Introducing Improvements in DNS Tunneling & DNS Exfiltration Detection

DNS tunneling is a technique that encodes data of other programs and protocols in DNS queries, including data payloads that can be used to control a remote server and applications. Because of this, DNS tunneling – and DNS exfiltration associated with it by threat actors – is of great concern to many IT and SecOps teams. Fortunately, new developments in the Cisco Umbrella DNS cache system allow for faster and more reliable detection of DNS tunneling and exfiltration events.

How Does DNS Tunneling Work?

DNS tunneling revolves around the transfer of data. So, if we have:

  • Input Data data – Name: Alice, Age: 25, SSN: 123-45-678

Using DNS exfiltration, we can encode and send this data placed in several subdomains of the domain under our control as a single entry:

  • jzqw2zj2ifwg.sy3ffrawozj2.gi2syu2tjy5d.cmrtfu2djljw.my.tunnel.com

Or, we can use multiple entries using multiple queries to large numbers of domains:

  • jzqw2.zj2if.my.tunnel.com
  • wgsy3.ffraw.my.tunnel.com
  • ozj2g.i2syu.my.tunnel.com
  • 2tjy5.dcmrt.my.tunnel.com

Users can abuse this technique – as seen in Fig. 1 below – by installing a free DNS tunneling tool to bypass IT policies and/or monitoring. They can also use this technique to bypass network authorization to obtain free internet access in hotels and airports.

A graphic illustrating how users abuse DNS tunneling to bypass IT policies and/or monitoring. The graphic shows traffic going from the user device, through port 53, through recursive DNS resolution provided either by the ISP or Cisco Umbrella, through a VPN tunnel infrastructure, to a blocked site. Traffic then reverses through the same chain before returning to the user device.
Fig. 1

Attackers can use outbound DNS requests to send encoded exfiltrated data to their infrastructure – as seen in Fig. 2 below – or use DNS responses to send commands to compromised systems and manage infected devices remotely.

A graphic showing the process of a DNS-tunneling-based attack. A compromised system sends data in a DNS request through Port 53. The data then passes through recursive DNS resolution before being admitted into the attacker's infrastructure.
Fig. 2

Improvements to DNS Tunneling Realtime Detection

Today, we’re thrilled to announce that organizations have a powerful new ally to protect against data exfiltration and unauthorized DNS tunnels in their networks. Cisco Umbrella has developed a new proprietary cache within our DNS resolvers to work alongside our machine learning modules. Our newest machine learning module is tuned to detect data exfiltration and DNS tunneling events.

This new module monitors DNS traffic for behavioral patterns and traffic exfiltrating data, efficiently building enough information to detect and block data exfiltration. And, in the event circumstances and domain reputations change, this module will correct itself and let traffic through.

We made this update because, over the past couple of years, we’ve seen organizations more productive and more connected amidst the new reality of working digitally during the pandemic. The explosion of logins and bandwidth, though, has at times come with reductions in digital security. Data exfiltration has become a new reality, and one hole attackers punch is in the DNS.

Powering Improvements With a Revolutionary DNS Cache

The technology stack powering Cisco Umbrella’s DNS resolvers handles blistering loads of DNS traffic from ISPs, global organizations, municipalities, schools, and homes. Building on this, we’ve hacked the heart of the DNS resolver – the cache. And while we dig into the details of this new functionality in our DNS tunneling solution brief, we also want to provide you with an overview here.

The cache of a DNS resolver enables serving the swell of global traffic without fault, outage, and ease. It also insulates the backbone of the internet from being overwhelmed with identical queries. Caches store data locally so that it can be served quicker.

Tunneling Cache

An image illustrating how Cisco Umbrella uses the tunneling cache.

The tunneling cache enables us to glue together a sequence of queries that are otherwise distinct atomic events. With proprietary key and data fields, we seamlessly incorporate rapid cache updates unbeknownst to web surfers. We maintain lightning speed throughout by merging incoming data fields using tricks found in probabilistic algorithms. Gluing together each individual’s DNS queries provides access to a rich amount of information, otherwise hidden. Organizations can now get personalized DNS tunneling monitoring, detection, and enforcement in real time.

Encryption Payloads

An image illustrating how Cisco Umbrella identifies encryption payloads.

We pair the new DNS cache with a lexical engine highly trained at identifying encrypted messages. Our researchers dug into various encryption protocols and created a stateful algorithm capable of churning through every character transition in a domain name and identifying encryption payloads with high fidelity.

Take DNS-Layer Security to the Next Level

Cisco Umbrella analyzes internet activity to uncover known and emergent threats in order to protect users anywhere they go. Together, these capabilities power Umbrella to predict and prevent DNS tunneling attacks before they happen. Enabling this security category reduces the risk of DNS tunneling and potential data loss. Organizations can choose to block users from using DNS tunneling VPN services, or they can monitor the results in reports, providing flexibility to determine what is suitable given their risk tolerance.

Address your DNS blind spot by enforcing security over port 53 both on and off the corporate network. Request a personalized demo of Cisco Umbrella today to explore how this exciting new feature can help protect your enterprise.

Source :
https://umbrella.cisco.com/blog/improvements-dns-tunneling-dns-exfiltration-detection

3 Ways to Strengthen Your Cybersecurity Strategy in 2022

Last year threw a lot at cybersecurity teams, from the emergence of several high-profile cyberattacks to the revelation of widespread vulnerabilities. As we all move into 2022, odds are your team is re-thinking your cybersecurity strategy to help make your organization more resilient and flexible. This should involve an evaluation of your cybersecurity solutions, as they impact the implementation and effectiveness of any strategies your team creates.

In our ebook 7 ways to strengthen your security in 2022 and beyond, we discuss the different ways you can amplify and extend your cybersecurity stack this year using Cisco Umbrella. But if you’re looking for some tips to get you started, here are three things to keep in mind as you plot out your cybersecurity strategy:

1. Make Sure Your Cybersecurity Solutions Don’t Impact Network Speeds

Graphic showing seated young man using a laptop. He's surrounded by a graphic of an inverted triangle, an an image of the globe is superimposed above his right shoulder. A trail of dots leads from the laptop to the globe, indicating that his computer is connecting to the world-wide network. A series of arrows pointing upwards is superimposed next to his left shoulder, indicating high network speeds.

The use of internet resources and cloud services was on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that employees have spread out – collaborating with coworkers and performing business-critical tasks from anywhere they have internet access – cloud-based tools have become more critical than ever.

This means that an effective cybersecurity strategy needs to balance the implementation of strong protections against the need for minimal latency on the company network. From a business perspective, cyber safety can’t come at the expense of speed.

In order to maintain this balance, take a look at your cybersecurity solutions and evaluate the following:

  • Routing Algorithms – Frequently, having fast and secure internet access comes down to a cybersecurity vendor’s data center network and routing algorithms. Make sure your cybersecurity solutions come backed by a robust global data center network and transparent routing protocols with automated failover to the fastest available servers. This minimizes latency, regardless of where users on your network are located.
  • Peering Relationships – Peering relationships allow cybersecurity vendors to minimize latency without compromising on security. As you reevaluate your cybersecurity strategy in the coming year, make sure your vendors have peering relationships with large cloud service providers your organization relies on. This allows employees to easily access the tools they need without introducing added latency.

Keeping network speeds in mind while you refine your cybersecurity strategy for the upcoming year can improve employee satisfaction, affect executive buy-in, and have an impact on your organization’s bottom line.

2. Strengthen Cybersecurity Infrastructure to Reduce Disruptions

Last year, we all experienced more than our fair share of network disruptions, outages, and downtime. Several of these events were impactful enough to make it into the news cycle. And while an outage isn’t the same thing as a cyberattack, your cybersecurity strategy should include finding solutions that are designed to reduce downtime instead of causing it.

Take some time to review the track record of your vendors. For example, do they have a proven record of resiliency and uptime? Better yet, can they handle infrastructure disruptions without passing those disruptions onto your users? For example, the unique DNS logging features included in Cisco Umbrella DNS-layer security can be used during certain events – like the 2021 Akamai outage – to keep users connected to business-critical cloud tools despite provider outages.

