Network Access Control

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Access_Control
an approach to computer network security that
attempts to unify endpoint security technology (such
as antivirus, host intrusion prevention,
and vulnerability assessment), user or
system authentication and network security
enforcement
Aim: to control endpoint security by unifying it with
network device security and the whole network
Result: End devices that do not comply to the set
security policies are identified and quarantined.

Why and What?

Why NAC?
http://www.ashimmy.com/2007/03/a_brief_history.html

The biggest driver for NAC was the realization that after spending
billions on the perimeter, we still were not any more secure. Why?
Internal threats

What is NAC?
http://www.ashimmy.com/2007/03/nac_bust_or_boo.html

The original concept of NAC was performing pre-admission health

or profile checks on devices as they sought to enter the network. If
the device failed they were denied access or quarantined. Then we
added post-admission vulnerability scans, then IDS detection,
behavior based detection, identity based access controls, etc.
Before you know it, anything that has anything to do with getting on
the network and staying there is part of NAC.
T. A. Yang

Network Security

NAC: Goals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Access_Control

1. Mitigation of non-zero-day attacks (?)

-

To prevent end-stations that lack antivirus, patches, or host

intrusion prevention software from accessing the network
and placing other computers at risk of cross-contamination

2. Policy enforcement
-

To allow network operators to define policies, such as the

types of computers or roles of users allowed to access areas
of the network, and enforce them in switches, routers,
and network middleboxes (like firewalls).

3. Identity and access management

-

Instead of using IP addresses, NAC enforces network

access based on authenticated user identities, at least for
user end-stations such as laptops and desktop computers.

Support for NAC

Cisco: Network Admission Control (NAC), since

2003/2004
- A brief history of NAC (3/8/2007)
http://www.ashimmy.com/2007/03/a_brief_history.html

Other companies joined and pushed out their NAC

products (next page)
- A 2006 survey by Network Computing (local copy)

Microsofts response: Network Access Protection,

NAP (first introduced in Windows Server 2008)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Access_Protection

 Joel Conover, NAC Vendors Square Off, Network

Computing, 7/6/2006 (local copy)

T. A. Yang

Network Security

Source:
http://www.forescout.com/wp-content/media/ForresterVendorSummary_ForeScout_
publishable_2011.pdf

T. A. Yang

Network Security

 Gartners
Magic
Quadrant for
NAC:
published
12/2011
http://www.gartner.com/tec
hnology/reprints.do?id=1-1
8VNF2C&ct=120119&st=sb
(local copy)

T. A. Yang

Network Security

 NAC vendors compared (using

comparison tools at Mosaicsecurity.com)

T. A. Yang

Network Security

NAC Basic Concepts

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Access_Control

Pre-admission vs Post-admission enforcement

Agent vs Agentless data collection
An agent s/w runs on the endpoint to report the status
Agentless devices
Some devices do not support NAC agent s/w
e.g., printers, scanners, phones, photocopiers, and other special
devices
NAC uses scanning and network inventory techniques
(whitelisting, blacklisting, ACLs) to discern those characteristics
remotely
T. A. Yang

Network Security

NAC Basic Concepts

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Access_Control

Out-of-band vs Inline solutions

Inline: A single box acts as an internal firewall for accesslayer networks and enforces the policy
Out-of-band: Agents on end-stations report information to
a central console, which in turn control switches to enforce
policy.

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Network Security

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NAC Basic Concepts

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Access_Control

Quarantine vs captive portals for remediation

Quarantine: A non-compliant end-station is only allowed to
access a restricted network with patch and update servers.

Captive portals: The captive portal technique forces

an HTTP client on a network to see a special web page before
gaining full access.
In NAC, a captive portal intercepts HTTP access to web
pages, redirecting users to a web application that
provides instructions and tools for updating their
computers.
T. A. Yang

Network Security

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Ciscos NAC

Source:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/vpndevc/ps5707/ps59
23/product_data_sheet0900aecd80119868.html

NAC is a set of technologies and solutions built on an

industry initiative led by Cisco Systems.
NAC uses the network infrastructure to enforce security
policy compliance on all devices seeking to access
network computing resources, thereby limiting damage
from emerging security threats such as viruses, worms,
and spyware.

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Why NAC?
Endpoints that do not comply with established
security policies pose a threat and can introduce
a security risk into the network.
Goal of NAC: to prevent vulnerable and
noncompliant hosts from obtaining network
access
Q: Why isnt user authentication (like 802.1x)
sufficient?
Ans?
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Ciscos approach to NAC

The NAC solution uses the network access
devices (NAD) to protect the network
infrastructure from any endpoint seeking network
access.
Only compliant endpoints are granted access.
Noncompliant devices are denied access and
quarantined for remediation.

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Network Security

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Source:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/ns340/ns394/ns171/ns466/
ns617/net_design_guidance0900aecd80417226.pdf

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Ciscos NAC Solutions:

Two options
1. The NAC Appliance approach
-

Aka Cisco Clean Access (CCA) appliance

A Cisco packaged solution
CCA agent provides posture information;
Cisco Security Agent (CSA) provides protection.

