What's New in R75

What's New in R75

Check Point R75 is based on the Software Blades Architecture.
Identity Awareness in the Check Point Security Gateway

• Identity based Firewall and Application Control polices including users, user-group and machines.
• Logging of User Identities makes troubleshooting simpler and allows better trend analysis.
• Multiple and flexible methods for obtaining user identity including seamless integration with Active Directory (no need to install agent on Domain Controller), captive web portal for clientless user authentication or thin client for strong authentication and impersonation prevention based on unique patent-pending technology for light signature of packet information.
• Scalable identity sharing between multiple gateways to identify users in one or many sites and share with other gateways in the same or different sites.

Application Control Software Blade

• Granular Application Control to identify, allow or block thousands of applications.
• Largest application library with AppWiki - Comprehensive application control leveraging the largest application library that scans and detects more than 100,000 applications and Social Network widgets.
• Auto-updates for applications database on the gateway (NO need to re-install policy).
• Detect rapidly changing Social Network Widgets via online service.

Integrated DLP Software Blade
Check Point's innovative Data Loss Prevention, now available as an integrated Software Blade.

• Prevents data loss of critical business information.
  • Network-based solution prevents breach of corporate data.
  • Compliance with data protection standards (such as PCI-DSS, HIPPA, GLBA, SOX, etc).
• Cutting edge technology for DLP processes enforcement.
  • Innovative MultiSpect data classification engine combines users, content and process into accurate decisions.
  • New UserCheck technology empowers users to remediate incidents.
  • Low maintenance, self-educating system - does not require IT/security personnel in incident handling while educating the users on proper data sharing policies.
• Easy deployment for immediate data loss prevention.
  • Less than one day deployment of preventative DLP solution.
  • Over 250 pre-defined types to create your own policy.
  • Better control and auditing capabilities with centralized security management.
• New DLP features:
  • ClusterXL HA support - quarantine database is synchronized between cluster members.
  • Incident storage at Management server.

Mobile Access blade

• Remote Access - SSL VPN technology is used for secure encrypted communication from unmanaged mobile devices, PCs and Macs to your corporate IT infrastructure.
• Check Point Mobile Client - for simple and secure connectivity to corporate resources from smartphones and PCs.
• Mobile Access Portal - for connecting securely to corporate resources through a portal from a web browser.
• SSL Network Extender (On-demand client - SNX) - Best for secure connectivity to corporate resources using non-web-based applications via an on-demand, dissolvable client.

Endpoint Security VPN R75
Endpoint Security VPN introduces the Next Generation of SecureClient, including 64-bit support. It provides mobile users seamless and secure connectivity to corporate resources by establishing an encrypted and authenticated IPSec tunnel with Check Point Security Gateways.
Enhanced IPS signature support

• Increase scalability of the IPS engine when adding many more protections.
• Decrease memory footprint (currently some pattern based protections require large memory footprint).
• Provide a new framework for using non-regular keywords replacing complex regular expressions.
• Enhance the IPS engine to support simpler and more efficient CIFS and DCE-RPC protections.

Multi-Domain Security Management (based on proven Provider-1 technology)

• R75 supports the new licensing scheme of Multi-Domain Security Management. You can easily convert an existing Security Management deployment to a Multi-Domain Security Management deployment by adding Software Blades.

Other improvements

• Security Management Server supports Series 80 Appliances gateways for centrally managed branch offices.
• You can set a different authentication method per blade on the same gateway. For example, a user can login to Mobile Access with certificate authentication and login to DLP with username and password authentication.
  In Gateway Properties, configure the desired authentication method for IPSec VPN and Mobile Access in its respective Authentication page, and for Identity Awareness in its Authentication Settings page.
• You can now use multiple portals over port 443 and port 80. For example, the SecurePlatform Web User interface and the Mobile Access portal can both be on port 443. In the SmartDashboard Gateway properties window, set the Portal URL for the different portals on the portal configuration pages.
• The user search for remote access users works according to the user groups. If a user authenticates with an IPSEC VPN client and the user is in the LDAP groups of a Remote Access VPN Community, then the user will be found in the LDAP server. If a user authenticates to the Mobile Access portal, and the user is defined in the Access to Application rules as part of the Internal Database groups, the user will be found in the Internal Database.

