NSP 81 Best Practices Guide RevE En-Us

Best Practices Guide
Revision E
McAfee Network Security Platform 8.1
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Contents
Preface
About this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Find product documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5
5
5
6
Introduction
Pre-installation checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cabling best practices
Hardening the Manager Server for Windows platform
11
Pre-installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Post-installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disable non-required services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Set system policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Set user policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Set the desktop firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Configure audit events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Large Sensor deployments
11
11
12
12
12
13
13
14
15
Staging Sensors prior to deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Recommendations for large Sensor deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Using active fail-open kits
17
Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Effective policy tuning practices
19
Analyzing high-volume attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Managing exception objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Learning profiles in DoS attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18
Response management
19
19
20
21
Sensor response actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
How to create rule sets
23
Best methods for rule set creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Working with firewall policies
25
10
How to handle asymmetric networks
27
11
SSL best practices
29
SSL only traffic - throughput: NS-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
29
Contents
SSL
SSL
SSL
SSL
SSL
12
traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: NS-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

only traffic throughput: M-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: M-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
only traffic throughput: I-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: I-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sensor HTTP response processing deployment

Tests for enabling HTTP response traffic . .
HTTP response processing results for
30
31
32
33
33
35
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NS-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Virtual IPS Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
M-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
35
36
37
37
37
13
Sensor performance with Layer 7 Data Collection
39
14
I-series Sensor capacity by model number
45
15
M-series Sensor capacity by model number
47
16
NS-series Sensor capacity by model number
51
17
Virtual IPS Sensor capacity by model number
55
18
Comparison between I-1200/I-1400 and M-1250/M-1450 FE ports
57
Index
59
Preface
This guide provides the information you need to configure, use, and maintain your McAfee product.
Contents
About this guide
Find product documentation
About this guide

This information describes the guide's target audience, the typographical conventions and icons used
in this guide, and how the guide is organized.
Audience
McAfee documentation is carefully researched and written for the target audience.
The information in this guide is intended primarily for:
Administrators People who implement and enforce the company's security program.
Users People who use the computer where the software is running and can access some or all of
its features.
Conventions
This guide uses these typographical conventions and icons.
Book title, term,
emphasis
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Bold
Text that is strongly emphasized.
User input, code,

message
Commands and other text that the user types; a code sample; a displayed
message.
Interface text
Words from the product interface like options, menus, buttons, and dialog
boxes.
Hypertext blue
A link to a topic or to an external website.

Note: Additional information, like an alternate method of accessing an
option.
Tip: Suggestions and recommendations.
Important/Caution: Valuable advice to protect your computer system,
software installation, network, business, or data.
Warning: Critical advice to prevent bodily harm when using a hardware
product.
Preface

After a product is released, information about the product is entered into the McAfee online Knowledge
Center.
Task
Go to the Knowledge Center tab of the McAfee ServicePortal at http://support.mcafee.com.
In the Support Content pane:
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Select Do not clear my filters.
Enter a product, select a version, then click Search to display a list of documents.
Introduction
McAfee Network Security Platform [formerly McAfee IntruShield ] is a combination of network

appliances and software, built for the accurate detection and prevention of intrusions and network
misuse.
We recommend that you follow some of the best techniques and tips to use McAfee Network Security
Platform most effectively. This can save considerable time during the installation and tuning process of
the system.
Following chapters outline the best practices for Network Security Platform.
Pre-installation checklist
There are some important tasks that you should consider before McAfee Network Security Manager
[formerly McAfee IntruShield Security Manager] software installation. For more information, see
Planning for installation, McAfee Network Security Platform Troubleshooting Guide.
Introduction
Pre-installation checklist
It is a common practice to physically cable the monitoring ports, only after the McAfee Network
Security Sensor (Sensor) has been fully configured.
In other words, most administrators cable the console and management ports, use those connections
to configure the solution, and only physically introduce the Sensor into the scanning process once the
proper scanning policies are in place, the monitoring ports have been configured, the latest signature
set has been downloaded, and so on.
Also, in the most security-conscious environments, or those with congestion problems, a private
network is often used to connect the Sensor management ports to the McAfee Network Security
Manager (Manager). This is another best practice in terms of cabling the Sensors.
10
Hardening the Manager Server for

Windows platform
Implementation of Manager varies from environment to environment. The Manager's physical and
logical position in the network influences specific remote access and firewall configuration
requirements. The following best practices on managing configurable features on Manager impacts the
security of Manager.
These steps are applicable to Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2012 editions.
Contents
Pre-installation
Installation
Post-installation
Pre-installation
Use a dedicated machine for the Manager server and then install Manager and the embedded MySQL
database. Other than the host-based firewall, no other software should be installed on the server.
Before installation of Manager do the following:
Ensure that the server is located in a physically secure environment.
Connect the server on a protected or isolated network.
If the hard disk is old, use fdisk (a command line utility) to remove all partitions and create new
partitions.
Installation
Installation of Manager should be performed as follows:
Install the US version of Windows Server.
Use NTFS on all partitions.
11

Post-installation
Post-installation
After installation of Manager perform the following installations:
Install the latest Windows Server patches, service packs, and hot fixes from Microsoft.
Install a Virus Scanner and update the signatures.

Exclude "McAfee Network Security Manager (Manager)" and "MySQL" directories from being
scanned.
Also keep a check on the following:
Minimize the number of Windows roles and features that are installed.
Uninstall applications that are not necessary.
Disable non-required services

Disable the following services:
DHCP Client
FTP
Print spooler
Remote access auto connection manager
Remote procedure call locator
Remote registry
Server
TCP/IP NetBIOS helper service
Telephony service.
Enable these services only if it is absolutely required.
Set system policies

Ensure to set the following system policies:
12
Implement the System key and strong encryption of the password database by running
SYSKEY.EXE
Use Microsoft security compliance toolkit or set local security policy
Display legal notice at during interactive logon window.
Do not display username that was earlier used to login.
Disable Posix
Clear virtual memory page file during shutdown
Disable autorun
Disable LMHOSTS lookup while setting the advanced TCP/IP settings.

Post-installation
Set user policies

Make sure to set the following user policies:
Rename the administrator account.
Disable guest account.
Passwords should be at least 8 ASCII characters.
Enable locking of screensaver.
Set the desktop firewall

It is recommended that a desktop firewall operates on the Manager server. The following ports are
required for Manager-Sensor communication.
Ensure that there are no other open ports using a scanning tool such as McAfee Vulnerability Manager.
Port Description
Communication
80
HTTP port
Client to Manager
443
HTTPS
Client to Manager
3306 MySQL database
Open only while using external SQL database
8500 Command channel(UDP)
Manager to Sensor
8501 Install channel (TCP) (1024-bit)
Sensor to Manager
8502 Alert channel (TCP) (1024-bit)
Sensor to Manager
8503 Packet log channel (TCP) (1024-bit)
Sensor to Manager
8504 File transfer channel (TCP)
Sensor to Manager
8506 Install channel (TCP) (2048-bit)
Sensor to Manager
8507 Alert channel (TCP) (2048-bit)
Sensor to Manager
8508 Packet log channel (TCP) (2048-bit)
Sensor to Manager
8509 Bulk file transfer channel for 2048-bit

certificates.
Sensor to Manager
8510 Bulk file transfer channel for 1024-bit

certificates.
Sensor to Manager
8555 Alert viewer (TC)
Client to Manager
When email notification or SNMP forwarding is configured on Manager and there is firewall between
Manager and SNMP Server, ensure that the following ports are allowed through firewall.
Port
Description
Communication
25
SMTP port
Manager to SMTP server
162
SNMP forwarding
Manager to SNMP server
If you have McAfee ePO integration configured on Manager, and there is firewall between Manager
and the McAfee ePO Server, ensure the following port is also allowed through firewall.
Port
Description
Communication
8443
McAfee ePO communication port
Manager to McAfee ePO server
13

