Designing Access Controls

Choose the Access Control Methods

Table 3-21. Preliminary Decisions for the Access Control Method

Factor

Weight

Private Wired

Public Wired

Private Wireless

Public Wireless

Security

3

 

802.1X

802.1X

802.1X with WPA/

802.1X with WPA/

 

 

 

Web-Auth for

 

 

WPA2

WPA2

 

 

 

 

the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

administration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

building only

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

User type and

2 for private

802.1X

Web-Auth

802.1X with WPA/

Web-Auth

sophistication

 

zones

 

 

 

 

WPA2

 

 

3 for public

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

zones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Administrative

2

 

Web-Auth

Web-Auth

Web-Auth

Web-Auth

workload

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Endpoint

3

 

802.1X for all

Web-Auth for

802.1X with WPA/

Web-Auth

capabilities

 

 

 

endpoints that

 

all endpoints

WPA2

 

 

 

 

 

support it

 

that support it

 

 

 

 

 

MAC-Auth for

MAC-Auth for

 

 

 

 

 

 

headless

 

headless

 

 

 

 

 

 

devices and

 

devices

 

 

 

 

 

 

legacy APs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Administrative

1

 

802.1X

802.1X

802.1X with WPA/

Web-Auth

control

 

 

 

 

 

 

WPA2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Existing

3

 

802.1X

802.1X

802.1X with WPA/

802.1X with WPA/

infrastructure

 

 

 

 

 

 

WPA2

WPA2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

802.1X for all

Web-Auth for

802.1X with WPA/

Web-Auth

 

 

 

 

endpoints that

 

all endpoints

WPA2

 

 

 

 

 

support it

 

that support it

 

 

 

 

 

MAC-Auth for

MAC-Auth for

 

 

 

 

 

 

headless

 

headless

 

 

 

 

 

 

devices and

 

devices

 

 

 

 

 

 

legacy AP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One concern for PCU could be that some headless devices and legacy APs require MAC-Auth. However, the private wired zone can enforce 802.1X on most ports, but make exceptions for the ports to which the non-802.1X- capable devices connect. A more critical concern is that the legacy APs support 802.1X but not Web-Auth, the chosen method for public wireless zones. Network administrators must replace these APs or swap them for some APs in the private wireless zone that support Web-Auth.

Table 3-22lists the access control methods for PCU’s access zones.

3-35