Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls [Hardcover]

David W. Chapman Jr. (Author), Andy Fox (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1587050358 | ISBN-13: 978-1587050350 | Publication Date: December 18, 2001 | Edition: 1st

Security continues to be an important topic for networkers looking to protect their organizations infrastructure, data and Web facilities. The growth in popularity of the Cisco Security specialization is proof of that interest. Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls it is the official coursebook for two of the courses required for that certification, but is useful to both specialization pursuers as well as those wanting to master security issues related to the Cisco line of PIX Firewalls. As the only book available that focuses specifically on the Cisco line of PIX firewalls, this invaluable resource will help readers maximize the security of their systems.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Simply put, Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls fills a market need. No other book on the market covers Cisco firewall hardware to the extent this one does. Indeed, no other book covers the Cisco Secure PIX products exclusively. Regardless of whether you aspire to earn a Cisco security certification or take the Cisco Secure PIX Firewall Advanced (CSPFA) class for which this is the official textbook, you'll benefit from the authors' treatment of their subject. Relatively little of their work is straight documentation of commands and procedures, though there's enough of that to make this book a good reference. Much more attention goes to typical PIX engineering problems, which the authors use as a context for explaining the more mechanical aspects of IOS syntax and configuration files.

There's a fair amount of background information for each covered topic. In the chapter on IPSec, for example, you'll find definitions of key terms and concepts (like RSA signatures and the Diffie-Hellman protocol) and comments on the relative strengths of many of them. Once that's out of the way, the necessary configuration is presented as a series of tasks, many of which include procedures in which some steps involve hands-on work (doing something at the command line) and others center on decisions to be made and policies to be established. Tables of relevant commands, arguments, and options back the steps where they're appropriate. --David Wall

Topics covered: This book deals specifically with the Cisco Secure PIX 506, 515, 520, 525, and 535 units. With respect to those firewalls, the authors show how to configure address translation, accounting, logging, IPSec (virtual private networks--VPNs--particularly), authentication, and SNMP and DHCP services. This is comprehensive Cisco Secure PIX documentation for installers and administrators (and also for hackers, so pay attention).

From the Back Cover

Reduce the threat of network attacks with an authorized self-study guideOne of the primary components of any organization's security policy is the implementation and maintenance of firewalls. Firewalls are network devices residing at the perimeter of corporate networks that protect internal networks from intrusion by the outside world. The integrated hardware/software PIX Firewall series delivers high security without impacting network performance while scaling to meet the entire range of customer requirements. Based on the official instructor-led training course (Cisco Secure PIX Firewall Advanced-CSPFA), Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls teaches you the skills needed to describe, configure, verify, and manage the PIX Firewall product family and the Cisco IOS(r) Firewall feature set. Starting with a discussion of hacking methodologies and internal and external threats, this book opens by describing the Cisco Security Wheel, emphasizing network security as a continuous process. The authors then familiarize you with the characteristics of the various PIX models and examine upgrade tasks. This book covers basic installation details, as well as how to enable more advanced features and access control. In addition, this book details management and monitoring with PIX Syslog services and the PIX AAA subsystem. You also learn to configure the PIX Failover mechanism, IPSec on the PIX, and the Cisco IOS Firewall feature set. The appendixes provide helpful references, including configuring PIX intrusion detection features, SNMP management support, DHCP client and server, Secure Shell Protocol (SSH) connection, and dozens of security-related resources. Whether you are preparing for the Cisco Security Specialist 1 certification or simply want to understand and make the most efficient use of PIX Firewalls, Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls provides you with a complete solution for planning, deploying, and managing PIX Firewall protected networks.Prepare for the Cisco Security Specialist 1 PIX exam with the official CSPFA self-study guideUnderstand the physical characteristics of PIX models 506, 515, 520, 525, and 535, including LED information and port and slot numberingUpgrade PIX OS code, perform password recovery, and install feature licensesConfigure IPSec Phase I and Phase II Security AssociationsConfigure Cisco routers to perform Context Based Access Control (CBAC)Examine the many operating features of the PIX, such as Cut-Through Proxy, Advanced Protocol Handling, Attack Guards, and the Adaptive Security Algorithm (ASA)Learn the ins and outs of address translation and access control Install the Cisco Secure ACS server and configure corresponding services on the PIX to authenticate and authorize users and servicesUnderstand attack guards such as Syn Flood, Fragmentation, AAA, DNS, and Mail Examine the workings of the PIX failover mechanism and learn the difference between failover, stateful failover, interface testing, and the failover pollDavid W. Chapman Jr., CCNP(r), CCDP(r), CSS-1, is a Cisco Security Instructor with Global Knowledge. As Course Director for the Cisco Secure PIX Firewall course, David is charged with maintaining the integrity and quality of the course offering and mentoring instructors new to the course.Andy Fox, CCSI(tm), CCNA(r), CCDA(r), CSS-1 is a Certified Cisco Systems Instructor with Global Knowledge. Andy has been teaching Cisco Certified Classes for more than five years and is the Course Director for the Managing Cisco Network Security course.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Cisco Press; 1st edition (December 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587050358
• ISBN-13: 978-1587050350
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,578,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Confusing, misguided -- online docs better, January 31, 2002