Post-installation
Configure audit events

Set the following events to be audited:
14
Audit account logon events
Audit policy change (Success)
Audit account management
Audit privilege use (Failure)
Audit logon events
Audit system events (Success)
Audit object access (Failure)
When you consider large McAfee Network Security Sensor (Sensor) deployments, (where the number
of Sensors deployed range from 36 to 100) there are some important tasks which should be
considered, before deployment.
McAfee recommends that you have a good understanding on the best techniques required to
accomplish these tasks in your deployment scenario, prior to the deployment.
Concurrent Signature Set and Sensor Software downloads In 6.0.7.x and above, the
Manager provides an option for parallel processing of Sensor software and signature set updates.
In earlier releases of 6.0, when multiple Sensors are configured to your Manager, any software
update on the Sensors had to be performed individually. If you are using 5.1, then note that this
option is available on Manager version 5.1.17.2 and above.
This enhancement is applicable only for Sensor updates in the parent domain. The Sensor updates
in the child admin domain is performed in the same method as the earlier releases.
Sensor Software Updates All Sensor software updates do require a reboot. A reboot can take
up to 5 minutes. You can schedule this process though you can't reboot the Sensor automatically.
But any update from the Manager Server causes the process to take place sequentially, one Sensor
at-a-time. You can instead use the TFTP method for updating the Sensor image, which helps you to
load concurrent images on the Sensor via the Sensor's CLI, at a much faster rate.
For more information, see Upgrading Sensor software via a TFTP server, McAfee Network Security
Platform CLI Guide.
Central Manager deployment If you have a large Sensor deployment of 200 Sensors for
example, which are deployed across various geographic locations, then consider using a Central
Manager at your organization's headquarters and deploy a dedicated Manager for each region. Each
Manager will then handle the daily device operations for all Sensors configured to it. Note that
when you use a Central Manager, your regional/local Managers can add their own region-specific
rules, but cannot modify any configuration established by the Central Manager. Configuration
updates to the Sensors must be applied through the local Managers. See McAfee Network Security
Platform Manager Administration Guide for details.
Usability Depending on the number of VIDS and Admin Domains defined in your deployment,
the Manager Resource Tree can become very crowded, which makes it difficult to locate the
resource you require at any point of time. It can also lead to confusion if you have not provided
unique, recognizable names for your Sensors and any VIDS you create. Note that the resource
names appear both in the Resource Tree of the Manager as well as in Alert data and Reports. Your
VIDS names should also be clear and easy for everyone maintaining the network to recognize at a
glance. For example, compare a worldwide deployment where Sensors are named "4010-1"
through "4010-25" as opposed to "UK-London-sens1," "India-Bangalore-sens1," and so on.
Alert Traffic Take note of the volume of alerting in your Sensors. Depending on the policies
deployed on your system, there is potential to starve Manager resources since the resulting alerts
are passed to the Manager. As the volume of alerting increases, more data is passed into the
Manager. The Manager can handle short bursts of high alert volume but on an average, the
Manager can handle a total of 1500 alerts per minute from all the Sensors configured to it.
15

Staging Sensors prior to deployment
Start-up load on the Manager When the Manager starts, establishing connections with all
Sensors can be time consuming as Sensors continue to collect alerts. If the communication with
the Manager is lost, each Sensor must pass its alert data to the Manager when connectivity is
re-established. So, it is required to account for the start-up load on the Manager.
Concurrent processes Be aware of the time periods in which your scheduled processes (such
as database backup or report generation) occur, and try not to attempt other tasks during that time
period, as this can lead to process locking. This includes having many users logged into the system
simultaneously.
Contents
Recommendations for large Sensor deployment

With large or very large deployments, and/or if you are planning to release Sensors to various
geographical regions or remote locations, you will have to consider staging your Sensors before you
release them to their final destination.
For example, use the McAfee Network Security Manager in a lab environment to push Sensor
software to the Sensor, make sure that the Sensor is working as expected, and then box the
configured Sensor and send it to its final destination. For more information, see Updating the
configuration of a Sensor, McAfee Network Security Platform IPS Administration Guide.
Or you might use the TFTP feature to load the Sensor image at one location, before shipping the
Sensor to another. For more information, see Upgrading Sensor software via a TFTP server, McAfee
Network Security Platform Installation Guide.
Very large Sensor deployments mean that the number of Sensors deployed is more than 100. Large
Sensor deployments have Sensors numbering between 36 and 100+.
Recommendations for large Sensor deployment

Most McAfee Network Security Platform customers begin their deployment in their lab environment.
Here they test the Sensor functionality, familiarize themselves with the Manager, and create an initial
policy. Once they are comfortable with the product, they deploy the Sensor in a live environment.
McAfee provides a few recommendations for this process:
16
Spend time creating effective policies before actual deployment. Availability of more information
makes the tuning process easier. But policies like the McAfee Network Security Platform provided
All-Inclusive policy can overwhelm you with data, if every Sensor in a large deployment is running
it without any customization.
Stagger your Sensor deployment in phases. As each new batch of Sensors provides you with more
data points, you can tune your policies more effectively, and become more aggressive in the
number of Sensors you deploy in the next phase.
McAfee supports the following types of passive and active fail-open kits:
10/100/1000 Gigabit Copper Passive Fail-Open Bypass Kit
1 Gigabit Optical Passive Fail-Open Bypass Kit
10 Gigabit Optical Passive Fail-Open Bypass Kit
10/100/1000 Copper Active Fail-Open Bypass Kit
10/100/1000 Copper Active Fail-Open Bypass Kit with SNMP monitoring
1 Gigabit Optical Active Fail-Open Bypass Kit
10 Gigabit Optical Active Fail-Open Bypass Kit
Fail-open kits can be deployed in production networks for the following reasons:
Reduce the network downtime to seconds during any Sensor reboot or Sensor failure
Protect your network during link failure on the Sensor
Bypass the traffic when troubleshooting network issues. This will help you identify or eliminate the
Sensor as the cause of network issues
In the passive fail-open kit, if the Sensor goes down, the link has to be renegotiated again between
the peer devices and this causes the link to go down for some time. In case of an active fail-open kit,
a physical link will be established between the active fail-open kit and the two peer devices even when
the Sensor is active. There would not be any link flap even when the Sensor goes down. McAfee
recommends deploying active fail-open kits for protection of mission critical networks.
For Virtual IPS Sensors, only 10/100/1000 Copper Active Fail-Open Bypass Kit and 10/100/1000
Copper Active Fail-Open Bypass Kit with SNMP monitoring are supported. For more information, see
Virtual IPS Sensor deployment section in the IPS Administration Guide.
Passive Fail-open
In passive fail-open kits, during normal Sensor in-line, fail-open operation, the Fail-Open Controller or
built-in Control port (depending on which controls the Bypass Switch) supplies power and a heartbeat
signal to the Bypass Switch.
If this signal is not presented within its programmed interval, the Fail-Open Bypass Switch removes
the Sensor from the data path, and moves into bypass mode, providing continuous data flow with little
network interruption. While the Sensor is in bypass mode, traffic passes directly through the switch,
bypassing the Sensor. When normal Sensor operation resumes, you may or may not need to manually
re-enable the monitoring ports from the Manager interface, depending on the activity leading up to the
Sensor's failure.
Active Fail-open
17

Considerations
In case of active fail-open kits, during normal Sensor in-line fail-open operation, the built-in
monitoring sends a heartbeat signal (1 every second) to the Bypass Switch. If the Sensor does not
receive 3 heart beat signals within its programmed interval, the Fail-Open Bypass Switch removes the
Sensor from the data path, and moves it into the bypass mode, providing continuous data flow.
When the Bypass Switch loses power, traffic continues to flow through the network link, but is no
longer routed through the Bypass Switch. This allows network devices to be removed and replaced
without network downtime. Once power is restored to the Bypass Switch, network traffic is seamlessly
diverted to the monitoring device, allowing it to resume its critical functions.
Considerations
This section discusses the generic requirements and notes that you need to consider with respect to
active fail-open kits:
The currently supported active fail-open kits are not plug and play devices. Initial configuration/
setup is required before you begin.
The following default options are fixed in McAfee active fail-open kits and cannot be changed:
LFD is set to On
Bypass Detection is set to Off

