Configuring the botnet traffic filter, Information about the botnet traffic filter, C h a p t e r – Cisco ASA 5505 User Manual

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C H A P T E R

55-1

Cisco ASA 5500 Series Configuration Guide using the CLI

Configuring the Botnet Traffic Filter

Malware is malicious software that is installed on an unknowing host. Malware that attempts network
activity such as sending private data (passwords, credit card numbers, key strokes, or proprietary data)
can be detected by the Botnet Traffic Filter when the malware starts a connection to a known bad IP
address. The Botnet Traffic Filter checks incoming and outgoing connections against a dynamic database
of known bad domain names and IP addresses (the blacklist), and then logs or blocks any suspicious
activity.

You can also supplement the Cisco dynamic database with blacklisted addresses of your choosing by
adding them to a static blacklist; if the dynamic database includes blacklisted addresses that you think
should not be blacklisted, you can manually enter them into a static whitelist. Whitelisted addresses still
generate syslog messages, but because you are only targeting blacklist syslog messages, they are
informational.

Note

If you do not want to use the Cisco dynamic database at all, because of internal requirements, you can
use the static blacklist alone if you can identify all the malware sites that you want to target.

This chapter describes how to configure the Botnet Traffic Filter and includes the following sections:

•

Information About the Botnet Traffic Filter, page 55-1

•

Licensing Requirements for the Botnet Traffic Filter, page 55-6

•

Guidelines and Limitations, page 55-6

•

Default Settings, page 55-6

•

Configuring the Botnet Traffic Filter, page 55-6

•