Sophos Firewall DoS Protection Overview

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of configuring DoS policies?

To establish firewall rules for IPv6

To configure rate limits for different attack types (correct)

To prioritize traffic based on type

To monitor network bandwidth usage

What must be specified when configuring each attack type in a DoS policy?

The duration of the attack

The IP addresses of potential attackers

The packets per second limit and its scope (correct)

The protocol type being used

Which of the following statements regarding DoS rules is true?

DoS rules are only effective against SYN flood attacks

A single DoS policy can be referenced in multiple DoS rules (correct)

DoS rules can be applied to both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic

The order of DoS rules does not affect how they are evaluated

What is the significance of the rule position in DoS rules?

It affects the evaluation order of the rules Signup and view all the answers

Which section of the DoS rule configuration specifies the type of traffic to apply the policy to?

Options section Signup and view all the answers

What does DoS protection primarily aim to achieve when configured on the Sophos Firewall?

Blocking denial-of-service attacks Signup and view all the answers

When DoS protection is enabled on the Sophos Firewall, how is it applied to traffic?

To all traffic regardless of its source or destination Signup and view all the answers

What potential issue may arise when using strict DoS protection rules?

False positives affecting legitimate outgoing traffic Signup and view all the answers

What is recommended when configuring DoS rules on the Sophos Firewall for best outcomes?

Targeting specific traffic to optimize protection Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about the behavior of DoS protection on the Sophos Firewall?

It can only protect against incoming threats Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of configuring Advanced DoS protection rules?

To manage different traffic types with tailored rules Signup and view all the answers

Which command syntax is correctly used to create a DoS policy?

system dos-config add dos-policy policy-name [SYN-Flood pps] Signup and view all the answers

What is a key feature of the traffic tracking methods for DoS protection?

Traffic from each source IP and to each destination IP can be tracked separately Signup and view all the answers

In Advanced DoS protection, what aspect can be refined for targeted configuration?

Specific protocols and port numbers of the traffic Signup and view all the answers

What is required to configure Advanced DoS protection for Sophos Firewall?

Console access to execute configuration commands Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Sophos Firewall DoS Protection

Sophos Firewall DoS protection is configured globally for all traffic when enabled in the WebAdmin
Advanced DoS protection consists of DoS policies and DoS rules
DoS policies set limits for each attack type (e.g., SYN flood, UDP flood, ICMP flood, IP flood)
DoS rules specify which traffic the DoS policy applies to
Advanced DoS configuration requires using packets per second (PPS) calculations
PPS calculations need software details like concurrent connections, protocol, transaction size, and frequency

Additional Information

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DoS Protection Configuration

DoS protection is enabled/configured in the WebAdmin
Applies to all traffic irrespective of source or destination
While providing maximum protection, it can cause false positives in complex networks due to bidirectional traffic (outgoing traffic may be blocked)
Advanced configuration allows targeting specific protocols, ports, zones, interfaces, networks ensuring relevant traffic is safe

DoS Policies

Configure limits for each attack type
Examples: SYN flood, UDP flood, ICMP flood, IP flood
Each attack type's limit is configurable: packets per second (pps) with options per-source, per-destination, or global

DoS Rules

Configure which traffic to apply the DoS policy to
Available only for IPv4 addressing
Rules are evaluated from top to bottom
Configured via command-line interface or GUI
Allows selecting traffic and parameters like source IP/zone/interface, destination IP/zone/interface, protocol, and ports.
Only one DoS policy can be assigned to a DoS rule

Example Scenarios

VoIP service, game servers: require separate rules due to different traffic flow direction and protection needs (inbound and outbound).
Protection of specific network zones, interfaces, and protocols, using rules for inbound/outbound traffic
Example policy: "UDP-GameServers" policy to protect 10000 PPS per-source UDP-flood

PPS Calculation

Needed for advanced DoS policy configuration
Factors include max transactions/second, packet size, concurrent connections, and transaction frequency
Detailed calculation example in supplemental material
Use calculated PPS values in DoS policy creation

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Description

This quiz covers the configuration and implementation of DoS protection in Sophos Firewall. It includes details on DoS policies, rules, and the necessary packets per second calculations required for advanced setup. Understand how to manage various attack types and their associated limits.