By 

Howard Beale "operation-mobocracy" (Flyoverland, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls (Hardcover)

I'd worked with a variety of Cisco equipment, both WAN routers and LAN switches and L3 switch/routers over the past six years and I found the PIX security model and command set somewhat confusing, so I bought this book because it was the only book about the PIX that I could find.

Boy, was I disappointed -- confusing examples, outdated information, missing information, non-relevant filler, this book couldn't have gottten much worse.

The book assumes through almost all the examples that you will be NAT translating your addresses, and spends most of its time explaining configurations that use NAT and almost no time with non-NAT configurations. It's left to the reader to guess at whether commands like "static" even apply to non-nat connections.

Cisco themselves in at least PIX 6.1(1) have deprecated the conduit and outbound commands in favor of access-group and access-list commands. For a book with a copyright of 2002 and written by cisco, there is no mention of access-list/group commands at all and all the examples use conduit/outbound -- this is inexcusable.

There was also no mention in the book of the poorly documented process for updating licensing keys for the PIX, either. This would have been a valuable, step-by-step addition. PIX hardware was absent from any discussion in this book as well.

Furthermore, there's an entire chapter devoted IOS firewall commands, which, while a nice freebie, seems like it was thrown in to bulk up a pretty thin book.

I suppose I got something out of reading the book, but certainly not the book's asking price. I've found the usual online docs at Cisco more valuable, especially for 6.1(1).

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Written for this struggling PIX beginner, March 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls (Hardcover)

I just started working on PIX firewalls two months ago when our senior engineer quit. I thought all along he knew what he was doing. After reading through this book though, it's clear he was bluffing and having Cisco TAC do the configuration for him.

This book has allowed me to understand all the things my predecessor did WRONG and correct them.

Though I am a CCNP & CCDP, I found myself completely unprepared for the bizarre syntax the PIX throws at you.

I recommend this title to anyone like myself who is starting off on the PIX and trying to figure out which way is up.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Solid Info on PIX, January 22, 2002

By 

Robert M. Yee (Alhambra, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls (Hardcover)

Sometimes its hard to find all the info that you need to effectively operate and understand what the PIX can do for an enterprise.

A lot of the knowledge that I've gained about the PIX has been from scattered sources, this book is pretty good at getting all that information together.

A close second(in terms of information) to this book is the Configuration Guide that comes with the PIX.

The book is pretty well written, easy to read and it is only about 300 pages. For those of you who are used to reading the 600 page books that Cisco Press puts out, this one can be considered light reading.

I'm currently re-reading it a second time, in preparation for the exam. I've tried the Boson tests along with the book and they seem to be a good combo.

Even if you are not planning on taking the exam, I recommend this book. The examples given may be a bit simplestic, but they drive the point home. As a day-to-day reference, you may also want to supplment the book with info from CCO.