| If the firewall or device implementing an ACL/rule set does not follow established security guidance, it is likely that it is not adequately secured, which increases the risk. Configuring the firewall or device implementing an ACL to implement organization-wide security implementation guides and security checklists ensures compliance with federal standards and establishes a common security baseline across DoD that reflects the most restrictive security posture consistent with operational requirements.
Common secure configurations (also referred to as security configuration checklists, lockdown and hardening guides, security reference guides, security technical implementation guides) provide recognized, standardized, and established benchmarks that stipulate secure configuration settings for specific information technology platforms/products and instructions for configuring those information system components to meet operational requirements.
Typically, an equipment vendor provides their product on an appliance with an embedded operating system (either a modified version of a common operating system or a proprietary operating system) and other application and/or database code. To minimize risk, a firewall or device implementing an ACL must use a secure or hardened platform and comply with all applicable configuration guidance. |