2. The NAC Framework approach

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Ciscos NAC Solutions:

Two options
2. The NAC Framework approach
Built on NAC-enabled network access devices (NAD),
Cisco or non-Cisco
Compliant endpoints are granted access to the
network
Noncompliant endpoints are placed in quarantine for
remediation

c.f., Figure 13-2

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Cisco NAC Solution: two options

Figure 13-2

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Cisco Security Agent (CSA)

Ciscos host intrusion prevention tool
Details in Ch 21
On June 11, 2010, Cisco announced the
end-of-life and end-of-sale of CSA. (source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisco_Security_Agent)

CSA components
CSA endpoints: enforcing security policies received from the
management server, sending events, interacting with the user
CSA management server: a repository of configuration
database
CSA management console: an admin web-based user interface
and policy configuration tool
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Ciscos NAC Framework

source:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns340/ns394/ns171/ns466/n
s617/net_implementation_white_paper0900aecd80217e26.pdf
(2005)

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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Client sends a packet through a NAC-enabled router.

NAD begins posture validation using EOU.
Client sends posture credentials using EOU to the NAD.
NAD sends posture to Cisco ACS using RADIUS.
Cisco Secure ACS requests posture validation using the Host
Credential Authorization Protocol (HCAP) inside an HTTPS tunnel.
Posture validation/remediation server sends validation response of
pass, fail, quarantine, and so on.
To permit or deny network access, Cisco Secure ACS sends an
accept with ACLs/URL redirect.
NAD forwards posture response to client.
Client is granted or denied access, redirected, or contained.

T. A. Yang

Network Security

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 Cisco Trust Agent (CTA)

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/vpndevc/ps5707/ps5923/product_data_
sheet0900aecd80119868.html

A posture agent (PA) serves

as the single point of contact
on the host for aggregating
credentials from all posture
plugins and communicating
with the network.
This module also provides a
trusted relationship with the
network for the purposes of
exchanging these posture
credentials.
T. A. Yang

Network Security

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 Cisco Trust Agent (CTA)

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/vpndevc/ps5707/ps5923/product_data_
sheet0900aecd80119868.html
(2009)

Acts as a middleware component that takes host policy

information and securely communicates the information
to the AAA policy server
Interacts directly with "NAC-enabled" applications
running on the host without user intervention
Can communicate at Layer 3 (EAP over UDP) or Layer 2
(802.1x supplicant) with the NADs
The supplicant is able to use the EAP-FAST protocol
to carry both identity and posture information within
the 802.1x transport.
Free to download
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 Cisco Trust Agent (CTA)

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/vpndevc/ps5707/ps5923/product_data_
sheet0900aecd80119868.html

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Source:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/ns340/ns394/ns171/ns466/
ns617/net_design_guidance0900aecd80417226.pdf
(2006)

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T. A. Yang

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source:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns340/ns394/ns171/ns466/n
s617/net_implementation_white_paper0900aecd80217e26.pdf
(2005)

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NAC vs 802.1X for endpoint security

Source: http://www.cloudcentrics.com/?p=579

802.1x technologies do a great job in protecting network

assets before they are utilized on the network. Nonauthorized machines generally never get on the network. In
addition 802.1x technologies have greater flexibility in
provisioning users in different types of VLANs for isolation
such as guest or remediation VLANs.
NAC technologies do a great job in assuring when a user
is on a network they meet minimum criteria of software
patches to stay on the network. If they do not meet these
requirements upstream devices, such as firewalls from
accessing the network, block them.
Q: Agree ?
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NAC Comparison Guide

Source: http://www.itsecurity.com/whitepaper/pdf/nac-comp-guide_8-07.pdf
(2007), local copy

Vendors included in the comparison:

Bradford Networks, Check Point Software Technologies, Cisco Systems, ConSentry
Networks, Elemental Security, Enterasys Networks, ForeScout, HP, Infoblox,
InfoExpress, Insightix, Juniper Networks, Lockdown Networks, McAfee, Mirage
Networks, Nevis Networks, Nortel Networks, Senforce Technologies, Sophos,
StillSecure, Symantec, Trend Micro, and Vernier Networks

Comparison criteria:
Product type (s/w, appliance)
Endpoint assessment & compliance?
User authentication?
Remediation?
Preadmission?
Post-Admission?
Price
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More recent lists and

comparisons
By Mosaic Security Research
Source: https://mosaicsecurity.com/categories/81-network-access-control?
direction=asc&sort=vendors.name

39 vendors (as of 7/2012)

Product info, resources, awards, etc.

By JafSec.com
Source: http://jafsec.com/Network-Access-Control/Network-Access-Control-AB.html

About 29 vendors (as of 7/2012)

Include two open source NACs: FreeNAC, PacketFence
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More References

Joel Snyder, Network access control vendors pass endpoint security

testing - Alcatel-Lucent, Bradford, Enterasys, ForeScout, McAfee go above
and beyond, Network World , June 21, 2010
http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2010/062110-network-access-controltest-end-point.html

Tutorial: Network Access Control (NAC), July 17, 2007

http://www.networkcomputing.com/data-protection/229607166?pgno=3
Good explanation of basic NAC concepts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Access_Control

FAQ for Network Admission Control (NAC), 2006:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/ns340/ns394/ns171/ns466/ns617/net
_design_guidance0900aecd8040bc84.pdf

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