Securing your network with SNMP

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After my previous post about Physical and Logical security, today I want to show you about securing the network with SNMP.

What is SNMP?

SNMP stands for Simple Network Management Protocol, is a component of the Internet Protocol Suite as defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It is used in network management systems to monitor network-attached devices for conditions that warrant administrative attention. SNMP is alsow known as an application−layer protocol that helps to facilitate the exchange of management information between network devices. SNMP helps network administrators to manage network performance, and troubleshoot network problems, and plan for network growth.

3 basic components of SNMP:

An SNMP-managed network consists of three key components:

1. Managed devices: A managed device is a network node that contains an SNMP agent and that resides on a managed network. Managed devices collect and store management information and make this information available to NMSs using SNMP. Managed devices, sometimes called network elements, can be any type of device including, but not limited to, routers, access servers, switches, bridges, hubs, IP telephones, computer hosts, and printers.

2. Agents: An agent is a network-management software module that resides in a managed device. An agent has local knowledge of management information and translates that information into a form compatible with SNMP.

3. Network-management stations (NMSs): An NMS executes applications that monitor and control managed devices.NMSs provide the bulk of the processing and memory resources required for network management. One or more NMSs may exist on any managed network.

An SNMP managed device has various access levels:

+Read−only: Allows read access of the Management Information Base (MIB) on the managed device.

+Read/write: Allows read and write access of the Management Information Base on the managed device.

+Write−only: Allows write access of the Management Information Base on the managed
device.

Cisco IOS software supports 3 versions of SNMP: SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3.

SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c

These two versions use a community based form of security. The group of managers eables to access the agent is defined by an access list and password.

How about SNMPv2c?

SNMPv2c support includes a bulk retrieval echanism and more detailed error message reporting to management stations. The bulk retrieval mechanism supports the retrieval of large quantities of information, minimizing the number of polls required. The SNMPv2c improved error handling support includes a larger number of error codes that distinguish different kinds of error conditions. Error return codes in SNMPv2c report the error type.

How is SNMPv3?

SNMPv3 provides for both security models and security levels. A security model is an authentication strategy that is set up for a user and the group in which the user resides. A security level is the permitted level of security within a security model. A combination of a security model and a security level will determine which security mechanism is employed when an SNMP packet is handled.

==>You can read more about SNMP at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/internetworking/technology/handbook/SNMP.html

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