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Hardening guidelines for StorageGRID nodes

Contributors netapp-pcelmer netapp-madkat netapp-perveilerk ssantho3 netapp-lhalbert
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StorageGRID nodes can be deployed on VMware virtual machines, within a container engine on Linux hosts, or as dedicated hardware appliances. Each type of platform and each type of node has its own set of hardening best practices.

Firewall configuration

As part of the system hardening process, you must review external firewall configurations and modify them so that traffic is accepted only from the IP addresses and on the ports from which it is strictly needed.

StorageGRID includes an internal firewall on each node that enhances the security of your grid by enabling you to control network access to the node. You should manage internal firewall controls to prevent network access on all ports except those necessary for your specific grid deployment. The configuration changes you make on the Firewall control page are deployed to each node.

Specifically, you can manage these areas:

  • Privileged addresses: You can allow selected IP addresses or subnets to access ports that are closed by settings on the Manage external access tab.

  • Manage external access: You can close ports that are open by default, or reopen ports previously closed.

  • Untrusted Client Network: You can specify whether a node trusts inbound traffic from the Client Network as well as the additional ports you want open when untrusted Client Network is configured.

While this internal firewall provides an additional layer of protection against some common threats, it does not remove the need for an external firewall.

For a list of all internal and external ports used by StorageGRID, see Network port reference.

Disable unused services

For all StorageGRID nodes, you should disable or block access to unused services. For example, if you aren't planning to configure client access to the audit shares for NFS, block or disable access to these services.

Virtualization, containers, and shared hardware

For all StorageGRID nodes, avoid running StorageGRID on the same physical hardware as untrusted software. Don't assume that hypervisor protections will prevent malware from accessing StorageGRID-protected data if both StorageGRID and the malware exist on the same the physical hardware. For example, the Meltdown and Spectre attacks exploit critical vulnerabilities in modern processors and allow programs to steal data in memory on the same computer.

Protect nodes during installation

Don't allow untrusted users to access StorageGRID nodes over the network when the nodes are being installed. Nodes aren't fully secure until they have joined the grid.

Guidelines for Admin Nodes

Admin Nodes provide management services such as system configuration, monitoring, and logging. When you sign in to the Grid Manager or the Tenant Manager, you are connecting to an Admin Node.

Follow these guidelines to secure the Admin Nodes in your StorageGRID system:

  • Secure all Admin Nodes from untrusted clients, such as those on the open internet. Ensure that no untrusted client can access any Admin Node on the Grid Network, the Admin Network, or the Client Network.

  • StorageGRID Groups control access to Grid Manager and Tenant Manager features. Grant each Group of users the minimum required permissions for their role, and use the read-only access mode to prevent users from changing configuration.

  • When using StorageGRID load balancer endpoints, use Gateway Nodes instead of Admin Nodes for untrusted client traffic.

  • If you have untrusted tenants, don't allow them to have direct access to the Tenant Manager or the Tenant Management API. Instead, have any untrusted tenants use a tenant portal or an external tenant management system, which interacts with the Tenant Management API.

  • Optionally, use an Admin proxy for more control over AutoSupport communication from Admin Nodes to NetApp Support. See the steps for creating an Admin proxy.

  • Optionally, use the restricted 8443 and 9443 ports to separate Grid Manager and Tenant Manager communications. Block the shared port 443 and limit tenant requests to port 9443 for additional protection.

  • Optionally, use separate Admin Nodes for grid administrators and tenant users.

For more information, see the instructions for administering StorageGRID.

Guidelines for Storage Nodes

Storage Nodes manage and store object data and metadata. Follow these guidelines to secure the Storage Nodes in your StorageGRID system.

  • Don't allow untrusted clients to connect directly to Storage Nodes. Use a load balancer endpoint served by a Gateway Node or a third party load balancer.

  • Don't enable outbound services for untrusted tenants. For example, when creating the account for an untrusted tenant, don't allow the tenant to use its own identity source and don't allow the use of platform services. See the steps for creating a tenant account.

  • Use a third-party load balancer for untrusted client traffic. Third-party load balancing offers more control and additional layers of protection against attack.

  • Optionally, use a Storage proxy for more control over Cloud Storage Pools and platform services communication from Storage Nodes to external services. See the steps for creating a Storage proxy.

  • Optionally, connect to external services using the Client Network. Then, select CONFIGURATION > Security > Firewall control > Untrusted Client Networks and indicate that the Client Network on the Storage Node is untrusted. The Storage Node no longer accepts any incoming traffic on the Client Network, but it continues to allow outbound requests for Platform Services.

Guidelines for Gateway Nodes

Gateway Nodes provide an optional load-balancing interface that client applications can use to connect to StorageGRID. Follow these guidelines to secure any Gateway Nodes in your StorageGRID system:

  • Configure and use load balancer endpoints. See Considerations for load balancing.

  • Use a third-party load balancer between the client and the Gateway Node or Storage Nodes for untrusted client traffic. Third-party load balancing offers more control and additional layers of protection against attack. If you do use a third-party load balancer, network traffic can still optionally be configured to go through an internal load balancer endpoint or be sent directly to Storage Nodes.

  • If you are using load balancer endpoints, optionally have clients connect over the Client Network. Then, select CONFIGURATION > Security > Firewall control > Untrusted Client Networks and indicate that the Client Network on the Gateway Node is untrusted. The Gateway Node only accepts inbound traffic on the ports explicitly configured as load balancer endpoints.

Guidelines for hardware appliance nodes

StorageGRID hardware appliances are specially designed for use in a StorageGRID system. Some appliances can be used as Storage Nodes. Other appliances can be used as Admin Nodes or Gateway Nodes. You can combine appliance nodes with software-based nodes or deploy fully engineered, all-appliance grids.

Follow these guidelines to secure any hardware appliance nodes in your StorageGRID system:

  • If the appliance uses SANtricity System Manager for storage controller management, prevent untrusted clients from accessing SANtricity System Manager over the network.

  • If the appliance has a baseboard management controller (BMC), be aware that the BMC management port allows low-level hardware access. Connect the BMC management port only to a secure, trusted, internal management network. If no such network is available, leave the BMC management port unconnected or blocked, unless a BMC connection is requested by technical support.

  • If the appliance supports remote management of the controller hardware over Ethernet using the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) standard, block untrusted traffic on port 623.

Note You can enable or disable remote IPMI access for all appliances containing a BMC by using the management API private endpoint, PUT /private/bmc.