F5BI-AP-300164 - The F5 BIG-IP appliance must be configured to set the "Max In Progress Sessions per Client IP" value to 10 or an organizational-defined number.

Information

The "Max In Progress Sessions Per Client IP" setting in an APM Access Profile is a security configuration that limits the number of simultaneous sessions that can be initiated from a single IP address. This is particularly helpful in preventing a session flood, where a hacker might attempt to overwhelm the system by initiating many sessions from a single source. By capping the number of sessions per IP, this setting can help maintain the system's stability and integrity while also providing a layer of protection against such potential attacks.

This setting has been recommended by F5 as a defense-in-depth measure. However, in some networks, narrowing the number of in progress sessions may in adverse impacts on legitimate connections. Thus, sites must test this setting within their network prior to implementing to determine the minimum acceptable number. This should not remain at the very high default value and should not be excessively high. Document the organizational value.

Solution

From the BIG-IP GUI:
1. Access.
2. Profiles/Policies.
3. Access Profiles.
4. Click the access profile name.
5. In the "Settings" section, set "Max In Progress Sessions per Client IP" to 10 or an organization-defined number.
Note: If the setting is grayed out, check the box to the right of the setting and then update it. If the setting is not set to 10, verify the operational reason is documented and approved by the AO.
6. Click "Update".
7. Click "Apply Access Policy".

See Also

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/U_F5_BIG-IP_TMOS_Y25M07_STIG.zip

Item Details

Category: ACCESS CONTROL

References: 800-53|AC-10, CAT|III, CCI|CCI-000054, Rule-ID|SV-266175r1024855_rule, STIG-ID|F5BI-AP-300164, Vuln-ID|V-266175

Plugin: F5

Control ID: 4b503cff64cb41cc252d165357f8a8d59a0af27d8e8759367c9b82d4b8c58a02