Provider-1 solaris installation issues

./mds_setup: /cdrom/cp-ngx-r62/solaris2/system/shared/MDSVerUtil: cannot execute
./mds_setup: /cdrom/cp-ngx-r62/solaris2/system/shared/MDSVerUtil: cannot execute
./mds_setup: /cdrom/cp-ngx-r62/solaris2/system/shared/MDSVerUtil: cannot execute
./mds_setup: /cdrom/cp-ngx-r62/solaris2/system/shared/MDSVerUtil: cannot execute
./mds_setup: test: argument expected

Copy file to the root directory of the server then run the following command :
/bin/bash /solaris2/mds_setup

The above command will guide you through MDS/sitemanager setup.

How to find broadcast storm have on the Nortel Switched Firewall Accelerator NSF 6616 or 6614?

Symptom:
VRRP log messages indicating the Accelerators are changing from BACKUP TO MASTER.
       NOTICE: Accelerator 00:60:cf:ae:08:00's vrrp status changed to MASTER
Default gateways are reported as down or not in use
    Default gateway 1 (192.168.0.1) is down
Acceleration is switching from on to off to on again
     CRITICAL: Acceleration Status changed from ACCELERATING to NOT ACCELERATING


Cause:
Broadcast packets are not handled by the SPs.  Instead, broadcast packets get forwarded to the MP for processing. A broadcast storm can bring the MP to 100% utilization.  When the MP is running at 100% dealing with the Broadcast packets, it will not be able to send VRRP updates, default gateway health checks, accelerator health checks, and others and so on.

Problem Resolution

Fix:
The first step is to determine that you are under a Broadcast Storm.
1) Check the port Stats by running /stats/port #/if on the Accelerator.  Here is the output

Interface statistics for port 3:
                    ifHCIn Counters       ifHCOut Counters
Octets:                            0                      0
UcastPkts:                      1019                  0
BroadcastPkts:              12602991             0
MulticastPkts:             78065             0
Discards:                        566                     0
Errors:                             0                0
ifInUnknownProtos:                0

In the above capture, you will see the BroadcastPkts count is much higher than the UcastPkts or the MulticastPkts.  Normal traffic typically has the Ucast as the highest count.

2) You can also check the MP Stats at the time of the attack with the /stats/mp/cpu command.  Here is a sample output showing the MP at 100% utilization.

>> MP-specific Statistics# cpu
------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU utilization:
cpuAUtil1Second:            100%  cpuBUtil1Second:           100%
cpuAUtil4Seconds:           100%  cpuBUtil4Seconds:          100%
cpuAUtil64Seconds:          97%   cpuBUtil64Seconds:         98%

3) Determine the source of the Broadcast Storms.  Set up a Sniffer on the suspected port and look for broadcast packets.  Broadcast packets do not have IP addresses, only source and destination MAC. In a Broadcast packet, the destination MAC is FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF

4) When the source is determined, you will need to troubleshoot the offending device to find out why it is sending a Broadcast Storm

Check Point logging issues when the Management Server is not receiving logs from the Modules : sk40090

Solution

The following article is a list of steps one should go through when troubleshooting logging related issues in a distributed setup.

1. Ensure that you have not run out of disk space on the hard disk that the logs are being sent to. If this is the case, delete or move the logs to an external storage device.

2. Is there communication between the MS and the Module? Test using ping to the MS from the module and then from the Module to the MS (your rules must allow for this). If this fails, and your rules allow for this, then it is most likely a routing issue.

3. Check to see if the fw.log file is growing on the module. It should be if the logs are not going to the MS. From the console run these commands:

cd $FWDIR/log

ls -la

ls -la

Verify that the fw.log file is increasing. If it is increasing then the modules are logging locally instead of forwarding the traffic to the MS. This could be a connectivity issue, or it could be the way the logging is setup. Check the FW object to ensure it is setup to send logs to the MS.

4. Can you fetch a policy? Verify that you can fetch using the hostname and IP address. If this fails then you probably have a SIC issue. To test this run the following commands:

fw fetch hostname_of_MS

fw fetch IP_Addr_of_MS (fetch by IP address also to ensure it is not a DNS issue)

5. Check the masters file. The hostname or IP address of the management station should be listed in there. To check this run the following commands:

cd $FWDIR/conf

cat masters

It should be look like this:

[Policy]

hostname_of_MS

[Log]

hostname_of_MS

[Alert]

hostname_of_MS

6. Run tcpdumps on the module, listening for port 257 on the interface facing the MS, to see if it is attempting to send logs. To check this run the following command:

tcpdump -i eth-facing-MS port 257 (use the Ctrl+C to break out of the dump)

You should see traffic leaving the FW and heading to the IP address of the MS.