3. Make Sure Your Cybersecurity Strategy Includes Guest WiFi Considerations

A graphic showing three different devices (a cell phone, a desktop computer, and a tablet) using WiFi. Dotted lines connect each of the devices to a graphic of a cloud, which is surrounded by a shield graphic that indicates a cybersecurity solution in place.

Between the move to a hybrid work model and the gradual reopening of public spaces, odds are you’ll find more employees and clients using your guest WiFi in the coming year. So, it’s essential to make sure that both your private and guest WiFi networks have the speed users desire and the protection you need.

Does your suite of cybersecurity solutions provide your team with the ability to filter content and enforce security protocols over your guest WiFi network? Does your security stack allow you to maintain a single IP address for your entire enterprise, streamlining the management of guest WiFi security policies? Finally, can your cybersecurity solutions handle the uptick in user traffic that guest WiFi causes without increasing latency? If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” it may be time to think about adjusting your security stack.

Looking for More Ways to Strengthen Your Cybersecurity Strategy?

Download our ebook 7 ways to strengthen your security in 2022 and beyond today to discover more ways that you can use Cisco Umbrella to strengthen your cybersecurity strategy this year.

Source :
https://umbrella.cisco.com/blog/ways-to-strengthen-your-cybersecurity-strategy

Ubiquiti UniFi – LED Color Patterns for UniFi Devices

Learn about the different UniFi device status LED color patterns and how to indentify your device’s state based on the LED status.

Status LED patterns

Blue and White status LEDs apply to all our UniFi access points, routers, switches and the UDM (base model) with the exception of the legacy devices: UAP, UAP-LR, UAP-Outdoor5.

Legacy UAPs have Amber and Green LED on the front of the unit. See this section for legacy AP LED patterns.

The animations are for illustrative purposes – the speed of the flashing or strobing patterns below might differ slightly with that of the device.

While the LED patterns below are shown for Access Points, the rest of the UniFi device LED patterns have the same meaning.

Flashing White / Off every 1/2s

The device is initializing and booting up

UAP-AC-1-Initializing.gif

Steady White

The device is awaiting AdoptionUAP-AC-2-Factory-Defaults.gif

Slow flashing Blue (UDM only)

A client device is connected to the UDM via Bluetooth

UDM-BLE.gif

Steady Blue

The device is adopted and is in normal operating mode

(Access Point is broadcasting SSIDs)

UAP-AC-4-Adopted.gif

Strobing White / Off

If this happens, power cycle the Access Point.

If this doesn’t help, please reach out to our support team.

UAP-AC-9-Error-A12.gif

Quickly flashing White / Blue

The device firmware is currently being upgraded – do not interrupt the process!

(UDM will flash only white during an upgrade)

UAP-AC-7-Firmware-Upgrade.gif

Blue and flashing Off every 5s

Access Point has lost network connectivity and is searching for wireless uplink

UAP-AC-5-Isolated.gif

Rapid flashing Blue / Off

The device “Locate” feature was activated in the UniFi Network application

UAP-AC-6-Locating.gif

Flashing White-Blue-Off

The device is in TFTP mode.

To enable this mode:

  • Hold the reset button before applying power
  • Continue to hold the reset button until this LED sequence appears

If this wasn’t intentional, please check if the device’s reset button isn’t jammed (it should click when pushed).

UAP-AC-TFTP.gif

LED Off

The device is offline.

Verify the Power, POE, and Ethernet cables to troubleshoot.

UAP-AC-8-LED-Off.gif

UniFi Bridge to Bridge (UBB)

Aside from the statuses described above, the UBB has two additional ones:

Red with Circulating Blue LED

The 60 GHz link cannot be established or has dropped due to bad weather. If the UBB fails over to 5 GHz, the LED will remain red. When the 60 GHz link is re-established, the LED will turn blue or the custom color you selected in the UniFi Network application.

Note: If the other bridge device is within range and the UBB LED is red, we recommend adjusting the UBB’s position to enhance the signal strength.

Green

If the Alignment Tool enabled in the UniFi Network application, a green LED means the UBB devices are properly aligned.


Note: If the other bridge device is within range and the UBB LED is green and red, we recommend adjusting the UBB’s position until the LED is green.

Legacy Amber and Green LED patterns

Applies to: UAP, UAP-LR, UAP-Outdoor5.

  • Flashing Amber / Off every 1/2s: The AP is initializing and booting up
  • Steady Amber: The AP is awaiting adoption
  • Steady Green: The AP is adopted and is in normal operating mode (AP is broadcasting SSIDs)
  • Strobing Amber / Off: If this happens, power cycle the AP and reach out to our support team if it doesn’t change the LED pattern
  • Quickly flashing Amber / Green: The AP firmware is currently being upgraded – do not interrupt the process!
  • Green and flashing Off every 5s: AP has lost network connectivity and is searching for wireless uplink
  • Rapid flashing Green / Off: The device “Locate” feature was activated in the UniFi Network application
  • Flashing Amber-Green-Off: The device is in TFTP mode. To enable this mode, hold the reset button before applying the power and continue to hold it until this LED sequence appears. If this wasn’t intentional, please check if the device’s reset button isn’t jammed (it should click when pushed).
  • LED Off: The device is offline. Verify the Power, PoE, and Ethernet cables to troubleshoot.

LED patterns for ports

The ports of UniFi Security Gateways and UniFi Switches have a different type, number, and location.

Please make sure to reference your specific device model’s Quick Start Guide (QSG) for the exact location and description of its ports.

Console Port’s right LED (in the applicable devices):

  • LED Off: Power Off
  • LED Green: Power On 

Speed/Link/Act (right LED ports other than Console):

  • LED Off: No Link
  • LED Amber: Link Established at 10/100 Mbps
  • LED Flashing Amber: Link Activity at 10/100 Mbps
  • LED Green: Link Established at 1000 Mbps
  • LED Flashing Green: Link Activity at 1000 Mbps

PoE (left LED on ports of applicable devices):

  • LED Off: No PoE
  • LED Amber: IEEE 802.3af/802.3at
  • LED Green: 24V Passive

SFP (in the applicable devices):

  • LED Off: No Link
  • LED Green: Link Established at 1 Gbps
  • LED Flashing Green: Link activity at 1 Gbps

See specific port LED information in the Hardware Overview section (between pages 5 and 6) of the Quick Start Guides (QSG). You can find the QSGs in the Documentation section of our UniFi Downloads page, by searching for the device in question in the left hand menu.

LED patterns for PoE Adapters

LED is Off: PoE is Off.

LED is On and steady: PoE is functioning as it should.

LED is blinking: this is not a configured state, this may indicate that the device is not connected properly, or that something is wrong with the cable.

How to disable device LEDs

The device status LEDs can be disabled for all the site, or only for specific UniFi devices.

To enable/disable status LEDs throughout a site, go to to Settings > Site on the UniFi Network application and edit the LED feature in the Services section.

To configure specific devices individually:

  1. Go to the Devices section and click on the device you wish to edit to bring up the Properties panel
  2. Go to Config > General > LED and switch the Site Settings to On or Off.

    Source :
    https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/204910134-UniFi-LED-Color-Patterns-for-UniFi-Devices

Ubiquiti UniFi – Cloud Key Emergency Recovery UI

This article describes how to access the emergency recovery user interface (UI) and recover a UniFi Cloud Key or a UniFi Cloud Key Gen 2 (UCK-G2-PLUS and UCK-G2 models). From this recovery UI you can reset it to factory defaults, reboot it, power it off and upgrade the firmware.NOTES & REQUIREMENTS:

  • To upgrade the firmware, you will need to download a firmware file (.bin) for the Cloud Key found in our Downloads page. Use the left hand menu to select the correct Cloud Key model and find the newest firmware available.
  • To access this interface you will need to know the IP address of the Cloud Key (visible in the device screen).

