only FIPS-approved and NIST-recommended authentication algorithms.
SRG-APP-000190-NDM-000267
1 Rule
Forescout must terminate all network connections associated with a device management session at the end of the session, or the session must be terminated after 10 minutes of inactivity except to fulfill documented and validated mission requirements.
High Severity
Terminating an idle session within a short time period reduces the window of opportunity for unauthorized personnel to take control of a management session enabled on the console or console port that has been left unattended. In addition, quickly terminating an idle session will also free up resources committed by the managed network element. Terminating network connections associated with communications sessions includes, for example, de-allocating associated TCP/IP address/port pairs at the operating system level, or de-allocating networking assignments at the application level if multiple application sessions are using a single, operating system-level network connection. This does not mean that the device terminates all sessions or network access; it only ends the inactive session and releases the resources associated with that session.
SRG-APP-000231-NDM-000271
1 Rule
Forescout must only allow authorized administrators to view or change the device configuration, system files, and other files stored either in the device or on removable media (such as a flash drive).
High Severity
This requirement addresses the confidentiality and integrity of system information at rest (e.g., network device rule sets) when it is located on a storage device within the network device or as a component of the network device. This protection is required to prevent unauthorized alteration, corruption, or disclosure of information when not stored directly on the network device. Files on the network device or on removable media used by the device must have their permissions set to allow read or write access to those accounts specifically authorized to access or change them. Note that different administrative accounts or roles will have varying levels of access. File permissions must be set so that only authorized administrators can read or change their contents. Whenever files are written to removable media and the media removed from the device, the media must be handled appropriately for the classification and sensitivity of the data stored on the device.
SRG-APP-000516-NDM-000350
1 Rule
Forescout must be configured to send log data to a central log server for the purpose of forwarding alerts to the administrators and the Information System Security Officer (ISSO).
High Severity
The aggregation of log data kept on a syslog server can be used to detect attacks and trigger an alert to the appropriate security personnel. The stored log data can be used to detect weaknesses in security that enable the network IA team to find and address these weaknesses before breaches can occur. Reviewing these logs, whether before or after a security breach, are important in showing whether someone is an internal employee or an outside threat.