McAfee HISCDE-AB-IA Product Guide - Page 30

Methods for delivery of IPS protection

Shielding and enveloping, system call interception, and installation of specific engines and

drivers are the methods used to deliver IPS protection.

Enveloping and shielding

Host Intrusion Prevention uses enveloping and shielding signatures to protect against attacks.

The enveloping strategy works to prevent applications from accessing files, data, registry

settings, and services outside their own application envelope. The shielding strategy works to

prevent application files, data, registry settings, and services from being the accessed by an

exploit from outside their own application envelope.

System call interception

Host Intrusion Prevention monitors all system and API calls and blocks malicious activity. It

determines which process is using a call, the security context in which the process runs, and

the resource being accessed. A Host Intrusion Prevention kernel-level driver, which receives

redirected entries in the user-level system call table, monitors the system call chain. When calls

are made, the driver compares the call request against a database of combined signatures and

behavioral rules to determine whether to allow, block, or log an action.

User-level programs use the functionality provided by the kernel to access disk drives, network

connections, and shared memory. Because the processor prevents direct access to kernel-level

functions, user-level programs use system calls, which permit communication between user

and kernel modes. System calls expose all kernel functionality that user-level programs require

and are implemented inside the operating system using a system call table. Host Intrusion

Prevention inserts itself into the system call chain by installing a kernel-level driver and redirecting

the entries in the system call table. When an application requests a file, it is directed to the

Host Intrusion Prevention driver, which checks the request against its set of signatures and

behavioral rules to determine whether to allow or block the request.

HTTP engine for web servers

Host Intrusion Prevention gives protection against attacks directed at web applications and

systems with its HTTP protection engine. It protects by parsing the HTTP stream coming in to

an application and matching patterns on incoming HTTP requests. The HTTP Protection engine

installs between the web server's SSL decryption and decoding element that turns requests into

plain text and the web server's engine. This guarantees that the Host Intrusion Prevention

engine sees requests in plain text and blocks malicious requests before they are processed.

HTTP signatures prevent directory traversal and Unicode attacks, web defacement, data theft,

and server hacking.

SQL engine for SQL servers

Host Intrusion Prevention protects against attacks on database servers with its SQL inspection

engine, which installs between database network libraries and the database engine. It examines

all SQL requests and blocks any that could trigger an event. SQL protection rules, which

differentiate on user, query origination location, query validity, and other parameters.

SQL database signatures build on the core protection provided by standard signatures and add

specific database interception and protection rules. The Host IPS SQL engine intercepts incoming

database queries before they are processed by the database engine. Each query is examined

to see whether it matches any known attack signatures, if it is well formed, and if there are

tell-tale signs of SQL injection.

Configuring IPS Policies

Overview of IPS policies

McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention 8.0 Product Guide for ePolicy Orchestrator 4.5