Table of Contents

  1. Cloud Key Gen 2 Emergency Recovery
  2. Cloud Key Gen 1 Emergency Recover
  3. Related Articles

Cloud Key Gen 2 Emergency Recover

For second generation Cloud Keys (UCK-G2 and UCK-G2-PLUS) follow these steps to access the Emergency Recovery UI:

  1. Power off the system.
  2. Press and hold the reset button and then power on the Cloud Key by connecting it to the power source.
    • Cloudkey G2:
    • CloudKey G2 Plus
  3. Keep the reset button pressed for about 10 seconds, or until you see the recovery LED pattern in a loop (blue – off – white). The LCD screen on the front panel will also read “RECOVERY MODE.”
  4. Once the LED is flashing in the recovery mode pattern, open your browser and type the IP address for the Cloud Key, visible on the device’s screen. The IP address comes from your DHCP server, if you can’t access DHCP, the fallback IP will work: 192.168.1.30. However, keep in mind that if your Cloud Key does have a IP address assigned by the DHCP server, the fallback IP will not work.
  5. You should be taken to the Recovery Mode screen. From here you can reset, reboot, power off and most importantly you can upload an updated firmware bin file.
  6. To update the firmware, go to the Downloads page, find the correct Cloud Key model on the left hand menu and then click on the download button, read and accept information, and then download the firmware file to your computer to upload in the Recovery Mode UI. Once it is uploaded you will have to reboot the Cloud Key to complete the firmware upgrade.
  7. The LED will flash white while upgrading and then a steady white when it is ready.

Cloud Key Gen 1 Emergency Recovery

For first generation Cloud Keys follow these steps to access the Emergency Recovery UI:

  1. Power off the system.
  2. Press and hold the reset button and then power on the Cloud Key by connecting it to the power source.reset_copy.png
  3. Keep the reset button pressed for about 10 seconds, or until you see the recovery LED pattern in a loop (blue – off – white).
  4. Once the LED is flashing in the recovery mode pattern, open your browser and type the IP address for the Cloud Key. The IP address comes from your DHCP server, if you can’t access DHCP, the fallback IP will work: 192.168.1.30. However, keep in mind that if your Cloud Key does have a IP address assigned by the DHCP server, the fallback IP will not work. If you are using a Gen 2 Cloud Key you will see its IP address on the device screen.User Tip: If you don’t know your Cloud Key’s IP address, you can use thearp -a SSH command or software such as nmap to find the IP address.
  5. You should be taken to the Recovery Mode screen. From here you can reset, reboot, power off and most importantly you can upload an updated firmware bin file.
  6. To update the firmware, go to the Downloads page, find the correct Cloud Key model on the left hand menu and then click on the download button, read and accept information, and then download the firmware file to your computer to upload in the Recovery Mode UI. Once it is uploaded you will have to reboot the Cloud Key to complete the firmware upgrade.
  7. Once it is uploaded you will have to reboot the Cloud Key to complete the firmware upgrade.
  8. The LED will flash white while upgrading and then a steady white when it is ready.

    Source :
    https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/220334168-UniFi-Cloud-Key-Emergency-Recovery-UI

10 Tips for a Safe and Happy Holiday

They’re not interested in peace on earth, a hippopotamus or their two front teeth. You won’t find them decking the halls, dashing through the snow or even up on the housetop. But that doesn’t mean cybercriminals aren’t out in force this time of year — and they’re relying on you being too wrapped up in your holiday preparations to see them coming.

They’re successful far too often: The last quarter of 2020 saw by far the most ransomware, with attacks in November reaching an all-time high in an already record-breaking year. If 2021 follows suit, this could be the worst holiday season for ransomware SonicWall has ever recorded — but fortunately, there are many things you can do to minimize your risk:

It’s the Most Wander-ful Time of the Year: Travel Tips

Roughly 63% of American adults plan to travel for the holidays this year — a nearly 40% jump over last year, and within 5% of 2019 levels. While it’s easy to become preoccupied by traffic jams, flight delays and severe weather, don’t forget that attackers love to leverage this sort of chaos. Follow these five travel best practices to keep cybercriminals grounded this holiday season.

1. Free Wi-Fi =/= Risk-Free Wi-Fi

When you stop for a coffee during your layover, or stumble into a greasy spoon on hour nine of your road trip back home, you might be tempted to log on to the free Wi-Fi. But unless your organization has implemented zero-trust security, beware. Try bringing a novel and coloring books to keep everyone occupied on the road, and if you must connect, use a VPN to access employer networks and avoid logging in to your bank, email or other sensitive accounts. Because some devices may try to connect to these networks automatically, you may need to disable auto-connect to fully protect against man-in-the-middle and other attacks.

2. Put Your Devices on Lockdown

Due to border restrictions finally beginning to ease in countries such as CanadaAustraliaIndia and South Korea, and the United States, international travel is expected to be robust. In the U.S., roughly 2 million travelers are expected to pass through airports each day over the Christmas holiday. In crowds like this, it’s easy for a device to be misplaced, left behind or stolen. To limit potential damage from smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc. falling into the wrong hands, ensure they’re protected with facial recognition, fingerprint ID or a PIN. (This doesn’t just protect against data theft, it can also help combat regular theft: One study found that locked devices were three times more likely to be returned to their owners.)

3. Don’t Let Criminals Track You

Nearly 43% of Americans and 42% of Brits feel more comfortable traveling this year — but this doesn’t mean they should be comfortable with everyone knowing they’re traveling. Any location data you share on social media can be tempting to those wanting to break into homes or hotel rooms — whether to steal and exfiltrate data, or steal gaming consoles, jewelry, medications or even gifts under the tree.

4. Use Only Your Own Cords/Power Adapters

In our mobile-dependent society, it’s no surprise that cybercriminals have learned how to install malware in airport kiosks, USB charging stations and more. And while that “forgotten” iPhone charge cable might look tempting when your device is running on empty, even those can harbor malware. If you can’t find a secure charging area, ensure your device is powered off before plugging it in.

‘Tis the Season for Giving: Online Safety Tips

Even if you’re not traveling this year, chances are you’re buying gifts. While supply-chain challenges, pandemic considerations and more have made for a unique holiday shopping season, it’s important to put safety first when shopping online. Here are six things to look out for:

1. Holiday Phishing Emails

Perhaps you’ve received an invite to the Jones’ holiday party, a gift card or coupon, or an email from HR with details of an unexpected holiday bonus. If there’s an attachment, exercise extreme caution: It may harbor malware.

2. Spoofed Websites

Unfortunately for your wallet, emails boasting huge discounts at popular retailers are likely bogus. Walmart isn’t offering 70% off, and nobody is selling PlayStations for $100, not even during the holidays. If you enter your info into one of these lookalike retail (or charity) sites, the only thing you’re likely to get is your credentials stolen.

3. Fake Shipping Invoices

You’ve finished your shopping, and your gifts are on their way! But now FedEx is emailing to say your packages may not arrive in time and referring you to updated tracking information. Or your retailer is sending you a shipping label for returns, or verifying your gifts are being sent … to a completely different address. Look closely before you click: These emails usually aren’t from who they say they are.

4. Counterfeit Apps

Is that really the Target app or just a lookalike? Better double-check before you download and enter your payment information. Apple’s App Store and Google Play have safeguards in place to stop counterfeit apps, but some still occasionally get through.

5. Gift Card Scams

These originally took the form of “You’ve won a free gift card! Click here to claim!” In recent years, however, they’ve become more targeted, and may appear to offer gift cards as a bonus from your employer or a holiday gift from a friend. The easiest way to avoid being scammed? If you weren’t expecting a gift card from someone, ask them about it.

6. Santa’s Little Helpers

There are many services designed to send your child a letter from Santa for a small fee. But many times, these so-called “Santas” are really cybercriminals attempting to get you to click on a link and enter your payment information. A recent variation has scammers offering kits designed to take the stress and mess out of your elf’s holiday shenanigans (just move your elf and call it good!)

While the holiday season offers more than its share of scams, many can be put on ice with a little extra due diligence. Keep these holiday best practices in mind, and have a safe and happy holiday!