Even if you change the configuration for these options using the NetOptics Web Manager or System
Manager, the settings of these options on the McAfee active fail-open kit hardware cannot be changed.
18
The management port on the active fail-open bypass kits cannot be configured.
The parameters for the monitoring port must be set to Auto-Negotiate based on the speed, that is,
10/100/1000 Mbps. McAfee recommends that you set the Speed to 100 Mbps full Duplex with
Auto-Negotiate enabled to improve performance.
Unlike passive fail-open kits, an active fail-open kit moves into the bypass mode only when it does
not receive the heart beat signals within its programmed interval. When the Sensor monitoring port
is manually disabled or the cable is pulled out for example, the Manager displays the port status as
AUK (Active Unknown) under Device List / Sensor_Name > Physical Sensor > Port Settings page.
If you are planning to use the 10/100/1000 copper active fail-open kit with SNMP monitoring, then
note that
Network Security Platform currently supports only SNMP v1 on active fail-open kits.
You can configure only a single SNMP Manager. The option to configure a secondary SNMP Manager
is currently not available.
The active fail-open kits do not provide any CLI option to view the serial and model numbers of the
kits.
If your network architecture is such that it requires you to remotely manage the active fail-open
kits in your deployment, then you can consider one of the following options:
Use a terminal server to connect to the system console and then connect using a remote login
[interoperability issues might be seen while using UPLOGIX Terminal Server]
Pre-configure the kit with the required settings before shipping.
All Network Security Sensors (Sensors) on initial deployment, have the 'Default Inline IPS' policy
loaded on all interfaces. McAfee recommends that you use the default inline IPS policy as a starting
point, then customize the policies based on your organization's requirements. The customized policies
can be either cloned versions of the default pre-configured policies or custom-built policies that
employ custom rule sets. An appropriately tuned policy will reduce false positives.
Though each network environment has unique characteristics, the following best practices can make
tuning more efficient and effective.
As you interact with Network Security Platform policies, you encounter the term "attack", not
"signature." Network Security Platform defines an attack as being comprised of one or more signatures,
thresholds, anomaly profiles, or correlation rules, where each method is used to detect an attempt to
exploit a particular vulnerability in a system. These signatures and checks may contain very specific
means for identifying a specific known exploit of the vulnerability, or more generic detection methods
that aid in detecting unknown exploits for the vulnerability.
Contents
Analyzing high-volume attacks
Managing exception objects
Learning profiles in DoS attacks
Analyzing high-volume attacks

Take attacks that are generating the most alerts (use Consolidated View in Threat Analyzer ) and investigate
their legitimacy. For more information, see Consolidated View, McAfee Network Security Platform
Manager Administration Guide.
Many of the top alerts seen on the initial deployment of a Sensor will be common false positives seen
in many environments. Typically, at the beginning of the tuning process, it will be evident that your
network or security policy will affect the overall level of alerts. If, for instance, AOL IM is allowed traffic
on the network, then there might not be a need to alert on AOL IM setup flows.
Managing exception objects

When a particular alert is declared as a false positive, the next decision is whether to disable the
corresponding attack altogether OR apply a particular exception object to that attack that will disable
alerting for a particular IP address or range of IP addresses. In almost all cases, it is a best practice to
implement the latter.
19

For instance, an SMS server may be generating the alert Netbios: Copy Executable file attempt during the
legitimate transfer of login scripts. Rather than disable the alert altogether, and cancel the possibility
of finding a real attack of this nature, we recommend that you create an exception object for the SMS
server and apply it to the attack.
Every exception object created is globally stored, so that the filter can be applied to any Exploit or
Reconnaissance attack.
It is also a best practice to document all your tuning activities. The Report section can be used to
assist the documentation process. The IPS Sensor configuration report will deliver reports that list
exception objects that have been applied and attacks that have been otherwise customized.
For more information, see Managing Exception Objects and Attack Responses, McAfee Network Security
Platform IPS Administration Guide.

It is a best practice to let the Sensors learn the profiles of the particular segments they are
monitoring, before tuning DoS attacks. This is Learning Mode operation. The learning process takes
two days. During this period it is not unusual to see DoS alerts associated with normal traffic flows (for
example, DoS SYN flood alerts reported outbound on a firewall interface to the Internet). After a
profile has been learned, the particulars of the profile (number of SYNS, ACKS, and so on) can be
viewed per Sensor.
DoS detection can also be implemented using the Threshold Mode. This involves setting thresholds
manually for the type of segment characteristics that are learned in Learning Mode. Implementing this
mode successfully is critically dependent on detailed knowledge of the segments that the particular
Sensors are monitoring.
It is a best practice to have the Sensor re-learn the profile when there is a network change (that is,
you move the Sensor from a lab or staging environment to a production environment) or a
configuration change (that is, you change the CIDR block of a sub-interface) that causes a significant
sudden traffic change on an interface. If the Sensor does not re-learn the new environment, it may
issue false alarms or fail to detect actual attacks during a time period when it is adapting to the new
network traffic conditions. There is no need to re-learn a profile when network traffic increases or
decreases naturally over time (for example, an e-Commerce site that is getting more and more
customers; thus its Web traffic increases in parallel), since the Sensor can automatically adapt to it.
For more information, see Managing DoS Learning Mode profiles on a Sensor, McAfee Network Security
Platform IPS Administration Guide.
20
Response management
When McAfee Network Security Sensor (Sensor) detects an activity which violates a configured
security policy, a preset response from the Sensor is integral to the protection or prevention process.
Proper configuration of responses is crucial to maintaining effective protection. Critical attacks like
buffer overflows and DoS attacks require responses in real time, while scans and probes can be logged
and researched to determine compromise potential and the source of the attack.
Developing a system of actions, alerts, and logs based on specific attacks or attack parameters (such
as severity) is recommended for effective network security. For example, since McAfee Network
Security Platform can be customized to protect any zone in a network, knowing what needs to be
protected can help to determine the response type.
If the Sensor is monitoring the network outside of the firewall in inline mode, preventing DoS attacks
and attacks against the firewall is crucial. Other suspicious traffic intended for the internal network,
such as scans and low-impact well-known exploits, are best logged and analyzed as the impact is not
immediate. In this case, a better understanding of the potential attack purpose can be determined.
Thus, if you are monitoring outside of a firewall in in-line mode, it is important not to set the policies
and responses so fine that they disrupt the flow of traffic and slow down the system.
Remember that response actions are decoupled from alerting. Pay particular attention to this with the
Recommended For Blocking (RFB) category of attacks, lest you enable blocking for an attack, but
disable alerting, causing the attack to be blocked without your knowledge.
When there are multiple attempts to login to a specific web server from a client, the Sensor detects a
reconnaissance Brute force attack (Attack ID 0x40256b00) and raises an alert. Brute force attacks are
used by programs, such as password crackers, to try many different passwords in order to guess the
correct one. The alerts raised are threshold based. The Sensor may generate an alert even in
scenarios, where a legitimate user keeps on retrying to login to the web server simply because he has
forgotten his password. Instances of someone mistyping a password or username on the login are also
common. In such cases, valid traffic flow would be blocked or subject to unnecessary responses from
the Sensor, leading to a false positive. Consequently, the traffic might be dropped.
When such alerts are seen in high volume, there may be multiple reasons for it, like, a dictionary
attack against the web server, or network monitoring systems (like WebSense) not updated with a
user password change, and so on.
McAfee Network Security Platform recommends that while configuring a Reconnaissance policy, you
to edit and set optimum threshold values to suit your particular environment. This avoids unnecessary
responses from the Sensor and hindrance to the traffic flow.
For example, if you have a web-server farm behind the Sensor so there are more HTTP logins seen on
this segment, in such a scenario you require to set higher thresholds. The default values are good for
most environments.
21
Response management
Sensor response actions
Sensor response actions

There are multiple Sensor actions that are available for configuration per attack. These include:
Dropping Alert Packets Only works in in-line mode. Will drop a detected attack packet and all
subsequent packets in the same flow.
Quarantine Sensor will quarantine or remediate a host as per the configurations in McAfee Network
Security Manager and the Sensor monitoring ports. Quarantine can be enabled per attack in the
Policy Editors.
For more information, see McAfee Network Security Platform IPS Administration Guide.
22
A rule set is configured based on attack category, operating system, protocol, application, severity,
and benign trigger probability options. Each rule in a set is either an include rule or an exclude rule.
An include rule (which should always start a rule set) is a set of parameters that encompass a broad
range of well-known attacks for detection. An exclude rule removes elements from the include rule in
order to focus the policy's rule set.
Proper creation of rule sets is essential for eliminating false positives and ensuring maximum
protection on your network. These best practices can assist while creating rules sets in the McAfee
Network Security Manager.
Best methods for rule set creation

