Methods and Systems of Information Protection, Information Security

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NETWORK EQUIPMENT VULNERABILITIES USING EXTERNAL AUDIT METHODS IN A CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT

A. A. Kalinin , M. R. Kliz
UDC: 004.056.53 Published: 01.09.2026 Issue: Vol. 3 No. 011 (2026): Professionalitet, 2026 DOI: 10.24412/3033-9359-2026-011-24-35
Download PDF

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative security audit of Cisco, MikroTik, and Eltex network equipment in a laboratory environment. The study combines external Nmap scanning with an internal configuration review over SSH, examining open ports, management protocols, SSH versions, and known TLS issues. During the initial assessment, the authors record the availability of Telnet, HTTP, and other management interfaces, then apply recommendations to disable insecure services, restrict access, and configure SSHv2. Tables compare the initial and updated device states; in the tested configuration, SSH and HTTPS remain available after hardening, while Telnet and HTTP are closed and the SSH algorithm set is modernized. The tests cover switches and routers from several manufacturers, but the results depend on the specific models, software versions, and testbed configuration. Nmap scans show exposed network services, while configuration analysis helps investigate the causes of observed states; a scan does not by itself confirm each listed CVE. The paper presents a sequence for external and internal audit and demonstrates why default settings should be reviewed before a device is connected to a corporate network. The conclusions apply to the tested scenarios and should be rechecked after firmware, model, or topology changes.

Online viewer

References

  1. Cisco Systems. Harden IOS Devices [Электронный ресурс]. – 2024. – 12 сентября. – URL: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ip/access-lists/13608-21.html (дата обращения: 12.10.2026). – Текст : электронный.
  2. Lyon G. F. Nmap Network Scanning: The Official Nmap Project Guide to Network Discovery and Security Scanning / G. F. Lyon. – Nmap Project, 2009. – 468 p.
  3. NIST SP 800-115. Technical Guide to Information Security Testing and Assessment [Электронный ресурс] / National Institute of Standards and Technology. – 2008. – URL: https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-115/final (дата обращения: 15.02.2026). – Текст : электронный.
  4. MikroTik. MikroTik Documentation (RouterOS) [Электронный ресурс]. – URL: https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/ (дата обращения: 15.02.2026). – Текст : электронный.
  5. Eltex. Настройка SSH-сервера на коммутаторах MES14xx, MES24xx, MES3400-xx, MES37xx [Электронный ресурс]. – URL: https://docs.eltex-co.ru/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=564690973 (дата обращения: 12.10.2026). – Текст : электронный.
  6. National Vulnerability Database. CVE-2014-3566 [Электронный ресурс]. – URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-3566 (дата обращения: 15.02.2026). – Текст : электронный.
  7. National Vulnerability Database. CVE-2014-0224 [Электронный ресурс]. – URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-0224 (дата обращения: 15.02.2026). – Текст : электронный.

License

Copyright (c) 2026 A. A. Kalinin, M. R. Kliz (Author)

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0

Keywords

network security security audit Nmap SSH Cisco MikroTik Eltex