Source :
https://blog.sonicwall.com/en-us/2021/12/10-tips-for-a-safe-and-happy-holiday/

Ubiquiti UniFi – USG/UDM: Configuring Internet Security Settings

Overview

After reading this article users should gain the knowledge to be able to configure and maintain the IPS/IDS functionality on their UniFi networks. NOTES & REQUIREMENTS:Applicable to the following:

  • UniFi Network version 5.9+
  • UniFi Security Gateway platform firmware 4.4.18+
  • UniFi Dream Machine platform

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Network Diagram
  3. Intrusion Detection and Prevention
    1. Categories
    2. Whitelisting
    3. Signature Suppression 
  4. GeoIP Filtering
  5. DNS Filters 
    1. Filter Levels
  6. Deep Packet Inspection
    1. DPI Restrictions (Layer 7 Filters)
  7. Network Scanners
    1. Internal Honeypot
      1. Honeypot Services
  8. Testing & Verification
  9. Privacy Statement
  10. Related Articles

Introduction

An intrusion prevention system (IPS) is an engine that identifies potentially malicious traffic based on signatures. The signatures contain known traffic patterns or instruction sequences used by malware. This type of signature-based engine can only detect anomalies based on known malicious traffic patterns.

Network Diagram

idsIps.png

Intrusion Detection and Prevention

To enable intrusion detection or intrusion prevention, navigate to the Settings > Security section of the UniFi Network application. ATTENTION:

  • Enabling IDS or IPS will affect the maximum throughput on inter-VLAN and egress traffic.
    • USG: 85 Mbps*
    • USG-Pro: 250 Mbps*
    • USG-XG: 1 Gbps*
  • Enabling Smart Queues or DPI on top of IPS/IDS will also incur a further throughput penalty to maximum throughput.
  • UniFi Dream Machine throughput: 850 Mbps*
  • UniFi Dream Machine Pro: 3.5Gbps*

*Values are rough estimates and can vary depending on configuration.

Threat Management Modes

  • Intrusion Detection System: When set will automatically detect, and alert, but will not block potentially malicious traffic. 
  • Intrusion Prevention System: When set will automatically detect, alert, and block potentially malicious traffic. 

Firewall Restrictions

These restrictions can be found under New Settings > Internet Security > Advanced.

  • Restrict Access to ToR: When enabled will block access to The Onion Router. 
  • Restrict Access to Malicious IP Addresses: When enabled will block access to IP addresses or blocks of addresses that have been recognized as passing malicious traffic. 

System Sensitivity Levels

mceclip3.png

The “system sensitivity levels” are pre-defined levels of security categories that will be loaded into the threat management daemon. Each level increase requires more memory and CPU usage. Additionally the “custom” level is utilized when manually selection categories.

Categories

ATTENTION:

  • Due to the amount of available memory on the USG3 and UDM a limited selection of categories can be enabled.
  • Click below to see a full list of categories.

Categories and Their Definitions

Click Here to Expand the IPS/IDS Categories Section

NOTE:The following configuration can be found in the Advanced tab of Internet Security.

Whitelisting

The Threat Management Allow List function of the IPS engine allows a UniFi Administrator to create a list of trusted IP’s. The traffic, depending on the direction selected, will not get blocked to or from the identified IPs. 

Create a new allow list within Settings > Security > Internet Threat Management > Advanced.

Signature Suppression

The signature suppression function of the IPS engine allows a UniFi Administrator to mute the alerting on certain signatures. This will also disable blocking on traffic matching the designated suppression rule. 

mceclip2.png
  • Adding a signature suppression rule for all traffic will suppress the signature regardless of host IP. 
  • Adding a signature suppression rule with packet tracking based on traffic direction and by single IP, defined UniFi Network, or subnet of choice. 

GeoIP Filtering

NOTE:For GeoIP Filtering to work on the USG, hardware offloading must be enabled. When Threat Management is enabled (under Settings > Internet Security > Threat Management), hardware offloading is disabled. Only one of these two features can be enabled at a time on the USG.

Blocking

Blocking individual countries can be configured on the Threat Management Dashboard section. Blocking is as easy as navigating to the map, clicking on a country, and confirming by clicking “Block”.

mceclip0.png

Unblocking

Unblocking a country can be by performed on the Threat Management Dashboard by navigating to the left side of the map on the Overview tab. A list of blocked countries will be populated. Simply hover over the county that is to be unblocked and an “unblock” option will appear. Select “unblock” and the country will be taken off of the list. 

mceclip1.png

Traffic Direction

UniFi Network allows configuring the GeoIP filtering traffic direction. Follow the steps below:

    1. Navigate to the top of the Threat Management Dashboard and select the direction. Screen_Shot_2019-11-21_at_3.58.16_PM.png

    2. Select the traffic direction.

Screen_Shot_2019-11-21_at_4.00.26_PM.png

    3. Click Done.

DNS Filters

ATTENTION:

  • DNS Filtering is only available on the UniFi Dream Machine. 
  • Clients that use VPN, DNS-over-HTTPS, or DNS-over-TLS will have non-standard DNS requests that will not be seen by the UniFi Dream Machine. 

The DNS Filter feature allows administrators to select levels of filtering per-network. This ensures that any DNS requests that go out from clients on configured LANs adhere to the filtering levels. 

    1. To configure DNS Filters, navigate to New Settings > Internet Security > DNS Filters.

mceclip0.png

    2. Enable DNS Filtering by clicking the slider button.

    3. Select Add Filter.

    4. Choose the desired level of filtering for the LAN. 

    5. Select which network this filter should apply to and confirm the selection. 

    6. DNS filtering will be enabled at this point. 

Filter Levels

Security

Blocks access to phishing, spam, malware, and malicious domains. The database of malicious domains is updated hourly. Note that it does not block adult content.

Adult

Blocks access to all adult, pornographic and explicit sites. It does not block proxy or VPNs, nor mixed-content sites. Sites like Reddit are allowed. Google and Bing are set to the “Safe Mode”. Malicious and Phishing domains are blocked.

Family

Blocks access to all adult, pornographic and explicit sites. It also blocks proxy and VPN domains that are used to bypass the filters. Mixed content sites (like Reddit) are also blocked. Google, Bing, and Youtube are set to the Safe Mode. Malicious and Phishing domains are blocked.

Deep Packet Inspection

To configure Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) navigate to New Settings > Internet Security > Deep Packet Inspection.

mceclip1.png

NOTE: Device fingerprinting is not available on the UniFi Security Gateway.

DPI Restrictions

ATTENTION:DPI restrictions are limited to whole-category selections on the UniFi Security Gateway. This restriction is not applicable to the UniFi Dream Machine platform. 

    1. Click Add Restriction under “Restriction definitions”.

    2. In the configuration side-panel select a restriction group to add the rules to.

    3. Select a category to block. 

    4. Select an application from the category or select “All applications” to block the entire category.

    5. Ensure that “Enable This Restriction” is selected.

    6. Add the restriction group to a network in the “Restriction assignments” section. NOTE:A restriction definition can be applied to many networks. A restriction definition for each network is not required.

To manage the restriction definition, hover over the definition and selection either edit or remove.

mceclip2.png

Configuring Network Scanners

ATTENTION:Network Scanners are only available on the UniFi Dream Machine. 

Internal Honeypot

The “internal honeypot” feature is a passive detection system that listens for LAN clients attempting to gain access to unauthorized services or hosts. Clients that are potentially infected with worm or exfiltration type vulnerabilities are known to scan networks, infect other hosts, and potentially snoop for information on easy-to-access servers. The honeypot will report when hosts attempt to access the honeypot. Reports can be found on the Threat Management Dashboard.

To configure the internal honeypot follow the steps below:

    1. Navigate to Settings > Security > Internet Threat Management > Network Scanners.

settings.security.internet_threat_management.network_scanners.png

    2. Enable the honeypot service by clicking the slider button.

    3. Select “Create Honeypot”.

    4. In  the popup modal select the network and Honeypot IP.

    5. Select “Create”.

Honeypot Services

The honeypot service listens on the following ports:

  • FTP – TCP Port 21
  • SSH – TCP Port 22
  • Telnet – TCP Port 23
  • SMTP – TCP Port 25
  • DNS – UDP Port 53
  • HTTP – TCP Port 80
  • POP3 – TCP Port 110
  • SMB – TCP Port 445
  • MSSQL – TCP Port 1433

Testing & Verification

Intrusion Detection/Prevention

Linux or macOS

Input:

curl -A "BlackSun" www.example.com

Expected alert result:

Threat Management Alert 1: A Network Trojan was Detected. Signature ET USER_AGENTS Suspicious User Agent (BlackSun). From: 192.168.1.172:55693, to:172.217.4.196:80, protocol: TCP

Windows

The DNS category must be enabled

Input:

nslookup blacklistthisdomain.com 8.8.8.8

Expected alert result:

Threat Management Alert 1: A Network Trojan was Detected. Signature ET DNS Reply Sinkhole - 106.187.96.49 blacklistthisdomain.com. From: 192.168.1.1:53, to: 192.168.1.182:61440, protocol: UDP

Internal Honeypot

A few examples of manually testing the internal honeypot service are below. The following commands may or may not prompt for login credentials. The alerts will appear in the Honeypot section of the Threat Management Dashboard a few minutes after attempting the testing.