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Section	Page
Contents	3
Introducing Host Intrusion Prevention	7
Host IPS protection	7
Host IPS policies	8
Host IPS policy management	9
Host IPS policy tracking and tuning	10
Managing Your Protection	12
Information management	12
Host IPS dashboards	12
Host IPS queries	13
Predefined and custom queries to analyze your protection	13
Policy management	16
Where to find policies	16
Configuring polices	17
Creating a new policy	18
Changing policy assignment	18
Default protection and tuning	18
Clients and planning your deployment	19
Client data and what it tells you	19
Adaptive mode	20
FAQ — Adaptive mode	21
Host IPS policy migration	22
System management	23
Host IPS permission sets	23
Assigning permission sets	24
Host IPS server tasks	25
Host IPS event responses	26
Tips on using automatic responses	26
Host IPS protection updates	27
Checking in update packages	27
Checking in packages manually	28
Updating clients with content	28
Updating content from the client	28
Configuring IPS Policies	29
Overview of IPS policies	29
Methods for delivery of IPS protection	30
Signatures	31
Behavioral rules	32
Reactions	32
Exceptions	32
Application protection rules	33
Events	33
Enable IPS protection	33
Configuring the IPS Options policy	34
Set the reaction for IPS signatures	35
Configuring the IPS Protection policy	36
Define IPS protection	36
Configuring the IPS Rules policy	37
Assigning multiple instances of the policy	37
FAQ — Multiple-instance policies	38
How IPS signatures work	39
Configuring IPS signatures	40
Creating custom signatures	41
Creating custom signatures with a wizard	42
FAQ — Use of wildcards in IPS Rules	42
How IPS application protection rules work	43
Configuring IPS application protection rules	45
Creating application protection rules	45
How IPS exceptions work	46
Configuring IPS exceptions	46
Creating exception rules	47
Monitor IPS events	47
Managing IPS events	48
Creating an exception from an event	49
Creating a trusted application from an event	50
Monitor IPS client rules	50
Managing IPS client rules	50
Configuring Firewall Policies	52
Overview of Firewall policies	52
How firewall rules work	53
Firewall protocols	53
How firewall rule groups work	55
Firewall rule group connection isolation	56
How the Host IPS catalog works	58
Firewall stateful packet filtering and inspection	59
Firewall state table	60
How stateful filtering works	60
How stateful packet inspection works	61
Stateful protocol tracking	62
How learn and adaptive modes affect the firewall	63
Firewall client rules	64
Enable firewall protection	64
Configuring the Firewall Options policy	65
FAQ — McAfee TrustedSource and the firewall	66
Define firewall protection	67
Configuring the Firewall Rules policy	68
Creating and editing firewall rules	69
Creating and editing firewall rule groups	69
Creating connection isolation groups	70
Blocking DNS traffic	70
Using the Host IPS catalog	70
Managing firewall client rules	71
FAQ — Use of wildcards in Firewall Rules	72
Configuring General Policies	73
Overview of General policies	73
Define client functionality	74
Configuring a Client UI policy	74
Setting Client UI general options	75
Setting Client UI advanced options and passwords	75
Creating passwords on a per system basis	76
Setting Client UI troubleshooting options	76
Define trusted networks	77
Configuring a Trusted Networks policy	78
Define trusted applications	78
Configuring a Trusted Applications policy	79
Creating and editing Trusted Application rules	79
Assigning multiple instances of the policy	80
Working with Host Intrusion Prevention Clients	81
Overview of the Windows client	81
System tray icon menu	81
Client console for Windows clients	83
Unlocking the Windows client interface	83
Setting client UI options	83
Troubleshooting the Windows client	84
Setting options for IPS logging	85
Settings options for Firewall logging	85
Disabling Host IPS engines	85
Windows client alerts	86
Responding to Intrusion alerts	86
Responding to Firewall alerts	87
Responding to Spoof Detected alerts	87
About the IPS Policy tab	88
Customizing IPS Policy options	88
Creating and editing IPS Policy exception rules	89
About the Firewall Policy tab	89
Customizing Firewall Policy options	90
Creating and editing Firewall rules	90
About the Blocked Hosts tab	91
Editing the Blocked Hosts list	92
About the Application Protection List tab	92
About the Activity Log tab	93
Customizing Activity Log options	93
Overview of the Solaris client	94
Policy enforcement with the Solaris client	94
Troubleshooting the Solaris client	95
Verifying Solaris installation files	96
Verifying the Solaris client is running	96
Stopping the Solaris client	96
Restarting the Solaris client	96
Overview of the Linux client	97
Policy enforcement with the Linux client	97
Notes about the Linux client	97
Troubleshooting the Linux client	98
Verifying Linux installation files	99
Verifying the Linux client is running	99
Stopping the Linux client	99
Restarting the Linux client	99
Appendix A — Writing Custom Signatures and Exceptions	101
Rule structure	101
Common sections	102
Optional common sections	104
Wildcards and variables	104
Windows custom signatures	107
Windows class Buffer Overflow	107
Windows class Files	108
Windows class Hook	111
Windows class Illegal Host IPS API Use	112
Windows class Illegal Use	113
Windows class Isapi (HTTP)	113
Windows class Program	116
Windows class Registry	117
Windows class Services	120
Windows class SQL	122
Classes and directives per Windows platform	123
Non-Windows custom signatures	127
Solaris/Linux class UNIX_file	127
Solaris/Linux class UNIX_apache (HTTP)	130
Solaris/Linux class UNIX_Misc	131
Solaris class UNIX_bo	132
Solaris class UNIX_map	133
Solaris class UNIX_GUID	133
Classes and directives per UNIX platform	134
Appendix B — Troubleshooting	136
General issues	136
Host IPS logs	141
Clientcontrol.exe utility	144

McAfee HISCDE-AB-IA Product Guide - Page 30

Methods for delivery of IPS protection, Enveloping and shielding, System call interception

Page 30 highlights