System information

C H A P T E R
3
Defending the Perimeter
In addition to Cisco firewall, virtual private network (VPN), and intrusion prevention
system (IPS) appliances that can sit at the perimeter of a network, Cisco IOS routers offer
perimeter-based security. For example, the Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR) can be
equipped to provide high-performance security features, including firewall, VPN
termination, and IPS features, in addition to other services such as voice and quality-of-
service (QoS) services. This chapter introduces various ISR models.
Because perimeter routers can be attractive targets for attack, they should be configured to
secure administrative access. Therefore, this chapter also discusses specific approaches to
“harden” administrative access to ISRs.
Configuring advanced ISR router features can be a complex process. Fortunately, many
modern Cisco routers can be configured using the graphical Cisco Security Device
Manager (SDM) interface. SDM contains multiple wizard-like configuration utilities,
which are introduced in this chapter.
“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz
The “Do I Know This Already?” quiz helps you determine your level of knowledge of this
chapter’s topics before you begin. Table 3-1 details the major topics discussed in this
chapter and their corresponding quiz questions.
Table 3-1 “Do I Know This Already?” Section-to-Question Mapping
Foundation Topics Section Questions
ISR Overview and Providing Secure Administrative Access 1 to 10
Cisco Security Device Manager Overview 11 to 13