NetBackup and Veritas Appliances Hardening Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): Appliances (10.3, 5.3, 4.0), NetBackup & Alta Data Protection (10.3, 5.3, 4.0)
Platform: Flex Appliance OS,NetBackup Appliance OS,Linux,Windows,UNIX
  1. Top recommendations to improve your NetBackup and Veritas appliances security posture
    1.  
      Introduction
    2.  
      Keeping all systems and software updated
    3.  
      Enabling multifactor authentication
    4.  
      Enabling multiperson authorization
    5.  
      Increasing the security level
    6.  
      Implementing an immutable data vault
    7.  
      Securing credentials
    8.  
      Reducing network exposure
    9.  
      Enabling encryption
    10.  
      Enabling catalog protection
    11.  
      Enabling malware scanning and anomaly detection
    12.  
      Enabling security observability
    13.  
      Restricting user access
    14.  
      Configuring a sign-in banner
  2. Steps to protect Flex Appliance
    1.  
      About Flex Appliance hardening
    2. Managing multifactor authentication
      1.  
        Configuring or reconfiguring multifactor authentication
      2.  
        Enforcing multifactor authentication
    3.  
      Configuring the multi-factor authentication on NetBackup primary and media server instance
    4.  
      Configuring the multi-factor authentication on NetBackup WORM storage server instance
    5. Managing single sign-on (SSO)
      1.  
        Managing identity providers (IDPs)
      2.  
        Importing single sign-on (SSO) users
    6.  
      Managing user authentication with smart cards or digital certificates
    7. About lockdown mode
      1.  
        Changing the lockdown mode
    8.  
      Using network access control
    9.  
      Using an external certificate
    10.  
      Forwarding logs
    11.  
      Creating a NetBackup WORM storage server instance
    12. Configuring an isolated recovery environment using the web UI
      1.  
        Configuring the allowed subnets
      2.  
        Configuring the reverse connections
      3.  
        Configuring the reverse replication schedule
      4.  
        Adding a replication operation to SLP at the production primary server
    13.  
      Protecting the NetBackup catalog on a WORM storage server
    14.  
      Using a sign-in banner
  3. Steps to protect NetBackup Appliance
    1.  
      About NetBackup Appliance hardening
    2.  
      About multifactor authentication
    3. About single sign-on (SSO) authentication and authorization
      1.  
        Configure single sign-on (SSO) for a NetBackup Appliance
    4. About authentication using smart cards and digital certificates
      1.  
        2FA
      2.  
        Smart card Authentication for NetBackup Web UI
      3.  
        Smart card authentication for NetBackup Appliance Web UI
      4.  
        Smart card authentication for NetBackup Appliance Shell Menu
      5.  
        Configure role-based access control
      6.  
        Configure authentication for a smart card or digital certificate for the NetBackup Web UI
    5.  
      Disable user access to the NetBackup appliance operating system
    6.  
      About Network Access Control
    7. About data encryption
      1.  
        KMS support
    8.  
      FIPS 140-2 conformance for NetBackup Appliance
    9.  
      About implementing external certificates
    10.  
      About antimalware protection
    11. About forwarding logs to an external server
      1.  
        Uploading certificates for TLS
      2.  
        Enabling log forwarding
    12.  
      Creating the appliance login banner
  4. Steps to protect NetBackup
    1.  
      About NetBackup hardening
    2. About multifactor authentication
      1.  
        Configure multi-factor authentication for your user account
      2.  
        Enforce multi-factor authentication for all users
    3. Configure NetBackup for single sign-on (SSO)
      1.  
        Configure the SAML KeyStore
      2.  
        Configure the SAML keystore and add and enable the IDP configuration
      3.  
        Enroll the NetBackup primary server with the IDP
    4. Configure user authentication with smart cards or digital certificates
      1.  
        Configure smart card authentication with a domain
      2.  
        Configure smart card authentication without a domain
    5. Workflow to configure multi-person authorization for NetBackup operations
      1.  
        NetBackup operations that need multi-person authorization
      2.  
        RBAC roles and permissions for multi-person authorization
      3.  
        Configure multi-person authorization
    6. Access codes
      1.  
        Request CLI access through web UI authentication
      2.  
        Approve the CLI access request of another user
    7. Workflow to configure immutable and indelible data
      1.  
        About configuring disk pool storage
      2.  
        Use WORM setting
      3.  
        Creating a backup policy
    8. Add a configuration for an external CMS server