There are two best practice methods employed for creating rule sets.
General-to-specific rule creation The first method is general-to-specific. Start with an include
rule that covers a broad range of operating systems, applications and protocols. After this, create
one or more exclude rules to strip away specific operating systems, protocols, et cetera, thus
focusing the rule set on the environment where it will be enforced. For example, start with an
include rule for all Exploit category attacks. Follow this with multiple exclusion rules that strip away
protocols, applications, severities, et cetera, that are rarely or never seen in a zone of your
network.
Collaborative rule creation The second method is collaboration: Create multiple include rules
within one rule set for each category, operating systems, et cetera, combination that needs to be
detected. Each criterion must be matched in order for an alert to be triggered. For example, create
the first rule in the set with the Exploit category, Unix as the OS, Sendmail as the application, and
SMTP as the protocol. Next, create another include rule for Exploit, Windows 2000, WindMail, and
so forth in the same manner. Each include rule added, broadens the scope of the detection.
For more information, see Managing Rule Sets, McAfee Network Security Platform IPS
Administration Guide.
23

Best methods for rule set creation
24
Review the following points while working with Firewall policies:
You cannot set explicit access rules for protocols that negotiate ports dynamically, with the
exception of FTP, TFTP, and RPC services. Protocols such as H.323 and Netmeeting, which negotiate
the data channel separately from the control channel, or negotiate ports that do not follow a
standard, are not supported. However, you can explicitly deny these protocol instances by denying
the fixed control port. However, you can configure access rules to explicitly deny these protocol
instances by denying the fixed control port.
For RPC services, you can configure explicit permit and deny rules for RPC as a whole, but not its
constituents, such as statd and mountd.
Protocols or services, such as instant messaging and peer-to-peer communication, that use
dynamic ports, are not supported.
An alternative option for denying protocols that use dynamic ports is to configure IDS policies to
drop the attacks that are detected in such transmissions. Network Security Platform detects use of
and attacks in such programs as Yahoo Messenger, KaZaA, IRC, and so on.
There is a limit on the number of access rules that can be supported by various Sensor models.
For more information, see McAfee Network Security Platform IPS Administration Guide
25
26
10
Traffic that uses a different path for the request vs. response is termed as asymmetric traffic. There
are chances of having asymmetric traffic within a network, when networks increase in size.
If there are chances of asymmetric traffic in your network, consider the following options:
Install IPS Sensors at a location where the traffic is symmetric.
Implement a port clustering configuration for asymmetric traffic. Port clustering [referred to as
Interface groups in the Manager] enables multiple ports on a single Sensor to be grouped together
for effective traffic monitoring. Asymmetric networks are common in load balancing and active/
passive configurations, and a complete transmission may be received on one segment, but depart
on another. Thus keeping state of asymmetric transmissions is essential for successfully monitoring
the traffic. Interface groups normalize the impact of traffic flows split across multiple interfaces,
thus maintaining state to avoid information loss.
Place an IPS Sensor each on the request and the response path of the asymmetric traffic and
create a failover pair to sync up the traffic flow between the two Sensors.
If you are using a failover pair to monitor asymmetric traffic where the TCP traffic is going through
two geographically different data centers, connect the Sensors using dark fiber. In this option, both
the Sensors will have full state.
When the distance between the two IPS Sensors is such that a failover pair cannot be created,
consider enabling Stateless Inspection. In Stateless Inspection, the Sensor detects attacks without
requiring a valid TCP state. This option should be used only when Sensors are placed in a network
where the Sensors do not see all packets of a TCP flow like in an asymmetric network
configuration.
When Stateless Inspection is enabled: - ACLs and syn cookie protection cannot be enabled. - HTTP
redirection to the Remediation Portal may or may not work depending on your network deployment
scenario for example, in a setup where SYN+ACK packets cannot be sent from the Sensor to the
client
The diagram below explains about HTTP traffic flow in an asymmetric network between User A and the
University Admin server. The outgoing connection flow from User A is through Switch 1, Switch 2,
Network Security Sensor 1, Router 1, Internet Service Provider 1, to the Internet connection. The
return path for the packet however, is through Internet Service Provider 2, Router 2 etc. If traffic flows
by the Sensor in an asymmetric manner as described above, all packets of a TCP flow are not visible
to a single Sensor.
In such a scenario, if Stateless Inspection is enabled, the Sensor will inspect packets without having
the valid state for the TCP connection. Consequently, it might generate false positives that is, when a
single communication flow is divided across paths, each interface will receive and analyze part of the
conversation and therefore be susceptible to false positives and false negatives.
27
10
When you enable Stateless Inspection, there are chances of false positives, and the detection accuracy
will be lower compared to when the Sensor sees all traffic. McAfee recommends that you use this
feature only when network configuration does not allow the Sensor to be placed in locations where it
could see all traffic.
28
11
SSL best practices
Note that there is a performance impact when using the SSL decryption feature. If there is a lot of
outbound SSL traffic from the client to the internet as well, it consumes SSL flows. Therefore, to
enable the Sensor to effectively utilize the SSL decryption feature, it is recommended to bypass these
outbound SSL traffic using ACL Exception Objects.
Refer to the following sections for the SSL throughput measurements and test methodologies.
SSL decryption feature is not supported on IPS-VM600 and IPS-VM100.
Contents
SSL
SSL
SSL
SSL
SSL
SSL
only traffic - throughput: NS-series Sensors

traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: NS-series Sensors
only traffic throughput: M-series Sensors
traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: M-series Sensors
only traffic throughput: I-series Sensors
traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: I-series Sensors
SSL only traffic - throughput: NS-series Sensors
Session resumption for 4 out of 5 TCP connections
5 HTTP 1.1 get page requests per TCP connection with a 10K response each
128-bit ARC4
NS9300
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
Max. SSL Connections / Sec.
44000
30800
SSL Throughput
20 Gbps
12 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
22000
15400
SSL Throughput
10 Gbps
6 Gbps
NS9200
NS9100
29
11
SSL best practices

SSL traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: NS-series Sensors
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
17000
13600
SSL Throughput
8 Gbps
5.5 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
12000
12000
SSL Throughput
5 Gbps
5 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
6900
6900
SSL Throughput
3 Gbps
3 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
3500
3500
SSL Throughput
1.5 Gbps
1.5 Gbps
NS7300
NS7200
NS7100
SSL traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: NS-series Sensors
128-bit ARC4
NS9300
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
9200
9200
SSL Throughput
4 Gbps
4 Gbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
36 Gbps
36 Gbps
Total Throughput
40 Gbps
40 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
4600
4600
SSL Throughput
2 Gbps
2 Gbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
18 Gbps
18 Gbps
Total Throughput
20 Gbps
20 Gbps
NS9200
NS9100
30
11
SSL best practices

SSL only traffic throughput: M-series Sensors
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
2300
2300
SSL Throughput
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
9 Gbps
9 Gbps
Total Throughput
10 Gbps
10 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
2500
2500
SSL Throughput
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
4 Gbps
4 Gbps
Total Throughput
5 Gbps
5 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
2500
2500
SSL Throughput
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
2 Gbps
2 Gbps
Total Throughput
3 Gbps
3 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
2500
2500
SSL Throughput
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
0.5 Gbps
0.5 Gbps
Total Throughput
1.5 Gbps
1.5 Gbps
NS7300
NS7200
NS7100
SSL only traffic throughput: M-series Sensors
128-bit ARC4
M-8000 M-6050
M-4050
M-3050
M-2950
M-2850
8500
2700
1300
750
550
Throughput (Mbps) - 1024 bit key

length
3.8 Gbps 2 Gbps
Throughput (Mbps) - 2048 bit key

length
1.2 Gbps 600 Mbps 550 Mbps
4500
1200 Mbps 600 Mbps 400 Mbps 250 Mbps

320 Mbps 320 Mbps 200 Mbps
31
11
SSL best practices

SSL traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: M-series Sensors
SSL traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: M-series Sensors
128-bit ARC4
M-8000
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
1750
1750
SSL Throughput
800 Mbps
700 Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
8 Gbps
7.9 Gbps
Total Throughput
8.8 Gbps
8.6 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
880
880
SSL Throughput
440 Mbps
400 Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
4 Gbps
3.9 Gbps
Total Throughput
4.4 Gbps
4.3 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
440
440
SSL Throughput
200 Mbps
150 Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
2.5 Gbps
2.5 Gbps
Total Throughput
2.7 Gbps
2.6 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
220
220
SSL Throughput
100 Mbps
90 Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
1.2 Gbps
1.2 Gbps
Total Throughput
1.3 Gbps
1.1 Gbps
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
180
180
SSL Throughput
80 Mbps
60 Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
900 Mbps
900 Mbps
Total Throughput
980 Mbps
960 Mbps
M-6050
M-4050
M-3050
M-2950
M-2850
32
11
SSL best practices