Telnet:

telnet <honeypot_ip>

SSH:

ssh <honeypot_ip>

NOTE:Replace <honeypot_ip> with the honeypot IP configured in the UniFi Network application.

Privacy Statement

What information does the IPS/IDS engine send to the cloud?

1. When a UniFi Administrator enables IPS or IDS on the UniFi Network application a token is generated for the gateway. The information listed below is sent over a TLS 1.2 encrypted connection whenever there is an IPS/IDS signature match.

timestamp
interface
source IP
source port
destination IP
destination port
protocol
signature id

2. Every 120-seconds there is a keep-alive to the ips1.unifi-ai.com hostname. This connection is to ensure reliable delivery of the violation message. The keep-alive is a connection to our cloud using port 443 so it is not just an ICMP ping or DNS resolution but a complete 3-way handshake and SSL Key exchange.

What information is kept on our servers regarding IPS/IDS?

The data listed above is only temporarily stored in the IPS Cloud until the  UniFi Network application downloads the information. After the information is downloaded by the application, the data is deleted from our cloud except for the attacker IP. The attacker IP information helps Ubiquiti maintain an up-to-date and effective attacker list which will improve Ubiquiti’s services to Ubiquiti customers around the world.

How is the information from alerts used by Ubiquiti?

Ubiquiti will use the alert information to improve its products and services, including generating lists of IP Reputation, Malicious IP addresses, Threat Intelligence and creating blacklists and new signatures for Ubiquiti devices. A sanitized version of IP addresses  (Ex: 200.200.x.x) can also be displayed on Ubiquiti Public Threat Map to help the public community to see malicious traffic around the world.

Source :
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006893234-UniFi-USG-UDM-Configuring-Internet-Security-Settings

Ubiquiti UniFi – Troubleshooting Slow Wi-Fi Speeds

This article will provide suggestions for troubleshooting and resolving issues with slow Wi-Fi speeds on your UniFi network, as well as better understand what Wi-Fi speeds to expect and how to optimize your Wi-Fi configuration. 

Introduction

One of the most common Wi-Fi performance concerns reported is slower than expected Wi-Fi speed. This is due to a number of factors: 

  • Speed issues can result from a wide range of network limitations and problems, many of which have nothing to do with wireless.
  • Declined speed is easy to notice in typical network usage.
  • Internet speed tests are the most widely—and sometimes the only tool used to evaluate/benchmark network performance: and can be inconsistent and inaccurate. 
  • ISPs and hardware vendors market products with peak theoretical performance that differ from real-life usage. 

Measuring Wi-Fi Performance 

When looking at Wi-Fi performance it is important to take a step back and consider how Wi-Fi is supposed to work. Wi-Fi offers the benefit of mobility, scalability, and convenience over wired networks at the expense of maximum throughput and stability. With respect to client performance, modern Wi-Fi is designed to allow clients to enjoy the benefits of not being tethered to a wired network while preventing any visible reduction in performance across its area of coverage.  

Much of the concern about wireless throughput comes from a lack of understanding about how much bandwidth clients actually use. The difference between 300 Mbps and 500 Mbps may seem significant but the difference in performance would likely never be noticed through client use.

Here are estimated requirements of what throughput client devices need to use without declined performance (for more info see here): 

Client Application-specific Bandwidth Requirements

ApplicationPotential Peak ThroughputAvg. Throughput Used
Web Browsing/Email (Light) 1 Mbps.25 Mbps
Web Browsing/Email (Moderate)2 Mbps.5 Mbps
Web Browsing/Email (Heavy) 4 Mbps1 Mbps
Apple Facetime Video Call (HD quality).7 Mbps.7 Mbps
Skype Group Video Call (7+ people)8.5 Mbps8.5 Mbps
Netflix Video Streaming (HD Quality)5 Mbps5 Mbps
Netflix Video Streaming (Ultra HD Quality)25 Mbps25 Mbps

UniFi’s products are designed and tested to ensure they can provide for this typical use for many clients simultaneously. Any Access Point (AP) currently being offered in the UniFi product line offers far greater potential throughput than any client application could realistically require.

If a UniFi Access Point fails to provide the speed that it is capable of, this is most often a result of environmental limitations or other bottlenecks in the deployment. UniFi provides many tools that can help users identify these factors and mitigate them with proper configuration. 

Prerequisites 

The rest of this article assumes that the following prerequisites have been met: 

1. Eliminate any bottlenecks

Before working to improve your Wireless performance, it’s important to identify any bottlenecks outside of your Wireless network. A bottleneck is a point in a network infrastructure that limits performance everywhere else. Often poor Wi-Fi speed is incorrectly assumed to be a result of Wi-Fi hardware/config but actually is the result of a bottleneck upstream from the device. Here are some common examples of bottlenecks: 

  • ISP Plan limits performance/speeds far beneath what Wi-Fi is capable of providing. For example, a plan might have a 100Mb/25Mb down/up bandwidth limit on service. Every UniFi device, including legacy devices, is capable of far exceeding this limit. See the image below. 
  • Far too few APs for the number of clients/coverage requirements.
  • Old/faulty ethernet cables.
  • Outdated LAN hardware.
  • Outdated Wireless hardware.
  • Legacy client devices that don’t support 5GHz.
  • Too much noise on a single channel.

The following is an example of a common network bottleneck: 

bottleneckdiagram.PNG

Diagram illustrating how Wi-Fi speed test results can be limited by ISP 

An easy way to at least rule out any bottleneck is to plug a wired device into the secondary port on an AP and perform the same speed test you are using to test Wi-Fi performance and compare the results to each other. It is normal to see some diminished performance on wireless compared to wired speed tests, but make sure you at least know what your wired network is capable of providing to the AP. 

2. Update your UniFi OS Console and UniFi Access Point (AP) Firmware to Current Version

Ubiquiti’s Firmware updates often include performance improvements: make sure that before testing the performance, you update your UniFi OS Console and your UniFi devices to the most current firmware available.

Common Issues/Steps to Fix

This section examines some of the most common issues that cause diminished speeds on UniFi Networks, as well as the steps that will solve them.

Channel Width

Channel width is the most common cause for poor speed test results after setting up UniFi, especially when being compared to a single wireless router the UniFi devices are replacing. Default UniFi config on 5GHz radio is optimized for large environments (40MHz channel width), while most standalone routers are optimized for use as the only AP in a home/office (80MHz).

To properly test the maximum speed of a UniFi AP, switch to 80 MHz. 80 MHz channels are capable of more than double the peak speed of 40 MHz channels.NOTE: These settings only apply to 5GHz. We do not recommend that channel width be increased from 20 MHz on 2.4GHz as this will often cause worse performance. 

To change AP to use 80MHz channel width, go to Devices > Click on AP to open Properties Panel > Radios RADIO 5G (11N/A/AC), Change Channel Width from VHT40 to VHT80, click Queue Changes, then Apply Changes. 

2018-11-30_21-57-20.gif


Summary: If using a small number of APs, switch 5GHz channel width on APs to 80 MHz for greater peak throughput. In larger environments, note that 40 or 20 MHz channel width is recommended for performance but can limit peak throughput.

Interference/Channel Overlap

The single most potentially negative environmental factor for Wi-Fi performance and stability is wireless interference. Interference can come from external sources like other wireless networks, weather radar, etc. while internal interference can come from devices overlapping with each other on the same channel. 

By default, UniFi Devices are set up with auto channel assignments, but this is something you will want to adjust for your deployment if there are concerns about speed/performance. 

