Switches on Network Borders

[haithamnofal]

Hi There,

Can somebody advise how secure is it to place a L2 switch on my network perimter? I heard that it is easy to flood a switch that's exposed to the internet but I'm not sure how accurate is this sentence because I'm aware that switches are not stateful devices so what concerns should I worry about when exposing my switch to the internet?

Thanks!

Haitham

[a.kiprawih]

It depends on what kind of devices your intend to hook to the switch. You can use recommendations listed in the following url:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/products/hw/switches/ps628/products_configuration_guide_chapter09186a00800d84c2.html

You can apply the same approach to other Cisco L2 switches, but it's best to refer to each individual doc.

regards,

AK

[haithamnofal]

Thanks for the link, let's assume I have border router where the internal interface is connected to a switch and then to my IPS unit. My concern is if I were under a DoS attack or a heavy rate-based attack my border router or my switch will fail before even my IPS takes over. Your advise please.

Best Regards,

Haitham