Router Audit Tool: Securing Cisco Routers Made Easy!

In a large network environment it could take hours to confirm that routers are securely configured. Imagine a tool that could reduce this process to only a few minutes. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) has provided a tool to do just that. The Router Audit Tool or rat was designed to help audit the configurations of Cisco routers quickly and efficiently. The Router Audit Tool performs a baseline test on the configuration of a Cisco Router. The tool provides a list of the potential security vulnerabilities discovered in an easy to read format. It even provides a list of commands to be applied to the router in order to correct the potential security problems discovered. This document will discuss the need for a tool like rat and its function. The installation and quick start guide sections provide all the information necessary to get started using rat. For those seeking more detail, a step-by-step narrative to using and customizing the Router Audit Tool is included. It includes samples of how to quickly reduce the security vulnerabilities of a new router and customize the rat installation. This paper will focus on the use of the Router Audit Tool to assist in maintaining a minimum standard configuration.