It is recommended that a full site survey be performed for high-density/high-priority Wi-Fi deployments. If that has not been done or the site doesn’t warrant it, the Network application can help you find a better channel assignment for your APs by performing an RF scan. 

To do this, go to Devices > Click on AP to open Properties Panel Tools > RF Environment and click ScanUser Tips:Running an RF Scan will disconnect any wireless clients currently connected to the AP. Do not run during peak hours if this is a concern. Suggested Channel Settings: 2.4GHz:
Channel width: HT20
Chanel: 1/6/11 Choose one of these channels, an RF scan will help you choose the cleanest one.Transmit Power: Medium5GHz:
Channel width: VHT40 
Optional VHT80/VHT160  (It will increase speeds but might cause more interference.)
Chanel: 36/44 | Optional (149/157) 
Choose one of these channels, an RF scan will help you choose the cleanest one. 
Avoid using DFS Channels unless you understand DFS logic.  (DFS Alerts will cause interruptions) 
Transmit Power: Medium (High)You could also modify your DTIM Periods if you have more modern devices on the network.
Settings > Wireless Network > SSID > 802.11 Rate And Beacon Controls
DITM 2G Period: 3
DITM 5G Period: 3

This scan will take 5-10 minutes and will populate the 2.4GHz channels first and then 5 GHz channels will subsequently be updated.

Once your RF scan is finished, select 5G and you’ll see a list of channels arranged by channel width and how much each channel is being utilized. Select a channel that appears to have the least noise on it and assign your AP to this channel.

To do this go to Devices > Click AP to select it and open Properties Panel > Properties > Radios RADIO 5G (11N/A/AC), and choose the desired channel. 

If using multiple APs, make sure that each AP does not share the same channel as a nearby AP, and avoid having channels that are adjacent to each other as this can also cause interference. 

pasted_image_0__1_.png

Summary: Interference/channel overlap can cause performance to decline. To make sure speed test results are not being impacted by interference, make sure APs are assigned to the optimal channel and not sharing or adjacent to the channel of any nearby APs.

Signal Quality

Another factor that can strongly influence Wi-Fi speed is the signal quality between AP and client device. As clients get further away from an access point and the signal gets weaker, to ensure stability/offer the best possible performance, the AP will lower the rate of the data transfer to compensate. 

When testing peak throughput, be sure to be standing close enough to the AP without obstructions and make sure the client signal strength is close to the maximum of 99%. If your client devices consistently have poor signal strength on 5GHz try increasing Transmit Power on 5GHz. 

To increase TX power on 5GHz, go to device configuration > Radios Radio 5G (11N/A/AC), and only select “High” from the dropbox under Transmit PowerNOTE: Increasing transmit power on devices can have undesired effects, especially in a very high density environment. Consider starting on High or Auto and only reducing to Medium as needed on a per-AP basis.

Summary: When testing throughput make sure to consider the signal strength between the device and AP, you can find this under the Clients tab in the Network application. If the range on 5GHz is very low, consider increasing Transmit Power on the AP’s 5GHz radio. 

Inconsistent/Inaccurate Speedtest Methods

Another cause for poor speed test performance is inconsistent or inaccurate data. When comparing across devices, make sure to use the same speed test method as different speed test apps can vary wildly. 

While UniFi does include a speed test, the results are often far lower than reality, especially since UniFi’s available speed test servers are limited and results are very sensitive to the proximity of the speed test server. Try using a popular speed test app or website to test to check your UniFi results. Be sure to test multiple times and do not rely on assumptions or past data to inform your comparison.

If you wish to most accurately assess Wi-Fi speed alone and rule out other factors, try performing an iPerf test between a wired and wireless client/between two wireless clients. iPerf only measures bandwidth between two devices on your network. Note that iPerf can still be limited by the syntax you can use, the number of streams, packet size, etc. so make sure you understand what you’re doing before using iPerf. 

Summary: Speedtest results are often inaccurate. Make sure to use consistent speed test methods when comparing between devices, wired vs. wireless, etc. Confirm/test using multiple platforms. UniFi speed tests are often less accurate than other more popular speed test apps

Client-specific Issues & Limitations

When benchmarking Wi-Fi, it’s important to also compare across devices to ensure that the client itself isn’t limiting performance. Factors like client CPU utilization, network card driver, Wi-Fi specs, software, all can influence speed test results. 

Make sure to test with multiple devices. To truly measure peak throughput you must test a device that matches the capabilities of the UniFi AP. For instance, if you are testing with a device check the manufacturer specifications to see how many streams the 5GHz antenna supports i.e. Apple iPhone 7 is 2×2, UAP-AC-PRO has 3×3 5GHz radio, thus this iPhone will limit peak throughput. 

If a performance issue with Wi-Fi is isolated to one device, or multiple devices running the same software version, this will almost always point to a problem with the device/software. UniFi doesn’t change how it functions for each variety of client device. Try performing a web search to find other users experiencing similar issues with the same device on other vendor products. 

Keep in mind that declined performance on a single device isn’t a sign of a malfunctioning AP. UniFi APs are backwards compatible with older client devices and the fact that devices are able to connect with their older hardware is a sign the AP is working as designed. 

Summary: Test multiple client devices when benchmarking Wi-Fi performance. Client-specific issues are common but are largely unrelated to AP configuration/hardware.

Additional Steps

After reviewing each of the previous steps, if the issue does not appear to be resolved, check out this article for some further suggestions to troubleshoot wireless performance.

If you’d like to get suggestions from other UniFi administrators, feel free to post on our community.

For issues that point to an issue with UniFi devices/software with respect to wireless performance, feel free to reach out to UniFi support. Please note that the UniFi support team is not able to optimize networks for customers and will not be able to assist with performance issues that are cosmetic in nature or do not indicate an actual UniFi performance issue i.e. improving speed test results from 400 Mbps to 600 Mbps.

Source :
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360012947634-UniFi-Troubleshooting-Slow-Wi-Fi-Speeds-

Ubiquiti UniFi Network – Troubleshooting Wireless Uplinks

You can wirelessly adopt access points to your UniFi Network. This allows you to extend your coverage without adding cabling in hard-to-reach areas. When within range of your already-adopted access points, simply connect a new access point to power and it will appear as ready for adoption in the Network application.

General troubleshooting

Wireless UAP does not appear for adoption

1. Verify that the UAP is powering properly and is ready for adoption (steady white LED).

2. Connect it via Ethernet cable to your network and wait for it to appear for adoption. If it still won’t appear while connected, please see our general adoption troubleshooting steps.

3. Update to the current firmware version if an upgrade is available.

4. Once the UAP is adopted and running the newest version available, disconnect it from the wired LAN, and wait a few minutes while it connects wirelessly. After that, you may disconnect it from power to move it to its final position. Once it powers up again, the UniFi Network application will recognize it and start broadcasting the network’s WiFi through your wireless UAP.

The UAP is adopted but it will not work when moved to wireless networks

1. Verify that the UAP is receiving enough power from the PoE injector. The LED must be a steady blue. Take a look at the UAP’s datasheet to verify power requirements.

2. Verify that the Uplink Connectivity Monitor is enabled within Settings > System Settings > Controller Configuration > Uplink Connectivity Monitor.

uplink-connectivity-monitor.png

3. Verify that there is at least one wired UAP to act as an uplink and that Enable Meshing is turned on within the UAP’s properties panel > RF > Enable Meshing. And that the meshing configuration is set to Auto; or if set to Manual, that Downlink is enabled.

manual-meshing.downlink-enabled.png

Wireless uplink requirements

  • At least one wired access point to serve as the uplink UAP
  • A power source (i.e PoE injector) for the wireless UAP (downlink UAP)
  • (Recommended) Newest firmware and Network application versions.

Note: The wireless adoption process takes longer than the wired one; expect to wait a little longer for access point detection and for the adoption process to complete.

Modifying existing wireless uplink connections

You can design the topology to your liking by configuring how the wirelessly connected UAPs are linked. To change a UAP’s uplink:

  1. Select the UAP from the UniFi Devices section to open its properties panel.
  2. Go to the RF tab and select Manual under the Enable Meshing toggle. If the Enable Meshing option is not turned on, do so now to expose the wireless uplink settings.
  3. Select which UAP your wireless UAP will connect to (uplink).

