CCENT/CCNA ICND1 100-101 Official Cert Guide

Disable Services

Cisco IOS, like any other OS, has to have some default settings. Those default settings include a variety of services that IOS supports for good reason. However, for most any service that a computer uses for good reason, hackers can use as a way to attack a network, or at least learn information that helps in some other attack. So, every good security plan looks at each OS used in a network, finds any default settings that can create a security exposure, and changes the default settings to minimize security risks.

Cisco makes several recommendations about what to disable and enable on IOS (for both routers and switches) as part of a good security plan. This section discusses a few such items, to give you an idea of the kinds ...