      1.  
        Add a credential for CyberArk
    9. Configuring an isolated recovery environment on a NetBackup BYO media server
      1.  
        Configuring A.I.R. for replicating backup images from production environment to IRE BYO environment
    10. About FIPS support in NetBackup
      1.  
        Enable FIPS mode on NetBackup during installation
      2.  
        Enable FIPS mode on a NetBackup host after installation
      3.  
        Enable FIPS mode for the NetBackup Authentication Broker service
      4.  
        Enable FIPS mode for the NetBackup Administration Console
      5.  
        NB_FIPS_MODE option for NetBackup servers and clients
    11.  
      Installing KMS
    12. Workflow for external KMS configuration
      1.  
        Validating KMS credentials
      2.  
        Configuring KMS credentials
      3.  
        Configuring KMS
      4.  
        Creating keys in an external KMS
      5. Workflow to configure data-in-transit encryption
        1.  
          Configure the global data-in-transit encryption setting
        2. Configure the DTE mode on a client
          1.  
            DTE_CLIENT_MODE for clients
        3. How DTE configuration settings work in various NetBackup operations
          1.  
            Backup
          2.  
            Restore
          3.  
            MSDP backup, restore, and optimized duplication
          4.  
            Universal-Share policy backup
          5.  
            Catalog backup and recovery
          6.  
            Duplication
          7.  
            Synthetic backup
          8.  
            Verify
          9.  
            Import
          10.  
            Replication
        4.  
          Configure the DTE mode on the media server
        5. Modify the DTE mode on a backup image
          1.  
            DTE_IGNORE_IMAGE_MODE for NetBackup servers
    13. Workflow to use external certificates for NetBackup host communication
      1. About certificate revocation lists for external CA
        1.  
          How CRLs from ECA_CRL_PATH are used
        2.  
          How CRLs from CDP URLs are used
      2.  
        Configure an external certificate for the NetBackup web server
      3.  
        Configuring the primary server to use an external CA-signed certificate
      4. Configuring an external certificate for a clustered primary server
        1. Configuration options for external CA-signed certificates for a virtual name
          1.  
            CLUSTER_ECA_CERT_PATH for clustered primary server
          2.  
            CLUSTER_ECA_TRUST_STORE_PATH for clustered primary server
          3.  
            CLUSTER_ECA_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH for clustered primary server
          4.  
            CLUSTER_ECA_KEY_PASSPHRASEFILE for clustered primary server
      5. Configuring a NetBackup host (media server, client, or cluster node) to use an external CA-signed certificate after installation
        1.  
          Enrolling an external certificate for a remote host
      6. Configuration options for external CA-signed certificates
        1. ECA_CERT_PATH for NetBackup servers and clients
          1.  
            Specifying Windows certificate store for ECA_CERT_PATH
        2.  
          ECA_TRUST_STORE_PATH for NetBackup servers and clients
        3.  
          ECA_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH for NetBackup servers and clients
        4.  
          ECA_KEY_PASSPHRASEFILE for NetBackup servers and clients
        5.  
          ECA_CRL_CHECK for NetBackup servers and clients
        6.  
          ECA_CRL_PATH for NetBackup servers and clients
        7.  
          ECA_CRL_PATH_SYNC_HOURS for NetBackup servers and clients
        8.  
          ECA_CRL_REFRESH_HOURS for NetBackup servers and clients
        9.  
          ECA_DISABLE_AUTO_ENROLLMENT for NetBackup servers and clients
        10.  
          ECA_DR_BKUP_WIN_CERT_STORE for NetBackup servers and clients
        11.  
          MANAGE_WIN_CERT_STORE_PRIVATE_KEY option for NetBackup primary servers
    14.  
      Guidelines for managing the primary server NetBackup catalog
    15. About protecting the MSDP catalog
      1. About the MSDP shadow catalog
        1.  
          Changing the MSDP shadow catalog path
        2.  
          Changing the MSDP shadow catalog schedule
        3.  
          Changing the number of MSDP catalog shadow copies
      2.  
        About the MSDP catalog backup policy
    16. How to set up malware scanning
      1.  
        Prerequisites for a scan host
      2.  
        Configuring a new scan host pool
    17. About backup anomaly detection
      1.  
        Detecting backup anomalies on the primary server
      2.  
        Detecting backup anomalies on the media server
      3.  
        Configure backup anomaly detection settings
      4.  
        View backup anomalies
    18.  
      Send audit events to system logs
    19.  
      Send audit events to log forwarding endpoints
    20.  
      Display a banner to users when they sign in