SSL only traffic throughput: I-series Sensors
1024 bit key length
2048 bit key length
110
110
SSL Throughput
50 Mbps
40Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
500 Mbps
500 Mbps
Total Throughput
550 Mbps
540 Mbps
SSL only traffic throughput: I-series Sensors
128-bit ARC4
I-2700
I-3000
I-4000
I-4010
325
600
800
1200
Throughput (Mbps) - 1024 bit key length
85 Mbps
155 Mbps
200 Mbps
310 Mbps
65 Mbps
115 Mbps
125 Mbps
250 Mbps
I-2700
I-3000
I-4000
I-4010
300
400
800
800
150 Mbps
200 Mbps
400 Mbps
400 Mbps
SSL traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: I-series Sensors
1024-bit RSA
128-bit ARC4
I-2700
100
200
SSL Throughput
25 Mbps
50 Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
475 Mbps
350 Mbps
Total Throughput
500 Mbps
400 Mbps
200
400
SSL Throughput
50 Mbps
105 Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
860 Mbps
475 Mbps
Total Throughput
910 Mbps
580 Mbps
I-3000
33
11
SSL best practices

SSL traffic mixed with HTTP 1.1 traffic: I-series Sensors
I-4000
400
800
SSL Throughput
100 Mbps
200 Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
1550 Mbps
780 Mbps
Total Throughput
1650 Mbps
980 Mbps
I-4010
34
400
800
SSL Throughput
100 Mbps
200 Mbps
HTTP 1.1 Throughput
1740 Mbps
860 Mbps
Total Throughput
1840 Mbps
1060 Mbps
12
Sensor HTTP response processing

deployment
HTTP response processing is disabled by default. You can enable it for each traffic direction on an
interface pair. To minimize the potential performance impact on the McAfee Network Security Sensor
(Sensor), we recommend that you enable HTTP response processing on the minimum number of ports
and in only the required directions to achieve your protection goals.
Some examples of HTTP response processing deployment:
You want to protect a bunch of clients on your internal network - enable HTTP response processing
for inbound traffic only.
You are serving Web content to external clients, and do not wish to serve attacks embedded in
HTTP response traffic - enable HTTP response processing for outbound traffic only.
You want to protect both internal clients as well as the Web content you are serving to external
clients- enable HTTP response processing in both directions.
Tests for enabling HTTP response traffic

The test results provided in the next two sections illustrate potential impact of enabling response
processing traffic.
The things to note about the test are given below.
The test involves only HTTP traffic. Changing the HTTP response processing setting does not
change the Sensor performance for any other protocol. Therefore, changes in aggregate Sensor
performance will depend on the proportion of HTTP traffic to other traffic on the link being
monitored.
The test sends equal HTTP request and response loads in both directions through the Sensor.
Typical real-world deployments do not have equal amounts of HTTP request traffic and response
traffic in both directions through the Sensor. Usually, there is significant amount of request traffic in
one direction and response traffic in the opposite direction. Since HTTP requests are typically <=
1/10th of the response size, the combined HTTP request and response traffic processed by Sensors
in real deployments is typically less than that shown in the tests.
35
12

The test sends HTTP request continuously at maximum load. Real-world networks are typically
loaded, occasionally peaking at maximum capacity, but typically running at significantly lower
throughput. The test results reflect performance at sustained load. When not running at maximum
load, the Sensor can absorb larger bursts without significant impact.
The test environment was created to illustrate the likely worst-case performance impact, expected
to occur in deployments protecting large Web server farms. In these deployments, HTTP response
processing typically provides little value because all HTTP response traffic is sourced from trusted
servers, which do not usually transmit hostile content due to the security measures taken. In these
environments, customers can consider selectively enabling HTTP response processing to better
optimize their network.
The net result of all of these factors is that in typical networks, the impact of enabling HTTP response
processing is not noticed. The exact impact is, of course, dependent on the traffic being inspected and
some environments could see a reduction in performance as significant as the test results indicate.
The factors to take into account include:
proportion of HTTP traffic to other protocols
relative amount of HTTP requests and responses in each direction and,
size of a response page sent to the client by the sites or applications that are typically accessed.
For Sensor performance numbers under the following conditions:
HTTP response processing enabled/disabled and
5 HTTP 1.1 get page requests per TCP connection with a 10K response each sent in one direction,
HTTP response processing results for NS-series Sensors

Refer to the following table for NS-series Sensor performance numbers with HTTP response
processing:
Model No.
HTTP Response Scanning Enabled for outbound direction

NS9300
40 Gbps
NS9200
20 Gbps
NS9100
10 Gbps
NS7300
5 Gbps
NS7200
3 Gbps
NS7100
1.5 Gbps
The NS-series performance numbers when HTTP response is disabled will be higher. For example, the
NS9100 performance with HTTP response scanning disabled will be higher than 10 Gbps.
36

12
HTTP response processing results for Virtual IPS Sensor

Refer to the following table for Virtual IPS Sensor performance numbers with HTTP response
processing:
Model No. HTTP Response Scanning Disabled
5 HTTP 1.1 get page requests per TCP
connection with a 10K response each
HTTP Response Scanning Enabled for

outbound direction
IPS-VM600 600 Mbps
600 Mbps
IPS-VM100 100 Mbps
100 Mbps
HTTP response processing results for M-series Sensors

Refer to the following table for M-series Sensor performance numbers with HTTP response processing:

outbound direction


M-8000
10 Gbps
5.4 Gbps
M-6050
5 Gbps
2.8 Gbps
M-4050
3 Gbps
2 Gbps
M-3050
1.5Gbps
1 Gbps
M-2950
1.0 Gbps
850 Mbps
M-2850
600 Mbps
500 Mbps
M-2750
600 Mbps
500 Mbps
M-1450
200 Mbps
200 Mbps
M-1250
100 Mbps
100 Mbps
HTTP response processing results for I-series Sensors

Refer to the following table for I-series Sensor performance numbers with HTTP response processing:

outbound direction


I-4010
2 Gbps
1 Gbps
I-4000
1.78 Gbps
1 Gbps
I-3000
1 Gbps
680 Mbps
I-2700
550 Mbps
430 Mbps
I-1400
195 Mbps
160 Mbps
I-1200
97 Mbps
75 Mbps
37
12

38
13
Sensor performance with Layer 7 Data

Collection
Turning on the Layer 7 Data Collection feature reduces Sensor performance.
HTTP Response Scanning setting
Proportion of HTTP traffic to other protocols
Relative number of HTTP requests and responses in each direction
Size of a response page sent to the client by the sites or applications that are typically accessed
The following table provides the performance details in a test environment.
The test environment used 5 HTTP 1.1 get page requests per TCP connection with a 10 K response,
each sent in one direction.
When Advanced Traffic Inspection is enabled, in a deployment with 90 percent of traffic without
evasions and 10 percent of traffic with evasions, the overall Sensor throughput would further drop
by an additional five percent approximately. For example , if you get 1 Gbps throughput with Layer
7 Data Collection enabled, you would see 950 Mbps if Advanced Traffic Inspection is also enabled.
NS-series Sensor performance with Layer 7 Data Collection

