Computer Security and Penetration

Testing

Chapter 9
Hacking Network Devices
 Objectives
• Identify the vulnerabilities of proxy servers
• Identify the vulnerabilities of routers and switches
• Identify the vulnerabilities of firewalls
• Identify the vulnerabilities of virtual private networks
(VPNs)

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 Proxy Servers

• Perform the following functions

– Restrict users from accessing specific Web sites
using Internet access rules
– Mask the IP of the users’ PCs within the network from
outside connections
– Maintain logs of the requests and the details of users
that are accessing the Internet
– Maintain a cache of the sites that users on the
network have visited

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 Proxy Servers (continued)

• A proxy server is simple to install

– It is often part of the operating system of a server
• A proxy server is simple to use
– And is often included in router and firewall software
• The user interacting via the proxy server is hidden
– But can be traced through the log stored on the proxy
server

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 Categories of Attacks

• Attacks groups:
– Attacks made upon proxy servers
– Attacks made through proxy servers
• Attacks made through proxy servers include
– Buffer overflow attacks
– Denial-of-service attacks
– Session-hijacking attacks

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 Categories of Attacks (continued)

• Concealed identity
– Proxy servers hide a user’s real identity
– Hackers use this model to perform hacking operations
anonymously
– Hacker’s IP and time of attack is, however,
maintained on the proxy server
– Two ways to avoid this logging problem
• Hacker might use a chain of proxy servers
• Hacker can spoof the valid authentication details of a
network

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 Categories of Attacks (continued)

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 Categories of Attacks (continued)

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 Routers and Switches
• Routers and switches both segment a network
– And most can filter packets
• Switches are considered to have lower security than
routers
• Switches are often viewed as internal network
components
– With the advent of VLAN technology on switches
• Some networks are being designed with gateway
switches
• VLANs are a form of logical network segmentation

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 Routers and Switches (continued)

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 Attacks on Routers and Switches

• If the attacker has access to the console port of the

router
– He can easily set a remote user for the router or
switch
• Configuration Procedure example
– Passwords are configured for users attempting to
connect to the router on the VTY lines using Telnet
• Default password for Cisco routers is admin/admin
– See Table 9-1

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 Router Exploits
• Port scans are used to discover whether ports are
open, what applications are using the ports
– And even the operating system of the system being
scanned
• Hackers can perform many attacks on routers and
switches remotely
• Some basic router attacks
– Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attack
– Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack
– Route Table Modification Attack

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 Router Exploits (continued)

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 Firewalls
• Often considered the ultimate one-point solution for
securing networks
– From both internal and external threats
• Main function of a firewall
– Centralize access control for the network by keeping
an eye on both inbound and outbound traffic
– Preventing unauthorized users and malicious code
from entering a network
• Some firewalls can filter the packets on the
application layer

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 Firewalls (continued)
• Firewalls are designed to be transparent to
authorized network users
– And very intrusive to unauthorized users

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 Firewalls (continued)

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 Limitations of Firewalls
• Limitations
– Firewalls have a limited ability to check data integrity
– Firewalls cannot filter packets that are not sent
through them
– Firewalls from different vendors may not work well
together
– Firewalls do not provide robust support for application
security
– Firewalls do not provide a complete solution for
stopping malicious code from entering a network

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 Limitations of Firewalls (continued)
• Limitations (continued)
– Firewalls may not detect attacks if they are not
configured properly
– Firewalls cannot detect hackers using a valid
username and password
– Firewalls are effective only if security policies are
established and enforced

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Types and Methods of Firewall Attacks
• Firewall attacks can be organized into three
categories
– Spoofing
– Session hijacking
– Denial of service
• Three basic methods to hack a firewall:
– Back doors
– Root access
– Through the Web

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Types and Methods of Firewall Attacks
(continued)
• Back doors
– An alternate method used by hackers to access a
network
– After an attack, a hacker may leave an alternate route
that can be used to hack the network again
– Two ways to restore a computer after an attack:
• Format the computer and reinstall the data
• Fix the bug used by the hacker to access the computer
– Using various techniques, a hacker can lure or fool a
user into creating a back door

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Types and Methods of Firewall Attacks
(continued)

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Types and Methods of Firewall Attacks
(continued)
• Root access
– Used when hackers want to return to a network and
manipulate its data
• By using root or administrative access
– Hacker attempts to gain this access by either using a
back door to sniff the passwords
• Or by using some other programming code to hijack a
session
– Hacker installs a rootkit that is used for a variety of
purposes

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Types and Methods of Firewall Attacks
(continued)

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Types and Methods of Firewall Attacks
(continued)
• Through the Web
– Hacker can break into a firewall through the Web in
many ways
• Since the majority of firewalls permit access to remote
Web servers
– Search engines can be used to find information about
particular firewalls
• A firewall should be considered one piece of the
multitier security solution for your organization

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 VPNs
• Virtual private network (VPN)
– Allows employees to access their company’s network
from a remote location
• Using the Internet as a transport vehicle
– VPN uses protocols like point-to-point tunneling
(encrypted data tunneling)
• To send and receive information over the network

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 Threats through VPN
• Attacks on a company’s network through a VPN are
often indirect
– And a result of successfully hacking a remote user’s
computer
• If a VPN connection is sometimes used on the
compromised computer
– The hacker can acquire the necessary information

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 Threats through VPN (continued)
• A VPN connection of a valid user can be used to
perform many attacks on a network, including
– DoS, session hijacking, and spoofing

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 Ways to Safeguard the Network from
Attacks through VPNs
• Basic steps for safeguarding the VPN links
– Protect your home computer’s physical environment
– Do not use the “save” function for VPN passwords
– Install a host-based (personal) firewall on the remote
computer
– Install a host-based intrusion detection system (IDS)
on the remote computer

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 Ways to Safeguard the Network from
Attacks through VPNs (continued)
• Basic steps for safeguarding the VPN links
(continued)
– Install antivirus software
– Perform more than one level of security checks
– Audit the personal computers of remote users
– Require username/password entry to remote
computers

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 Summary
• Network devices like proxy servers, routers,
switches, firewalls, and VPNs are often targeted by
attackers
• Networking software can be divided into three
categories: security software, connection software,
and transport software
• Networking devices allow the computers on a
network to interact with each other
• Proxy servers restrict users from accessing specific
Web sites

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 Summary (continued)
• Attacks made through proxy servers include buffer
overflow attacks, denial-of-service attacks, and
session-hijacking attacks
• Routers and switches are used to segment a network
• If a hacker has access to the console port of the
router, he can easily set a remote user for the router
or switch
• Attacks made on routers include DoS attacks, DDoS
attacks, and route table modification
• Firewalls centralize access control for the network

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 Summary (continued)
• Firewall have several liabilities
• Types of firewall attacks include spoofing, session
hijacking, and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks
• Firewall hacking methods include back doors, root
access, and Web access
• Virtual private networks (VPNs) allow users to
securely access their network from a remote location
through the Internet
• Threats through VPN are considered indirect attacks

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