NetBackup and Veritas Appliances Hardening Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): Appliances (10.3, 5.3, 4.0, 3.2), NetBackup & Alta Data Protection (10.3, 5.3, 4.0, 3.2)
Platform: Flex Appliance OS,NetBackup Appliance OS,NetBackup Flex Scale OS,Linux,UNIX,Windows
  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 multifactor authentication for your user account
      2.  
        Enforce multifactor 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
  5. Steps to protect NetBackup Flex Scale
    1.  
      About NetBackup Flex Scale hardening
    2.  
      About the security meter
    3. STIG overview for NetBackup Flex Scale
      1.  
        STIG-compliant password policy rules
      2.  
        Enabling STIG for NetBackup Flex Scale
      3.  
        Viewing the NetBackup Flex Scale STIG status
    4. FIPS overview for NetBackup Flex Scale
      1.  
        Viewing the NetBackup Flex Scale FIPS status
    5.  
      Managing the login banner
    6.  
      Changing the password policy
    7. Support for immutability in NetBackup Flex Scale
      1.  
        About lockdown modes
      2.  
        Selecting or changing the lockdown mode
      3.  
        Restricted access to Remote Management Platform (HPe iLO)
      4.  
        Configuring immutability using GUI
    8.  
      Authenticating users using digital certificates or smart cards
    9.  
      About system certificates on NetBackup Flex Scale
    10. Deploying external certificates on NetBackup Flex Scale
      1.  
        Deploying ECA using the GUI
      2.  
        Log locations
      3.  
        Considerations for performing other operations when ECA is deployed
    11. About multifactor authentication
      1.  
        Considerations before configuring multifactor authentication
      2.  
        Configuring multifactor authentication for your user account
      3.  
        Disabling multifactor authentication for your user account
      4.  
        Enforcing multifactor authentication for all users
      5.  
        Configuring multifactor authentication for your user account when it is enforced in the cluster
      6.  
        Resetting multifactor authentication for a user
    12. About single sign-on (SSO) configuration
      1.  
        Configuring SSO on a NetBackup Flex Scale cluster on which both primary and media servers are deployed
      2.  
        Configuring SSO on a NetBackup Flex Scale cluster on which only media servers are deployed

Configuring SSO on a NetBackup Flex Scale cluster on which only media servers are deployed

Configuring SSO on NetBackup Flex Scale cluster on which only media servers are deployed involves the following steps:

Table:

Task

Description

Configuring SSO on an NetBackup Flex Scale cluster

See To configure SSO on cluster on which only media servers are deployed

Adding users/group

Note:

SSO can be configured only for AD/LDAP users for media server only deployment.

Configuring an identity provider

See To configure an identity provider

Logging into NetBackup Flex Scale with SSO

See Login with SSO

Configuring SSO on an NetBackup Flex Scale cluster

To configure SSO on cluster on which only media servers are deployed

  1. Go to Settings > Security management > Single sign-on (SSO). Click Add.
  2. Give the IDP name and upload the IDP metadata xml and optionally provide the custom user field and group field values. The user field and group field values should be same as configured on the IDP. Click Save.

    The UI displays a message that confirms that the add identity provider task is triggered. You can click View Details to see the progress of the task. Alternatively, you can also click the Recent Activity icon from the top right of the UI to see the status of the most recent operations.

  3. Once the configuration is complete, the SSO identify provider details are displayed on the screen. Click Download service provider xml to download the details and upload it on IDP server, if required.
Configuring an identity provider

To configure an identity provider

Logging into NetBackup Flex Scale with SSO

Login with SSO

  1. Navigate to infrastructure GUI login page. Click Sign-in with single sign-on (SSO).
  2. Enter SSO credentials and click Sign in.
Limitations

There are some limitations when you configure SSO on a NetBackup Flex Scale cluster on which only media servers are deployed.

  • Identity provider cannot be edited. It can be removed and added again.

  • Single logout is not implemented. If SAML users log out of the application, and try to login with SSO again, the user is not asked for their login credentials unless the SSO session has expired. This applies to any other application using the same IDP.

  • If after identity provider configuration, External certificate authority (ECA) is configured, then login with SSO does not work until the identity provider is updated with the latest service provider metadata xml from the NetBackup Flex Scale. This can be done by downloading the service provider metadata xml from Settings > Security > Single-Sign on > Download service provider metadata. This metadata needs to be updated on the IDP side.

  • AD/IDP server date, time, and time zone should be the same as the NetBackup Flex Scale cluster. Else, the SSO login fails.

Log location

The logs can be found by logging into the NetBackup Flex Scale CLISH, elevating to root and accessing the logs at:

  • /log/VRTSnas/ nbu_sso_config.log

  • /log/VRTSnas/isagui_webserver.log

  • /log/VRTSnas/ isagui_sso_config.log

The Table: Common error messages lists the common error messages.

Table: Common error messages

Error message

Description

User is not authorized

User is a valid AD/LDAP and IDP user but does not have the Appliance administrator role in NetBackup Flex Scale user management.

User principal name missing/
Failed to get user details from 
identity provider

SAML response from the IDP does not contain the user field. This can be due to userPrincipalName field attribute mapping not being created on the IDP side or the custom attribute name is different on the IDP side as provided in the NetBackup Flex Scale.

Authentication Failed, Invalid 
document signature

Date and time of Identity provider does not match with NetBackup Flex Scale cluster, Identity provider certificate is not updated with latest NetBackup primary certificate, or the certificate revocation check is not disabled on the identity provider.

Authentication Failed, 
SAML assertion is not yet valid

Date and time of Identity provider do not match with NetBackup Flex Scale cluster. 

Single sign-on failed due to an 
internal error

Processing SAML callback response failed on NetBackup Flex Scale side due to some exception.