Specifications

Niagara Release 2.3
Revised: May 22, 2002 Niagara Networking & Connectivity Guide
Chapter 6 Using Security Technologies
Using a Firewall or Proxy Device
6–4
• Have at least eight characters (the more characters, the longer it takes to crack)
• Have both upper and lower case letters
• Contain both letters and numbers
• Contain special characters (interspersed between letters and numbers)
In addition, a secure host password should also be easy for you to remember so that
you are not tempted to write it down and leave it in an insecure area (such as taping
it to the unit). As mentioned in the previous section it
is a good idea to note any
password (or name) that you create or change and keep it in a secure area that is still
accessible to the rest of your team members.
So how do you create a strong password that is easy to remember, but follows the
guidelines listed above? One common method entails swapping out alphabetic
characters with numeric or special-character equivalents. For example:
• the word baseball becomes b@s3B@11
• the phrase playmahjong becomes p!@yM@4j0nG
Fortunately, the Niagara software has a strong password feature to help you enforce
secure passwords at the station level (for more information, refer to the section about
the Station object in Chapter 1 of the Niagara Standard Programming Reference).
However, for host passwords, you will have to remember to create secure passwords
on your own.
Using a Firewall or Proxy Device
Notes • If you have not already done so, please review the “Proxy Servers and
Firewalls” section on page 1-28 to familiarize yourself with the various
techniques used by firewalls and proxy servers.
• Working with these devices can be confusing because many devices that are
labelled for one function (such as “firewall”) also can provide other
functionality as well (such as proxy functions). Therefore, if you encounter an
existing device (be it a router, firewall or proxy server), you should investigate
the functions that it provides for the organization.
• You should consult the system owner’s IT department on these issues during
the planning phase of the installation to avoid unnecessary delays and rework
resulting from a lack of adequate communication.
The system architecture figures throughout this book (Figure 3-1, Figure 3-2,
Figure 4-1, Figure 4-2, Figure 5-1) provide typical examples of Niagara hosts in use
with a corporate firewall. In those examples, the equipment in sites 1–4 is behind a
firewall, but equipment at sites 5 and 6 is not.