Prerequisites for a scan host

A scan host is a host machine that has the required malware tool configured. Once it is integrated with NetBackup, NetBackup initiates scanning on the scan host.

Ensure that you meet the following prerequisites:

  • The minimum required configuration for the scan host is 8 CPU and 32-GB RAM.

  • The malware tool must be installed and configured.

  • For the supported operating systems of the scan host, refer Software Compatibility List.

  • The scan host must have a share type configured, that is, an NFS or SMB client.

  • NetBackup footprint is not required on the scan host. The existing systems with the NetBackup client or media server can be used as scan host, too.

  • The scan host must be reachable from the media server over SSH.

    Note:

    SSH connection to scan host from the media server must be successful.

  • Depending on the platform, perform the following:

    (For Windows)

    • OpenSSH must be configured on windows scan host. Create the firewall rule for OpenSSH so that scan host is accessible from media server.

    Note the following:

    • For Windows 2016, get OpenSSH from GIT hub repository and for Windows 2019, enable OpenSSH server feature. For more details, refer to Microsoft documentation.

    • Microsoft Visual C/C++ Redistributable is an additional dependency if media server is updated to 10.1.1 and above.

      Visual C/C++ run-time library DLL is required to execute nbmalwareutil utility on windows scan host. The runtime DLL can be obtained from Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable latest supported downloads.

    (For Linux)

    • For Linux scan host default login shell must be bash.

    • For NetBackup malware detection utility to execute on scan host, install libnsl.so.1 library on scan host. If the latest version of libnsl library file is present (for example, /usr/lib64/libnsl.so.2), then create a softlink file /usr/lib64/libnsl.so.1 which points to /usr/lib64/libnsl.so.2 file.

      Example for creating softlink file:

      # cd /usr/lib64 # ln -sf libnsl.so.2 libnsl.so.1

      Note:

      For assistance on installing libnsl* library file, contact operating system administrator.

    • For non-administrator user on windows: Non-administrator user of windows scan host must be added to the administrators group.

    • For non-root user on Linux:

      • Allow ssh connection using non-root user.

        For example: Add the Allow Users root scanuser entry in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file.

        Note:

        Scan user is a non-root user created in the system.

      • Provide user permission to mount and umount. Add user permission entry in sodoers file.

        For example: In the /etc/sudoers file add one of the following:

        • scanuser ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL

        • scanuser ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/bin/umount, /bin/mount

      • Configure malware tool using non-root user on the scan host.

        Note:

        If scanning is done using root user, then change the permission of the /tmp/malware folder to provide write permissions to the non-root user.

        Note:

        For example: chmod a+rwx /tmp/malware

Prerequisites for Windows scan host for NFS share type

Run the scan host credential validation again from Web UI if changes are done to ID mapping.

  1. Enable local passwd file mapping:
    C:\Users\Administrator> Set-NfsMappingStore -EnableUNMLookup  $True  -UNMServer localhost
    C:\Users\Administrator> nfsadmin mapping
     
    The following are the settings on localhost
     
    Mapping Server Lookup       : Enabled
    Mapping Server              : localhost
    AD Lookup                   : Disabled
    AD Domain                   :
  2. The entry must be as follows in the respective files (in file type format):

    In C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\passwd file:

    scanuser:x:1001:1001:Description:C:\Users\scanuser

    In C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\group file:

    scangroup:x:1001:1001
  3. Restart nfsadmin client as follows:

    nfsadmin client stop

    nfsadmin client start

  4. Verify the ID (UID/GID) mapping for user by running the following command using PowerShell:
    Get-NfsMappedIdentity -AccountName Administrator -AccountType User
     
    UserIdentifier      : 0
    GroupIdentifier     : 0
    UserName            : Administrator
    PrimaryGroup        :
    SupplementaryGroups :

Note:

For VMware and cloud workload policy scanning, UID and GID mapping must be set to 0.

(If scan host is created in Azure or AWS from marketplace images) Enable root access for scan host as follows:

  • Change the root password using the following command:

    - sudo -i passwd

  • Change /etc/ssh/sshd_config file to provide the permit for root login as follows:

    "PermitRootLogin yes" 
    "PasswordAuthentication yes"
  • Restart the service with the following command:

    - service sshd reload

  • Change /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg file as follows to enable root user:

    disable_root 0