IP NETWORK VULNERABILITY AND POLICY COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT BY IP DEVICE ANALYSIS

摘要

Customizable software provides assurances about the ability of an IP network to satisfy security, regulatory and availability requirements by comprehensive vulnerability and compliance assessment of IP networks through automated analysis of configurations of devices such as routers, switches, and firewalls. The solution comprises three main approaches for testing of IP device configurations to eliminate errors that result in vulnerabilities or requirements compliance issues. The first approach involves checking the configurations of devices for conformance to Best-Current-Practices provided by vendors and organizations. Also this includes checks of compliance with regulations. The secon approach includes reading device configurations and collecting beliefs about network administrator intent. An inference engine checks for consistency using previously accumulated beliefs. The third approach addresses the multiple device/protocol issue by including an understanding of high-level service and security requirements about the specific IP network under test from the network administrators.