Port Guards


  • switch port security features to mitigate attacks on network infrastructure:
    • dynamic ARP inspection (DAI)
      • malicious host may use a spoofed MAC address to try to perform ARP cache poisoning
      • prevents a host attached to an untrusted port from flooding the segment with gratuitous ARP replies
      • maintains a trusted database of IP:ARP mappings
      • ensures that ARP packets are validly constructed and use valid IP addresses
    • DHCP snooping
      • causes the switch to inspect DHCP traffic arriving on access ports to ensure
        • that a host is not trying to spoof its MAC address
      • prevent rogue DHCP servers from operating on the network
      • only DHCP offers from ports configured as trusted are allowed
    • Neighbor Discovery (ND) Inspection and Router Advertisement (RA) Guard
      • RA Guard is switch port security feature to block router advertisement packets from unauthorized sources
      • perform similar functions to DAI and DHCP snooping for IPv6
      • most hosts have IPv6 enabled by default
        • disabling can cause unexpected problems
      • should be enabled to mitigate spoofing and on-path attacks over IPv6
    • ensure the default VLAN uses a different ID than any other user accessible VLAN
      • mitigates against double tagging attacks
    • ensure
      • ports allowed to be used as trunks are predetermined in switch config
      • access ports are not allowed to auto-configure as trunk ports
      • mitigates against VLAN hopping attacks
    • to mitigate against spanning tree attacks and root bridge selection attacks:
      • ensure attackers can’t guess which bridge ID number is used by the root bridge
      • set up Bridge Protocol Data Units Guard (BPDU Guard)
        • to allow an interface to put itself into blocking state when
          • it receives a BPDU packet meant to change the root bridge switch
      • enable root guard on ports not used as trunk lines
        • keeps ports in their assigned roles
        • if one port receives BPDU frame
          • error is logged and that port is blocked