Security Considerations White Paper for Cisco Smart Storage

Network-Attached Storage (NAS) is a relatively simple and inexpensive way to provide file-based data storage services to other devices on the network. NAS can also be used to host web server, and other services (iTunes, MySQL, PHP, web DAV, etc.). NAS uses protocols such as SMB/CIFS (Server Message Block/ Common Internet File System), NFS (Network File System), AFP (Apple Filing Protocol), and FTP (File Transfer Protocol). It is managed by HTTP/HTTPS and can be accessed remotely via SSH (Secure Shell). Despite its flexibility and cost benefits, deploying NAS over IP networks potentially exposes customer data to security risks. Like everything else in the IP infrastructure, the NAS must be protected from security vulnerabilities such as Denial of Service (DoS) and other malware attacks.