Table 13-1 NS9x00 performance details with respect to Layer 7 Data Collection
Sensor Model Layer 7 Data Collection setting HTTP Response
Scanning setting
Observed throughput
NS9300
Disabled
40 Gbps
Enabled for outbound

direction
40 Gbps
Percentage of flows that capture

L7 data: 5
Disabled
40 Gbps

direction
40 Gbps

L7 data: 100
Disabled
40 Gbps

direction
40 Gbps
Disabled
Disabled
20 Gbps

direction
20 Gbps
Disabled
20 Gbps

direction
20 Gbps
NS9200
Disabled

L7 data: 5
39
13
Table 13-1 NS9x00 performance details with respect to Layer 7 Data Collection (continued)
Scanning setting
NS9100
Observed throughput

L7 data: 100
Disabled
20 Gbps

direction
20 Gbps
Disabled
Disabled
10 Gbps

direction
10 Gbps

L7 data: 5
Disabled
10 Gbps

direction
10 Gbps

L7 data: 100
Disabled
10 Gbps

direction
10 Gbps
Table 13-2 NS7x00 performance details with respect to Layer 7 Data Collection
Scanning setting
Observed throughput
NS7300
Disabled
7 Gbps

direction
5 Gbps

L7 data: 5
Disabled
7 Gbps

direction
5 Gbps

L7 data: 100
Disabled
7 Gbps

direction
5 Gbps
Disabled
Disabled
6 Gbps

direction
3 Gbps

L7 data: 5
Disabled
6 Gbps

direction
3 Gbps

L7 data: 100
Disabled
6 Gbps

direction
3 Gbps
Disabled
Disabled
2 Gbps

direction
1.5 Gbps

L7 data: 5
Disabled
2 Gbps

direction
1.5 Gbps

L7 data: 100
Disabled
2 Gbps

direction
1.5 Gbps
NS7200
NS7100
40
Disabled
13
Virtual IPS Sensor performance with Layer 7 Data Collection

Table 13-3 Sensor performance details with respect to Layer 7 Data Collection
Sensor model Layer 7 Data Collection setting HTTP Response
Scanning setting
Observed throughput
IPS-VM600
Disabled
600 Mbps

direction
500 Mbps

L7 data: 5
Disabled
600 Mbps

direction
400 Mbps

L7 data: 100
Disabled
600 Mbps

direction
350 Mbps
Disabled
Disabled
100 Mbps

direction
100 Mbps

L7 data: 5
Disabled
100 Mbps

direction
90 Mbps

L7 data: 100
Disabled
100 Mbps

direction
85 Mbps
IPS-VM100
Disabled
M-series Sensor performance with Layer 7 Data Collection

Table 13-4 Sensor performance details with respect to Layer 7 Data Collection
Sensor
model
Layer 7 Data Collection setting
HTTP Response
Scanning setting
Observed
throughput
M-8000
Disabled
Disabled
10 Gbps

direction
5.4 Gbps
M-6050
M-4050
Percentage of flows that capture L7 Disabled

data: 5
direction
9 Gbps

data: 100
direction
8.7 Gbps
Disabled
Disabled
5 Gbps

direction
2.8 Gbps

data: 5
direction
4.5 Gbps

data: 100
direction
4.4 Gbps
Disabled
3 Gbps
Disabled
4.4 Gbps
4.2 Gbps
2.2 Gbps
2.1 Gbps
41
13
Table 13-4 Sensor performance details with respect to Layer 7 Data Collection (continued)
Sensor
model
M-3050
M-2950
M-2850
M-1450
42
HTTP Response
Scanning setting
Observed
throughput

direction
2 Gbps

data: 5
direction
2.7 Gbps

data: 100
direction
2.6 Gbps
Disabled
Disabled
1.5 Gbps

direction
1 Gbps
1.3 Gbps
1.2 Gbps

data: 5
direction
1.4 Gbps

data: 100
direction
1.3 Gbps
Disabled
Disabled
1 Gbps

direction
850 Mbps

data: 5
direction
921 Mbps

data: 100
direction
891 Mbps
Disabled
Disabled
600 Mbps

direction
500 Mbps

data: 5
direction
540 Mbps

data: 100
direction
522 Mbps
Disabled
Disabled
200 Mbps

direction
200 Mbps

data: 5
direction
180 Mbps

data: 100
direction
174 Mbps
0.7 Gbps
0.6 Gbps
446 Mbps
431 Mbps
261 Mbps
253 Mbps
180 Mbps
174 Mbps
13
Table 13-4 Sensor performance details with respect to Layer 7 Data Collection (continued)
Sensor
model
HTTP Response
Scanning setting
Observed
throughput
M-1250
Disabled
Disabled
100 Mbps

direction
100 Mbps

data: 5
direction
90 Mbps

data: 100
direction
87 Mbps
90 Mbps
87 Mbps
43
13
44
14
I-series Sensor capacity by model

number
The following table lists McAfee Network Security Sensor (Sensor) limitations by category and by
Sensor model.
Maximum Type
I-4010
I-4000
I-3000 I-2700
I-1400
I-1200
Aggregate Performance
2 Gbps
2 Gbps
1 Gbps
Concurrent connections
1,000,000 1,000,000 500,000 250,000
80,000
40,000
Connections established per sec.
25,000
25,000
10,000
6,250
2,000
1,000
Concurrent SSL Flows
100,000
100,000
50,000
25,000
NA
NA
Number of SSL keys that can be

stored on the Sensor
64
64
64
64
NA
NA
Virtual Interfaces (VIDS) per

Sensor
1,000
1,000
1,000
100
32
16
VLAN / CIDR Blocks per Sensor
3,000
3,000
3,000
300
64
32
VLAN / CIDR Blocks per Interface
254
254
254
254
64
32
Customized attacks
100,000
100,000
100,000 100,000
40,000
20,000
Exception objects
131,072
131,072
131,072 65,535
32,000
20,000
Number of attacks with exception

objects
128,000
128,000
128,000 64,000
20,000
16,000
Default number of supported UDP

Flows
100,000
100,000
50,000
10,000
5,000
Supported UDP Flows
750,000
750,000
375,000 187,500
60,000
30,000
DoS Profiles
5,000
5,000
5,000
120
100
SYN rate (64-byte packets per

second)
1,000,000 1,000,000 500,000 250,000
64,000
83,000
Effective (Firewall) Access Rules

(refer to note below)
1,000
100
50
600 Mbps 200 Mbps 100 Mbps
See the note below on how the

number of customized attacks is
affected.
1,000
1,000
25,000
300
400
For more information on computing Effective Access Rules, see IPS Administration Guide.
Note for customized attacks
45
14
I-series Sensor capacity by model number
Customized attacks are not to be confused with custom attacks. A custom attack is a user-defined
attack definition either in the McAfee's format or the Snort rules language. Whereas a customized
attack is an attack definition (as part of the signature set), for which you modified its default settings.
For example, if the default severity of an attack is 5 and you change it to 7, it is a customized attack.
The signature set push from the Manager to a Sensor fails if the number of customized attacks on the
Sensor exceeds the customized attack limit.
The number of customized attacks can increase due to:
Modifications done to attacks on a policy by users.
Recommended for blocking (RFB) attacks.
User created asymmetric policies.

