Title

Symantec ProxySG must fail securely in the event of an operational failure. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

If a boundary protection device fails in an unsecure manner (open), information external to the boundary protection device may enter, or the device may permit unauthorized information release. Secure failure ensures that when a boundary control device fails, all traffic will be subsequently denied. Fail secure is a condition achieved by employing information system mechanisms to ensure that in the event of operational failures of boundary protection devices at managed interfaces (e.g., routers, firewalls, guards, and application gateways residing on protected subnetworks commonly referred to as demilitarized zones), information systems do not enter into unsecure states where intended security properties no longer hold. Depending on the deployment architecture, there are many configurations to check that are external to the ProxySG to ensure that an operational failure results in a secure state. With these external configurations in place, the ProxySG meets this requirement inherently. However, if a ProxySG hardware appliance is configured in a transparent, physically in-path manner, the check and fix on the ProxySG will apply.

Check Content

Verify that the transparent, physically in-line hardware ProxySG appliance is configured to fail securely in the event of an operational failure. 1. Browse to Configuration >> Network >> Adapters >> Bridges. 2. Select the appropriate bridge-pair (whichever is in use) and click "Edit". 3. Verify that the "fail-closed" radio button is selected. If the "fail-closed" radio button is not selected, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the transparent, physically in-line hardware ProxySG appliance to fail securely in the event of an operational failure. 1. Browse to Configuration >> Network >> Adapters >> Bridges. 2. Select the appropriate bridge-pair (whichever is in use) and click "Edit". 3. Select the "fail-closed" radio button and click "Apply".

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-104279r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-94325

Group Title: SRG-NET-000365-ALG-000123

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

Controls tied to check. These are derived from the CCIs shown above.