Chapter 2. Information Assets

Terms you'll need to understand:

• Asset

• Malware

• AAA

• NTP

• SNMP

• Campus

• Edge

• DMZ

• ISP

• PSTN

• WAP

Techniques you'll need to master:

• Understanding what various devices do on the network

• Appreciating exposure to threats based on device function or application

• Recognizing what other devices might be connected to a given device

• Understanding how those connections can be exploited

• Appreciating exposure to threats based on location

The CSI Exam tests your knowledge of the SAFE Blueprint, what its architecture can and cannot do for an enterprise of any size, and where you can make compromises or employ design alternatives. You can expect questions from any part of the document called "Extending the Security Blueprint to Small, Midsize, and Remote-User Networks" (sometimes called the SMR Blueprint). However, you will also see exam questions about the details of products employed in the SAFE architecture, and you will need to be able to think through the implications of the SAFE design when questions are not phrased in the way you might expect. That's why we are going to be sure that you have some conceptual foundations in place first. This chapter addresses some ideas that Cisco assumes you already have cemented in place before you read the SMR Blueprint.