Example: How numerous customized attacks are created in asymmetric policies.
1
Create a policy.
Set the Inbound rule set to "File Server rule set".
Set the Outbound rule set to "All-inclusive with Audit rule set".
You see that:
The File Server rule set has 166 exploit attacks.
The All-inclusive with Audit rule set has 2204 exploit attacks.
The total number of customized attacks for this policy is 2204 116 = 2038 customized attacks.
46
15
M-series Sensor capacity by model

number
Maximum
Type
M-8000
M-6050
M-4050
M-3050
M-2950 M-2850 M-1450 M-1250
Aggregate
Performance
10 Gbps
5 Gbps
3 Gbps
1.5 Gbps
1 Gbps
600
Mbps
200
Mbps
100
Mbps
Maximum
throughput
with test
equipment
sending UDP
packet size of
1518 bytes
Up to 20
Gbps
Up to 10
Gbps
Up to 4
Gbps
Up to 2.5
Gbps
Up to
1.5
Gbps
Up to 1
Gbps
Up to
300
Mbps
Up to
150
Mbps
Concurrent
connections
5,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 750,000 750,000 80,000
40,000
Connections
established per
sec.
120,000
Default number 100,000

of supported
UDP Flows
60,000
36,000
18,000
15,000
10,000
4,000
2,000
100,000
100,000
50,000
50,000
25,000
10,000
5,000
Supported UDP
Flows
3,000,000 1,500,000 750,000
375,000
375,000 187,500 60,000
Latency
< 100
micro
seconds
< 100
micro
seconds
< 100
micro
seconds
< 100
micro
seconds
< 100
< 100
< 100
< 100
micro
micro
micro
micro
seconds seconds seconds seconds
400,000
200,000
150,000
75,000
25,000
25,000
NA
NA
Number of SSL 256

certificates that
can be
imported into
the Sensor
256
256
256
256
256
NA
NA
Quarantine
rules per
Sensor- IPv4
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
Quarantine
rules per
Sensor- IPv6
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
Quarantine
Zones per
Sensor
50
50
50
50
50
50
50
50
(Average UDP
per packet
Latency)
SSL Flow count
30,000
47
15
Maximum
Type
M-8000
M-6050
M-4050
M-3050
M-2950 M-2850 M-1450 M-1250
Quarantine
Zone ACLs per
Sensor
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
Virtual
Interfaces
(VIDS) per
Sensor
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
100
32
32
VLAN / CIDR
Blocks per
Sensor
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
300
300
64
32
VLAN / CIDR
Blocks per
Interface
254
254
254
254
254
254
64
32
Customized
attacks
100,000
100,000
100,000
100,000
100,000 100,000 40,000
20,000
Exception
objects
262,144
262,144
262,144
262,144
131,072 131,072 65,536
32,768
Number of
attacks with
exception
objects
128,000
128,000
100,000
100,000
100,000 100,000 40,000
20,000
DoS Profiles
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
100
See the note

below on how
the number of
customized
attacks is
affected.
300
120
SYN cookie rate 5,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 800,000 600,000 250,000 200,000
(64-byte
packets per
second)
48
Effective
10,000
(Firewall)access
rules
5,000
3,000
3,000
2,000
2,000
1,000
1,000
Firewall rule
objects
70,000
35,000
21,000
21,000
14,000
14,000
7,000
7,000
Firewall DNS
rule objects
2,500
1,250
1,000
1,000
750
750
500
500
Firewall rule
object groups
500
400
300
300
200
200
100
100
Application on
Custom Port
rule objects
1,000
500
500
500
250
250
150
150
Firewall
2,500
user-based rule
objects
1,250
1,000
1,000
750
750
500
500
Firewall user
groups in
access rules
10,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
15
Maximum
Type
M-8000
M-6050
M-4050
M-3050
M-2950 M-2850 M-1450 M-1250
Number of
128
whitelist entries
permitted for IP
Reputation
128
128
128
64
Maximum host 256,000

entries
supported for
Connection
Limiting policies
256,000
256,000
256,000
256,000 256,000 128,000 128,000
Maximum file
size during
packet capture
100 MB
100 MB
100 MB
100 MB
58 MB
58 MB
40 MB
40 MB
Passive device
profile limits
100,000
100,000
50,000
25,000
15,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
Advanced
Malware Maximum
simultaneous
file scan
capacity with
file save
50
50
50
50
32
32
16
16
Advanced
Malware Maximum
simultaneous
file scan
capacity
without file
save
1,024
1,024
1,024
1,024
1,024
1,024
255
255
64
32
32
SSL decryption is not supported on M-1450 and M-1250 Sensors.

The number of supported SSL flows on a Sensor directly impacts the number of TCP flows that can be
processed simultaneously.

49
15

1
Create a policy.
You see that:
50
16
NS-series Sensor capacity by model

number
The following table describes the supported NS-series Sensor capacity.

Maximum Type
NS9300
NS9200
NS9100
NS7300
NS7200
NS7100
Aggregate
Performance
40 Gbps
20 Gbps
10 Gbps
5 Gbps
3 Gbps
1.5 Gbps
Max Throughput
with test
equipment
sending UDP
packet size of
1512 Bytes
up to 70
Gbps
up to 35
Gbps
up to 30
Gbps
up to 15
Gbps
up to 10
Gbps
up to 5
Gbps
Concurrent
Connections
32,000,000
16,000,000
13,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
3,000,000
Connections
established per
second
1,000,000
575,000
450,000
225,000
200,000
135,000
Default number of 800,000

supported UDP
Flows
400,000
300,000
150,000
150,000
150,000
Supported UDP
Flows maximum
12,000,000
6,000,000
6,000,000
3,000,000
3,000,000
3,000,000
Supported UDP
Flows minimum
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
Latency
<100 s
<100 s
<100 s
<100 s
<100 s
<100 s
SSL Flow Count
3,200,000
1,600,000
1,200,000
500,000
400,000
250,000
Number of SSL
certificates that
can be imported
into the Sensor
1,024
1,024
1,024
1,024
1,024
1,024
Throughput with
SSL Decryption
(based on 10%
SSL traffic)
40 Gbps
20 Gbps
10 Gbps
5 Gbps
3 Gbps
1.5 Gbps
Quarantine rules
per Sensor- IPv4
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
Quarantine rules
per Sensor- IPv6
500
500
500
500
500
500
(Average UDP per

packet Latency)
51
16
Maximum Type
NS9300
NS9200
NS9100
NS7300
NS7200
NS7100
Quarantine Zones
per Sensor
50
50
50
50
50
50
Quarantine Zone
ACLs per Sensor
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
Virtual Interfaces 1,000

(VIDS) per Sensor
(Number of
Virtual IPS
Systems)
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
VLAN / CIDR
3,000
Blocks per Sensor
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
VLAN / CIDR
Blocks per
Interface
254
254
254
254
254
254
Customized
attacks
100,000
100,000
100,000
100,000
100,000
100,000
262,144
262,144
262,144
262,144
262,144
262,144
Number of attacks 128,000

with exception
objects
128,000
128,000
128,000
128,000
128,000
DoS Profiles
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
SYN cookie rate

13,500,000
(64 byte packets
per second)
9,000,000
5,000,000
3,300,000
1,800,000
1,400,000
Effective
(Firewall) access
rules
20,000
20,000
10,000
5,000
3,000
3,000
Firewall rule
objects
140,000
140,000
70,000
35,000
21,000
21,000
Firewall DNS rule

objects
5,000
5,000
2,500
1,250
1,000
1,000
Firewall rule
object groups
1,000
1,000
500
400
300
300
Application on
Custom Port rule
objects
2,000
2,000
1,000
500
500
500
Firewall
user-based rule
objects
5,000
5,000
2,500
1,250
1,000
1,000
Firewall user
groups in access
rules
10,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
Number of
whitelist entries
permitted for IP
Reputation
128
128
128
128
128
128
See the note

below on how the
number of
customized
attacks is
affected.
Exception objects
52
5,000
16
Maximum Type
NS9300
NS9200
NS9100
NS7300
NS7200
NS7100
Maximum host
entries supported
for Connection
Limiting policies
256,000
256,000
256,000
256,000
256,000
256,000
Maximum file size

during packet
capture
100 MB
100 MB
100 MB
100 MB
100 MB
100 MB
Passive device
profile limits
100,000
100,000
50,000
100,000
50,000
25,000
Advanced
50
Malware Maximum
simultaneous file
scan capacity with
file save
50
50
50
50
50
Advanced
Malware Maximum
simultaneous file
scan capacity
without file save
4,094
4,094
4,094
4,094
4,094
4,094
New HTTP
connections per
second(using 1
GET with 5000
HTTP response)
700,000
375,000
260,000
135,000
128,000
115,000


1
Create a policy.
You see that:
53
16
54
17
Virtual IPS Sensor capacity by model

number
The following table describes the supported Virtual IPS Sensor capacity.
Table 17-1 Virtual IPS Sensor capacity by model number
Maximum Type
IPS-VM600
IPS-VM100
Aggregate Performance
600 Mbps
100 Mbps
Maximum throughput with test equipment sending UDP

packet size of 1518 bytes
Up to 1 Gbps
Up to 150 Mbps
Concurrent connections
600,000
200,000
Connections established per second
20,000
6,000
Default number of supported UDP Flows
25,000
10,000
Supported UDP Flows
254,208
39,168
Latency
< 100 micro seconds < 100 micro seconds
(Average UDP per packet Latency)