Additionally, you can stipulate the uplink priority to define to which uplink your UAP will connect to if there is service degradation or if its current uplink goes offline. Use the Priority dropdown menus to select from the available uplinks.

pp.rf.manual-meshing.png

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a wireless UAP be the uplink to another wireless UAP?

Yes. This is known as a multi-hop wireless uplink and is supported by UniFi, as long as there is one wired access point to provide the first “hop”. Keep in mind that each wireless uplink will suffer service degradation, so this should only be done when necessary.

Can I connect older UAPs wirelessly?

Yes, you just need to make sure to configure them correctly. Some older UAPs only broadcast on a single band (2.4GHz) and will not work the same as newer models. The following older generation UAPs do support wireless uplink on the band they operate on and do not support multi-hop: UAP, UAP-LR, UAP-PRO, UAP-Outdoor, UAP-Outdoor+, UAP-Outdoor5, UAP-IW.

UAP-AC and UAP-AC-Outdoor do not support wireless uplink or multi-hop.

If you have a UAP that does support wireless uplinking and it is still not working, make sure to take the following into account:

Dual band uplink UAP to dual band downlink UAP: will uplink on 5GHz.
Dual band uplink UAP to single band downlink UAP: will uplink on the supported frequency of the single band model.
Single band uplink UAP to single band downlink UAP: will uplink, as long as the same band is supported on both sides of the link.
Single band (2.4GHz only models) uplink UAP to dual band downlink AP will not be able to uplink.

If you have several wired UAPs, these should have assigned channels that are different and do not overlap with other UAP channels to minimize interference.

  • If using all dual band UAPs
    • Set the wired UAP (uplink UAP) to static on 5GHz and to a static on 2.4GHz (1, 6 or 11 making sure it’s not a band also set for any of the other UAPs). Leave the wireless UAP (downlink UAP) set to Auto on the 5GHz radio and set a static channel on 2.4GHz not shared by others.
  • If using all single band UAPs
    • Set the wired UAP (uplink UAP) to a static channel on 2.4GHz. Leave the wireless UAP (downlink UAP) set to Auto on 2.4GHz. 
  • If using a dual band UAP as the uplink and single band UAP as the downlink
    • Set the wired UAP (uplink) to a static channel on 2.4GHz. Leave the wireless UAP (downlink) set to Auto.

      Source :
      https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002262328-UniFi-Network-Troubleshooting-Wireless-Uplinks

Ubiquiti UniFi – USG/UDM: Port Forwarding Configuration and Troubleshooting

With UniFi Network you can forward UDP and TCP ports to an internal LAN device using the Port Forwarding feature on the Dream Machine (UDM and UDM Pro) and USG models.

Requirements

  • Applicable to the latest firmware on all UDM and USG models.
  • The Port Forwarding feature is designed to only work on WAN1 on the USG models, but it can use both WAN1 and WAN2 on the UDM-Pro.
  • It is necessary to manually configure a Destination NAT (DNAT) + WAN firewall rule(s) to forward ports on the WAN2 interface on the USG models, see the section below.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Do I need to manually create firewall rules for Port Forwarding?Can I forward ports on the WAN2 interface of the UDM/USG?How does the Port Forwarding feature interact with UPnP?Do I need to manually configure Hairpin NAT?Can I limit which remote devices are allowed to use the forwarded ports? My Port Forwarding rule does not work, what should I do?

Configuring a Port Forwarding Rule

1. Navigate to Settings > Advanced Features > Advanced Gateway Settings and create new port forwarding.

2. Fill in the settings:

  • Name: webserver
  • Enable Forward Rule: turn this on when ready to activate this rule
  • Interface: WAN / WAN2 / Both (UDM Pro only)
  • From: Anywhere or Limited
  • Port: 443
  • Forward IP: 192.168.1.10
  • Forward Port: 443
  • Protocol: TCP
  • Logging: Optional
From:The clients on the Internet that are allowed to use the Port Forwarding rule. Set to Anywhere by default, meaning all hosts. It is possible to limit the allowed hosts by specifying an IP address (for example 198.51.100.1) or subnet range (for example 198.51.100.0/24). 
Port:The WAN port that the clients on the Internet connect to, for example 443. This does not need to match the port used on the internal LAN host. You can forward TCP port 10443 to TCP port 443, for example.
Forward IP:The IP address used by the internal LAN host, for example 192.168.1.10.
Forward Port:The port used by the internal LAN host, for example TCP port 443.
port-forwarding.wan.png

3. Apply the changes.

Note: On the USG models, it is necessary to manually configure a Destination NAT (DNAT) + WAN firewall rule to forward ports on the WAN2 interface, see the section below.

4. The firewall rule(s) needed for the new Port Forwarding rule you created are automatically added.

5. You can verify the automatically created rules in the Settings > Security > Internet Threat Management > Firewall > Internet section.

firewall.internet.automatic.rule.png

USG/USG-Pro: Forwarding Ports on WAN2 using Destination NAT

ATTENTION: This is an advanced configuration that requires creating and modifying the config.gateway.json file. See the UniFi – USG/USG-Pro: Advanced Configuration Using JSON article for more information on using the JSON file.

Follow the steps below to forward ports on the WAN2 interface of the USG models. It is necessary to manually create a Destination NAT (DNAT) rule using the Command Line Interface (CLI) and a custom Firewall Rule using the UniFi Network application. Afterwards, the config.gateway.json file needs to be created or updated to incorporate the custom configuration into UniFi Network.

1. Begin by creating a new custom Firewall Rule within  Settings > Security > Internet Threat Management > Firewall > Internet section.

2. Create a new Firewall Port Group by clicking Create New Group.

firewall.internet.png

3. Fill in the information and specify the port that needs to be allowed through the firewall (443 in this example) and apply changes.

  • Name: https
  • Type: Port Group
  • Port: 443
firewall.create-new-group.png

4. Navigate to    Settings > Security > Internet Threat Management > Firewall > Internet and create new rule.

5. Fill in the information, selecting the previously created Port Group and apply changes.

  • General
    • Type: Internet In
    • Description: webserver
    • Enabled: turned on when ready to take this rule live
    • Rule Applied: After (after predefined rules)
    • Action: Accept
    • IPv4 Protocol: TCP
    • Match all protocols except for this: disabled
  • Source: Optional
  • Destination
    • Destination Type: Address/Port Group
    • IPv4 Address Group: Any
    • Port Group: https (select from any previously created firewall port groups)
  • Advanced: Optional
firewall.create-new-rule.png

6. The next step is to access the USG using the Command Line Interface (CLI) and add a custom Destination NAT (DNAT) rule. SSH access to your devices must be enabled within    Settings > System Settings > Controller Configuration > Device SSH Authentication.

7. Connect to the USG via SSH.SSH using WindowsSSH using macOS

8. Verify that the WAN2 interface is UP and that it is assigned an IP address by running the following command: 

show interfaces ; sudo ipset list ADDRv4_eth2

Click to copy

unifiadmin@usg:~$ show interfaces 
Codes: S - State, L - Link, u - Up, D - Down, A - Admin Down
Interface    IP Address                        S/L  Description                 
---------    ----------                        ---  -----------                 
eth0         203.0.113.1/24                    u/u  WAN                         
eth1         192.168.1.1/24                    u/u  LAN                         
eth2         192.0.2.1/24                      u/u  WAN2                           
lo           127.0.0.1/8                       u/u                              
             ::1/128                          
unifiadmin@usg:~$ sudo ipset list ADDRv4_eth2
Name: ADDRv4_eth2
Type: hash:net
Revision: 3
Header: family inet hashsize 1024 maxelem 65536
Size in memory: 16792
References: 1
Members:
192.0.2.1

NOTE: The ADDRv4_eth2 is a special address group that automatically uses the IP address that is assigned to the eth2 interface. On the USG-Pro, the WAN2 interface uses eth3 instead and thus the address group will be ADDRv4_eth3.

