WatchGuard Technologies SOHO 6.1 manual System Security, System management

Chapter 5: Administrative Options

The System Security Page

The System Security configuration page allows you to create secure settings to protect the configuration of the SOHO 6. Setting a system administrator name and system passphrase allows you to protect the SOHO 6 by using a simple authentication method.

This page also allows you to create a secure connection, using IPSec (Internet Protocol Security), to the SOHO 6 from a remote location.

System management

Passphrases are a barrier between your computer and anyone trying to break in. They are the first line of defense in computer security. They are, unfortunately, the most frequently overlooked of all security measures. The SOHO 6 system administrator name and system passphrase are designed to protect the SOHO 6 configuration from alteration by someone on your trusted network. In other words, when you configure a SOHO 6 system administrator name and system passphrase, no one in your office is able to change (deliberately or accidentally) your firewall settings without the proper passphrase.

NOTE

Make certain that you do not lose this name and passphrase. Once system security protection is activated, there is no other means of accessing your SOHO 6 settings. Should you forget your name or passphrase, the only means of accessing the appliance requires reverting your SOHO 6 to its factory settings; see “Reset a SOHO 6 to factory default” on page 26, you will then need to reconfigure your SOHO 6.

Change the system passphrase at least monthly. A passphrase (eight characters long) is a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols that do not spell out common words. WatchGuard

52 WatchGuard Firebox SOHO 6.1