[LINK] New NSA Report: This is How You Should Be Securing Your Network

[Roger Clarke]

On 7/3/22 8:38 am, gerard wrote:
> May be of interest to the link. I find it a bit funny coming from the
> NSA :)

There could be logic to it though, e.g.:

-   it might only contain advice about techniques that the NSA believes
    it already knows how to crack, or to go around;

or, less cynically:

-   the organisations and individuals it targets are up at this level
    of security in any case;  so NSA loses nothing in its battles with
    them, and gains by assisting low-priority NSA targets to harden
    themselves against 'the *really* bad guys'.

It's interesting that they consider two-factor authentication to still
be too difficult for implementation for local admin accounts (p.17).

Generally, it doesn't seem to include much that would be new to a good
3rd year uni student.  On the positive side, it's written far more
clearly than a lot of other NIST and other official documents!

_________________


> https://yro.slashdot.org/story/22/03/05/195232/new-nsa-report-this-is-how-you-should-be-securing-your-network
> 
> and the report...
> https://media.defense.gov/2022/Mar/01/2002947139/-1/-1/0/CTR_NSA_NETWORK_INFRASTRUCTURE_SECURITY_GUIDANCE_20220301.PDF
> 
> 
> 
> /NSA's report 'Cybersecurity Technical Report (CTR): Network
> Infrastructure Security Guidance' is available freely for all network
> admins and CIOs to bolster their networks from state-sponsored and
> criminal cyberattacks. The report covers network design, device
> passwords and password management, remote logging and administration,
> security updates, key exchange algorithms, and important protocols such
> as Network Time Protocol, SSH, HTTP, and Simple Network Management
> Protocol (SNMP).
> 
> The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency isencouraging
> tech leaders to view the NSA document
> <https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/current-activity/2022/03/03/nsa-releases-network-infrastructure-security-guidance>as
> part of its new push for all organizations in the US and elsewhere to
> raise defenses after the recent disk wiper malware targeting Ukrainian
> organizations. The document, from NSA's cybersecurity directorate,
> encourages the adoption of 'zero trust' networks....
> 
> The new report follows NSA'sguidance to help people and organizations
> choose virtual private networks (VPN)
> <https://www.zdnet.com/article/nsa-cisa-partner-for-guide-on-safe-vpns-amid-widespread-exploitation-by-nation-states/>.
> VPN hardware for securing connections between remote workers to
> corporate networks became a prime target during the pandemic./
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-- 
Roger Clarke                            mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
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Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University