Barracuda Networks SSL VPN, Administrator'S Manual

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54 Barracuda SSL VPN Administrator’s Guide
Overview
At the heart of the Barracuda SSL VPN lies its access control engine. This is responsible for the
complete management of all users from their initial log-on, right through to their exit from the system.
More importantly it secures control of user access to different areas of the internal network.
The engine is the key component in verifying a user accessing the system and determining the actions
that they may perform. Every action performed within the product is monitored by the access control
engine in real-time and, as the diagram depicts, it acts as the ‘guardian’ of the system.
System of Trust
The concept of trust is a fundamental part of any secure system. As such it is crucial for the security
policy to cater for and control how that trust is granted, used and revoked.
With trust playing such a significant part of remote access, the Barracuda SSL VPN solution has been
designed to allow for either ‘coarsely grained’ or ‘finely grained’ access control. This approach
allows the product to mirror more closely the actual trust relationships present in the real world. In
conjunction with multi-tiered authentication schemes, our security model is much more advanced
than those offered by conventional VPN solutions.
Levels of Trust
Trust is administered in measures - the more trust a user has the more privileges they are granted.
Again the opposite is said for someone who has a lesser degree of trust and consequently is given a
lesser level of ownership and access.
The Barracuda SSL VPN follows this well established pattern. With the access control framework,
‘administrators’ are seen as the most trusted users, seeing as they are ultimately in control of the
appliance. Trusted users can be given a lesser measure of control. Finally, the standard user has a
lesser degree of trust and therefore potentially the least level of access and responsibility.