SSL Flow count
NA
NA
Number of SSL certificates that can be imported into the NA

Sensor
NA
Throughput with SSL Decryption (based on 10% SSL

traffic)
NA
NA
Quarantine rules per Sensor - IPv4
1,000
1,000
Quarantine rules per Sensor - IPv6
500
500
Quarantine Zones per Sensor
50
50
Quarantine Zone ACLs per Sensor
1,000
1,000
Virtual Interfaces (VIDS) per Sensor
100
32
VLAN / CIDR Blocks per Sensor
300
32
VLAN / CIDR Blocks per Interface
254
32
Customized attacks
100,000
20,000
Exception objects
131,072
32,768
Number of attacks with exception objects
100,000
20,000
DoS Profiles
300
100
SYN cookie rate (64-byte packets per second)
600,000
200,000
Effective (Firewall) access rules
2,000
1,000
See the note below on how the number of customized

attacks is affected.
55
17
Virtual IPS Sensor capacity by model number
Table 17-1 Virtual IPS Sensor capacity by model number (continued)

Maximum Type
IPS-VM600
IPS-VM100
Firewall rule objects
14,000
7,000
Firewall DNS rule objects
750
500
Firewall rule object groups
200
100
Application on Custom Port rule objects
250
150
Firewall user-based rule objects
750
500
Firewall user groups in access rules
2,000
2,000
Number of whitelist entries permitted for IP Reputation
64
32
Maximum host entries supported for Connection Limiting 128,000

policies
55,000
Passive device profile limits
15,000
10,000
Advanced Malware - Maximum simultaneous file scan

capacity with file save
32
16
Advanced Malware - Maximum simultaneous file scan

capacity without file save
1,024
255


1
Create a policy.
You see that:
56
18
Comparison between I-1200/I-1400 and

M-1250/M-1450 FE ports
Operating Condition/Mode I-1200/I-1400
M-1250/M-1450
TAP
Internal and external tap are

supported. No negotiation with
peer devices.
External tap is supported; no

support for internal tap. No
negotiation with peer devices.
SPAN
Dongles required
Dongles not required
Inline fail-close
Dongles required on both A and B

ports to fail-close
Dongles not required for both

ports to fail-close
Inline fail-open (Default)
Does not require external passive

Fail-open Kit
Does not require external

passive Fail-open Kit
Inline fail-open (Active

Fail-open Kit)
Supported with ports configured in

fail-close (no dongles)
Supported with ports configured

in fail-close (no dongles)
Link Failure - inline fail-close
Ports fail-close and traffic is

disrupted.

disrupted.
Link Failure - inline fail-open
Ports are not admin disabled and

traffic is disrupted
Ports are admin disabled, put

into bypass, and no traffic is
disrupted
Port Speed/Duplex
10/100, Full/Half
10/100/1000, Full/Half only for

10/100
Auto negotiation
Not supported
Supported and can be configured

from the Manager
Sensor Power off - inline

fail-close
Ports fail-close with dongles

connected; fail-open (bypass) with
no dongles

disrupted.
Sensor Power off - inline

fail-open
Ports fail-open (bypass), no traffic

disrupted (must not have dongles
connected.)
Ports fail-open, put into bypass,

and no traffic is disrupted.
Warm reboot - inline fail-open Ports are enabled and in the down
(CLI reboot or reboot due to
state till the Sensor starts
error and watchdog on)
rebooting. Traffic is disrupted till
then.
Ports are admin disabled and put

in bypass before the Sensor
reboots. No traffic is disrupted.
Warm reboot - inline fail-close Ports remain enabled fail-close,

(CLI reboot or reboot due to
traffic disruption till the Sensor is
error and watchdog on)
up
Ports remain enabled fail-close,

traffic disruption till the Sensor
is up
Resetconfig
Restores to default configuration

(inline fail-open) and reboots
Options to either restore defaults

or to retain the current port
configuration are available
Port link LED interpretation inline fail-open
Normal is green and indicates up;

OFF indicates down and not
necessarily bypass
Green indicates up and inline;

OFF indicates bypass.
57
18
Comparison between I-1200/I-1400 and M-1250/M-1450 FE ports
Operating Condition/Mode I-1200/I-1400
M-1250/M-1450
Port link LED interpretation inline fail-close
OFF indicates down and traffic is

disrupted
OFF indicates down and traffic is

disrupted
Port link LED interpretation

during reboot/Sensor power
down - inline fail-open
OFF indicates - bypass and no

traffic disrupted.
OFF indicates bypass and no

traffic is disrupted
Port link LED interpretation

during reboot/Sensor power
down - inline fail-close
OFF indicates down, traffic is

disrupted.
OFF indicates down and traffic

disrupted.
Front panel LED for Normal/

Bypass operations - inline
fail-open
Not present
Green indicates up and inline;

OFF indicates bypass.

Bypass operations - inline
fail-close
Not present
Always on (green), normal

operation.

Bypass operations - SPAN
Not present

operation.

Bypass operations - TAP
Not present

operation.
Link Events
No support to control fail-open/

bypass operation
Has support to control fail-open/

bypass operation
Port density
I-1200 - 1A/1B, I-1400 - 1A/1B

and 2A/2B
1A/1B through 4A/4B
Auto MDIX support
No support(Supported in I1200 and Supported by default (not

not in I1400). Configurable
configurable through CLI)
through CLI
The Manager port

configuration panel - link
status color coding
The color codes are:
The color codes are:
Yellow- not active
Yellow - not active
Green - up
Green - up
Red - enabled but down
Red - enabled but down
Gray - disabled and down
Gray - disabled and down

(applicable for inline fail-open
only)
Not present
Four separate bypass buttons,

one button per port pair:
The Manager port config

panel - Inline/Bypass status
color coding
Green - inline
Yellow - bypass
58
The Manager port status at

Link failure - inline fail-open
Red
Gray

Link failure - inline fail-close
Red
Red

Link failure - SPAN
Red
Red
Index
A
about this guide 5
active fail-open kits 17
asymmetric networks 27
C
conventions and icons used in this guide 5
Manager server hardening; (continued)

Windows 2008 11
Windows 2012 11
Manager server hardening; Windows 2008
pre-installation 11
McAfee ServicePortal, accessing 6
monitoring ports; cabling 9
D
documentation
audience for this guide 5
product-specific, finding 6
typographical conventions and icons 5
DoS attacks profiles; learning 20
policy tuning practices 19

ports comparison 57
post-installation;
Windows 2008 12
Windows 2012 12
pre-installation checklist 7
exception objects 19
F
firewall policies 25
H
high-volume attacks; analyzing 19
HTTP response processing deployment 35
HTTP response traffic 35
processing results; I-series Sensors 37
processing results; M-series Sensors 37
processing results; Virtual IPS Sensors 37
response management 21, 22

rule sets 23
S
Sensor capacity by model number
I-series 45
M-series 47
Virtual IPS 55
ServicePortal, finding product documentation 6
SSL best practices 29
T
technical support, finding product information 6
L
large Sensor deployments 15, 16
M
Manager server hardening;
installation 11
59
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Large Sensor deployments

Staging Sensors prior to deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Using active fail-open kits

Effective policy tuning practices

Analyzing high-volume attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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SSL best practices

SSL only traffic - throughput: NS-series Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Sensor HTTP response processing deployment

Sensor performance with Layer 7 Data Collection

I-series Sensor capacity by model number

M-series Sensor capacity by model number

NS-series Sensor capacity by model number

Virtual IPS Sensor capacity by model number

Comparison between I-1200/I-1400 and M-1250/M-1450 FE ports

McAfee Network Security Platform 8.1

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User input, code,

A link to a topic or to an external website.

McAfee Network Security Platform 8.1

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Go to the Knowledge Center tab of the McAfee ServicePortal at http://support.mcafee.com.

In the Support Content pane:

Click Product Documentation to find user documentation.

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Ensure that the server is located in a physically secure environment.

Connect the server on a protected or isolated network.

Install the US version of Windows Server.

Use NTFS on all partitions.

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