Re: Dangers from SNA?

From: joe_daunceyat_private
Date: Tue Jul 13 1999 - 10:26:33 PDT

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    Juergen,
    
    If your bypass is purely layer two (ie. token-ring/ethernet and no IP) then
    you will be secure from an IP point of view because IP runs on layer three,
    and you can't play tricks on a protocol that isn't there. However, you
    still have the vulnerability with SNA traffic. There are ways you can spoof
    MAC addresses, so you want to evaluate that. Unfortunately I don't know too
    much about SNA security. You also need some way of ensuring that no one
    enables layer three on the network devices.
    
    If you use DLSw you can treat it like IP through the firewall, however, the
    firewall is only going to be looking at the IP session characteristics, and
    not the SNA characteristics or contents. You also need to ensure that the
    firewall does not cause too much timelag, or else you will end up having
    dropped sessions all the time if the keepalives can't get through.
    
    You also want to ask about how the SNA is being sent over the WAN. He may
    already be using DLSw, as the only alternative I know is a split-bridge.
    Whatever way it is being passed, the devices are quite probably IP
    addressable, and so you need to remove all traces of IP before the layer
    three element is removed.
    
    Hope this helps,
    
    Joe
    
    Telecomms Specialist                                        Opinions mine
    own, etc.......
    AT&T Global Network Services
    Firewalls, IP & Opennet Services
    Security Analysis - Network Design Team
    
    
    Juergen.Nieveler@gecits-eu.com on 07/13/99 08:50:01 AM
    
    Please respond to Juergen.Nieveler@gecits-eu.com
    
    To:   firewall-wizardsat_private
    cc:    (bcc: Joe Dauncey/UK/IBM)
    Subject:  Dangers from SNA?
    
    
    
    
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    Hi all!
    
    A client of mine wants to secure his WAN with a firewall, but pass all
    SNA-traffic through a bypass, because firewalls don=B4t work to well wi=
    th
    SNA. In Effect, all SNA-Users (the IBM Net, for example) would connect
    directly to his  network. Are there any dangers from this approach, bes=
    ides
    it being bloody ludicrous to bypass a firewall at all?
    
    Would repacking the SNA in IP with DLSW add more security, or just help=
     to
    put it through the firewall?
    
    Thanks in advance for any insights!
    
    Mit freundlichen Gruessen - Yours sincerely
    
    Juergen Nieveler
    CompuNet Koeln
    System Engineering
    Industriestrasse 161e, 50999 Koeln, Germany
    Phone: ++49(0)2236/608161, Fax: ++49(0)2236/9651220,
    Internet: Juergen.Nieveler @ gecits-eu.com
    
    
    
    =
    
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