You should also see traffic coming back from the MS.

7. The log file may have gotten corrupt. Run a log switch on the MS and reboot the MS to create a new log file. If logswitch does not work, move all contents of the log directory (do not move the directory itself) to a temp folder outside of the log directory. Reboot and see if the logs start again.

8. Delete the $FWDIR/log files and $FWDIR/state directory files on the module; reboot the module.

Reboot and see if the logs start again.

9. Look to see if there is a listening port for logging. Run the following command on the MS and the module:

netstat -na

You should see the *.257 LISTEN for logging connections. You should also see the IP address of the MS :257 associated with the IP address of each module, and showing an ESTABLISHED connection.

10. Check the log settings for the FW object and make sure the 'Log Server' is set to the MS that should be receiving the logs. This is usually done by default, but may have been changed by a user.

If after going through these steps you are still experiencing logging issues, please open a ticket with Nokia TAC for further troubleshooting.

Reset Fotigate Password Firmware 3.0 & 4.0

Reset Fotigate Password Firmware 3.0 & 4.0
Note : You will need the console cable that came with the device (RJ45 to Serial). Connect to the device using "Hyperterminal". From the time of reboot, you have 14 seconds to enter the login ID and password. Copy the login (maintainer) and password (bcpbYOURSERIALNUMBER) to Notepad/Wordpad. When prompted "copy and paste" this information.

(The serial number will be displayed during the console session)

Errors : The "hashed password" error notes that the login/password have not been entered in the time allowed. Reboot the device and "copy and paste" the login/password to the device. It may take a few attempts but it will work.

Please follow this procedure to setup console access with Fortinet's console cable :

1. Use the RJ-45 to DB-9 (or DB-9 to DB-9) serial cable and converter to connect the FortiGate Console port to the management computer serial port.
2.Start a terminal emulation program (HyperTerminal) on the management computer. Use these settings: Baud Rate (bps) 9600, Data bits 8, Parity None, Stop bits 1, and Flow Control None.
3.At the Login: prompt, please use following procedure to recover password

FG login: maintainer
Password: bcpbYOURSERIALNUMBER (Note that the letters are upper case, no spaces)

Press "Enter"


FG# conf sys admin
(admin)# edit admin
(admin)# set password xxxxxx<<this will be whatever password, (minimum of four characters) you prefer
(admin)# end
FG#

Now you should be able to log back in to the device from the gui, with the admin username and the password you've just set.

The default administrator account `admin' cannot change.
You can create administrators and assigned to the super_admin access profile. This user defined administers user name you can change.

Best practices Checkpoint Provider-1

Best practices Checkpoint Provider-1

1. MLM and MDS server recommended to place in firewall protected segment.

· This is to ensure those Provider-1 servers are available and not flooded with broadcast traffic.

2. Traffic between MLM, MDS and all gateways recommended to route through high consistent network paths.

· This is to ensure smooth communication between the devices, due to which we can reduce the load on the firewall modules(if the CMAs are not reachable due to any of the reason firewall gateways start logging to their local hardware, this is may increase resource utilization on firewall gateways.)

3. Scheduled backups of MDS primary and backup servers.

· This is to ensure that we have most appropriate backup all the times to rebuild the servers in case of any server hardware failure.

4. Scheduled fail-over test between MDS servers and CMAs.

· This is to ensure all the configuration is getting replicated across the servers.

5. Scheduled server hardware refresh (reboot).

· This is to ensure the server hardware is capable enough to handle any intended system reboots.

6. Scheduled manual HDD space monitor.

· This is to ensure that sufficient HDD space available for the application to run smoothly.

7. Schedule backups of MLM log files and file system.

· Due to this we can ensure that we have logs for the specific period of time.

8. Backup of entire file system of the server before any OS / Application patch or upgrade.

· This is to ensure quick revert back of the server.

9. Scheduled removal/cleaning of unused objects and unused rules for the global rulebase as well as on each of the CMAs rulebases.

· This is to ensure to keep Provider-1 database optimized and for improving the gateway performance as well.

10. Load sharing of CMAs across MDS servers.

· This ensures effective utilization of server hardware, due to which the response of the application is improved.

11. ICA (Internal Certificate Authority) expiry verification of all gateways, CMAs and MDS.

· This is to ensure Provider-1 infrastructure running smoothly.