9. Enter configuration mode by typing configure and hitting enter.

10. Add the Destination NAT rule for the WAN2 interface of the USG/USG-Pro (replace eth2 with eth3 for the USG-Pro):

set service nat rule 4001 description 'webserver'
set service nat rule 4001 destination group address-group ADDRv4_eth2
set service nat rule 4001 destination port 443
set service nat rule 4001 inbound-interface eth2
set service nat rule 4001 inside-address address 192.168.1.10
set service nat rule 4001 inside-address port 443
set service nat rule 4001 protocol tcp
set service nat rule 4001 type destination

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11. Commit the changes and exit back to operational mode by typing commit ; exit and hitting enter.

This is an example of the process:

custom-dnat-rule.gif

12. Use the mca-ctrl -t dump-cfg command to display the entire config in JSON format:

mca-ctrl -t dump-cfg

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13. The Destination NAT section of the configuration in JSON format can then be used in the config.gateway.json file.

{
       "service": {
                "nat": {
                        "rule": {
                                "4001": {
                                        "description": "webserver",
                                        "destination": {
                                                "group": {
                                                        "address-group": "ADDRv4_eth2"
                                                },
                                                "port": "443"
                                        },
                                        "inbound-interface": "eth2",
                                        "inside-address": {
                                                "address": "192.168.1.10",
                                                "port": "443"
                                        },
                                        "protocol": "tcp",
                                        "type": "destination"
                                }
                        }
                }
       }
}

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14. See the UniFi – USG/USG-Pro: Advanced Configuration Using JSON article for more information on how to create and modify the config.gateway.json file.

Troubleshooting Port Forwarding Issues

Refer to the troubleshooting steps below if the Port Forwarding or custom Destination NAT rule is not working. Either of the following options can be the cause:   Possible Cause #1 – The USG/UDM is located behind NAT and does not have a public IP address.   Possible Cause #2 – The UDM/USG is already forwarding the port to another device or has UPnP enabled.   Possible Cause #3 – The traffic from the Internet clients is not reaching the WAN interface of the UDM/USG.  Possible Cause #4 – The LAN host is not allowing the port through the local firewall or does not have the correct route configured. 

Source :
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/235723207-UniFi-USG-UDM-Port-Forwarding-Configuration-and-Troubleshooting

Ubiquiti UniFi – Layer 3 Adoption for Remote UniFi Network Applications

Layer 3 adoption is the process of adopting a UniFi device to a remote UniFi Network application.

You might use Layer 3 adoption for applications located in the cloud (e.g. on Amazon EC2) or NOC.

For regular device adoption, see UniFi – Device adoption.

Overview

In many deployments where it’s not possible to have the UniFi Network host running on-premise, you can run the UniFi Network application in the Cloud or your NOC. For example, for a large-scale project with many devices there are a few possible methods for the adoption of devices:

  • Take a laptop to the device’s site to perform adoption via Chrome browser (easiest method).
  • When you’re at the site, open a browser and navigate to Cloud: either the UniFi Remote Access Portal or the UniFi Network application (when launched using Cloud).
  • Create a virtual application instance on Amazon EC2.
  • Either configure the DHCP server or DNS server.

Initial setup

Please make sure you’re familiar with how a regular L2 adoption on UniFi works (where the devices and UniFi Network application are on the same network) before attempting L3 (remote) adoption. Also, remember that in order to adopt, the following conditions must be true in order to have internet access and also have access to the router from within the network (locally):

1. WAN port connected to the Internet.
2. LAN port connected locally to access management features on the router (USG or third party).

UniFi APs have a default inform URL http://unifi:8080/inform. Thus, the purpose of using DHCP option 43 or DNS is to allow the AP to know the IP of the UniFi Network application host.

If you encounter discovery issues please use the UniFi – Troubleshooting Device Adoption article to help you troubleshoot the issue.

After installing the Discovery tool plugin (freely available in Chrome Web Store) on a computer running Chrome browser, any locally-available, unmanaged UniFi Devices (i.e., same L2 network as your computer) will appear as “Pending Adoption” in the UniFi Cloud Access Portal as well as your UniFi Network application itself (in the Devices section in both cases). To access the application remotely Remote Access will have to be enabled.

Via UniFi OS

1. Go to https://unifi.ui.com and login with your Ubiquiti SSO credentials.

2. Navigate to the Devices section.

3. The device to be adopted will appear as ready to be adopted. Click Adopt.

unifi-devices.wireless.adoption.png

Via the UniFi Remote Access Portal

1. Go to https://network.unifi.ui.com/ and log in with your Ubiquiti SSO credentials.

2. Go to the Devices section and locate the model with the Pending Adoption status. Click ADOPT.

3. In the Adopt window that will appear, select the UniFi Network host and the site that will be adopting the device (for multi-site hosts) and click Adopt.

Via the UniFi Network application

1. Launch UniFi Network, go to the Devices section, find the device that is to be adopted with the status “Pending Adoption” and click Adopt under Actions.

DNS

You’ll need to configure your DNS server to resolve ‘unifi’ to your UniFi Network host’s IP address. Make sure that the device can resolve the UniFi Network domain name. For example, if you are setting http://XYZ:8080/inform, then ping from the device to determine if XYZ is resolvable/reachable. Or you may also use FQDN for the application inform URL: http://FQDN:8080/inform

Troubleshooting: Device (with static IP) fails to connect to the L3 UniFi Network application

  • When configuring a device from DHCP to static in the UniFi Network application, make sure you have put the IP of DNS. If not, then the device cannot contact DNS to resolve UniFi Network’s domain name.
  • If the device has been reset, make sure that you have “informed” the device twice (using the Discovery Utility) about the UniFi Network application’s location. See steps in the section above.

DHCP Option 43

If using Ubiquiti’s EdgeMAX routers, then DHCP option 43 can be done by just entering the IP address of the UniFi Network host in the “unifi” field on the DHCP-server.NOTE: The UniFi Security Gateway (USG) will not use DHCP option 43 to add the UniFi Network application location when obtaining a DHCP lease on the WAN interface.

To use DHCP option 43 you’ll need to configure your DHCP Server. We provide some third party examples below, but please refer to the manufacturer’s support documentation for up to date instructions. For example:

Linux’s ISC DHCP server: dhcpd.conf

# ...
option space ubnt;
option ubnt.unifi-address code 1 = ip-address;

class "ubnt" {
        match if substring (option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 4) = "ubnt";
        option vendor-class-identifier "ubnt";
        vendor-option-space ubnt;
}

subnet 10.10.10.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
        range 10.10.10.100 10.10.10.160;
        option ubnt.unifi-address 201.10.7.31;  ### UniFi Network host IP ###
        option routers 10.10.10.2;
        option broadcast-address 10.10.10.255;
        option domain-name-servers 168.95.1.1, 8.8.8.8;
        # ...
}

Cisco CLI

# assuming your UniFi is at 192.168.3.10
ip dhcp pool <pool name>
network <ip network> <netmask>
default-router <default-router IP address>
dns-server <dns server IP address>
option 43 hex 0104C0A8030A # 192.168.3.10 -> CO A8 03 0A

# Why 0104C0A8030A ?
#
# 01: suboption
# 04: length of the payload (must be 4)
# C0A8030A: 192.168.3.10

Mikrotik CLI

/ip dhcp-server option add code=43 name=unifi value=0x0104C0A8030A
/ip dhcp-server network set 0 dhcp-option=unifi

# Why 0104C0A8030A ?
#
# 01: suboption
# 04: length of the payload (must be 4)
# C0A8030A: 192.168.3.10

User Tip: Find more DHCP Option 43 instructions in the User Notes & Tips section.

SSH

If you can SSH into the device, it’s possible to do L3 adoption via CLI command:

1. Make sure the device is running updated firmware. See this guide: UniFi – Changing the Firmware of a UniFi Device.

2. Make sure the device is in the factory default state. If it’s not, run the following command:

sudo syswrapper.sh restore-default

3. SSH into the device and type the following and hit enter, substituting “ip-of-host” with the IP address of the host of the UniFi Network application:

set-inform http://ip-of-host:8080/inform

4. After issuing the set-inform, the UniFi device will show up for adoption in the Devices section of UniFi Network. Once you click Adopt, the device will appear to go offline or have the status of “Adopting” then proceed to “Provision” and “Connected”.

Source :
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/204909754-UniFi-Layer-3-Adoption-for-Remote-UniFi-Network-Applications