Security Guidelines for IETF MIB Modules

This text may need changes if new RFCs are published. In general, if you think this text needs changes, please send an email message to the ietfmibs@ietf.org mailing list or to the responsible Area Director, Dan Romascanu.

Please note that the formatted text below is mostly text that you can re-use in your MIB document. The text prefixed with double dashes is meant as explanatory text for you to either check another good example or to think about how to choose pieces of the text or how to select specific objects to be listed and what sort of aspects to think about. They are just examples to get you started.

Please be sure to fill in the list of objects (from your specific MIB module) at places where you see <list .... sensitive>

Formatted Text

-- If not already present for other reasons, then add in the overview
-- or introduction section:

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in
   this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14,
   RFC 2119 [RFC2119].

X. Security Considerations

-- if you have any read-write and/or read-create objects, please
-- describe their specific sensitivity or vulnerability.
-- RFC 2669 has a very good example.

   There are a number of management objects defined in this MIB module
   with a MAX-ACCESS clause of read-write and/or read-create.  Such
   objects may be considered sensitive or vulnerable in some network
   environments.  The support for SET operations in a non-secure
   environment without proper protection can have a negative effect on
   network operations.  These are the tables and objects and their
   sensitivity/vulnerability:

    <list the tables and objects and state why they are sensitive>

-- else if there are no read-write objects in your MIB module

   There are no management objects defined in this MIB module that have
   a MAX-ACCESS clause of read-write and/or read-create.  So, if this
   MIB module is implemented correctly, then there is no risk that an
   intruder can alter or create any management objects of this MIB
   module via direct SNMP SET operations.

-- for all MIB modules you must evaluate whether any readable objects
-- are sensitive or vulnerable (for instance, if they might reveal
-- customer information or violate personal privacy laws such as
-- those of the European Union if exposed to unathorized parties)

   Some of the readable objects in this MIB module (i.e., objects with a
   MAX-ACCESS other than not-accessible) may be considered sensitive or
   vulnerable in some network environments.  It is thus important to
   control even GET and/or NOTIFY access to these objects and possibly
   to even encrypt the values of these objects when sending them over
   the network via SNMP.  These are the tables and objects and their
   sensitivity/vulnerability:

    <list the tables and objects and state why they are sensitive>

   SNMP versions prior to SNMPv3 did not include adequate security.
   Even if the network itself is secure (for example by using IPsec),
   even then, there is no control as to who on the secure network is
   allowed to access and GET/SET (read/change/create/delete) the objects
   in this MIB module.

   It is RECOMMENDED that implementers consider the security features as
   provided by the SNMPv3 framework (see [RFC3410], section 8),
   including full support for the SNMPv3 cryptographic mechanisms (for
   authentication and privacy).

   Further, deployment of SNMP versions prior to SNMPv3 is NOT
   RECOMMENDED.  Instead, it is RECOMMENDED to deploy SNMPv3 and to
   enable cryptographic security.  It is then a customer/operator
   responsibility to ensure that the SNMP entity giving access to an
   instance of this MIB module is properly configured to give access to
   the objects only to those principals (users) that have legitimate
   rights to indeed GET or SET (change/create/delete) them.

Formatted References

Y. Normative References

   [RFC2119]   Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
               Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

Z. Informative References

   [RFC3410] Case, J., Mundy, R., Partain, D. and B. Stewart,
             "Introduction and Applicability Statements for Internet-
             Standard Management Framework", RFC 3410, December 2002.

Security Guidelines for a MIB module with just Textual Conventions

If your MIB module or MIB document only specifies a set of Textual Conventions, then the following security considerations section is probably good for re-use.

X. Security Considerations

   This module does not define any management objects.  Instead, it
   defines a set of textual conventions which may be used by other MIB
   modules to define management objects.

   Meaningful security considerations can only be written in the MIB
   modules that define management objects.  This document has therefore
   no impact on the security of the Internet.