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Palo Alto NGFW lab 8 of 30

App-ID: from port-based to application-based policy

Watch App-ID identify real traffic behind a legacy port-based rule: web, TLS, FTP, SSH on a standard and a non-standard port, and an unknown home-grown protocol. Then use Policy Optimizer to turn the port rule into application rules with application-default, and work with dependencies, application filters and groups.

Run this lab

It needs Lite: its 4 nodes are set to 5 vCPU and 7,680 MB in total. That fits the free demo too.

In your workspace: Shared, then Palo Alto NGFW PAN-OS 11 guided labs, then 08 - App-ID - from port-based to application-based policy

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Level
Intermediate
Time
About 55 minutes
Nodes need
5 vCPU, 7,680 MB
Smallest plan
Lite

The scenario

When Calder replaced its old firewall, the migration team copied its port-based rules across. Legacy-DMZ-Ports lets depot users reach web01 on ports 80, 443, 21, 22, 2222 and 7777 with application any. Nobody knows what actually runs on those ports. Your job is to find out, then replace the rule with application-based rules that allow only what the business needs:

  • web and HTTPS for everyone (already allowed by Allow-Intranet);
  • FTP and SSH for everyone, on their standard ports only;
  • the home-grown Calder Track service, which comes in lab 09.

Before you start. Start all the nodes. The firewall takes 6-8 minutes to boot and comes up with this lab's starting configuration already loaded. Wait until the FW1 console shows FW1 login:, then log in as admin / Lab-Access-1. Until the management plane is ready it answers Login incorrect, even with the right password. The Linux hosts are ready within seconds.

What you’ll practise

  • Explain how App-ID identifies applications and what incomplete, insufficient-data and unknown-tcp mean
  • Read the application of each session and traffic log entry
  • Use Policy Optimizer to convert a port-based rule into App-ID rules
  • Use application-default to stop applications on non-standard ports
  • Work with application dependencies, application filters and application groups

The tasks

  1. Generate traffic through the legacy rule
  2. See what App-ID found
  3. Replace the port rule with Policy Optimizer
  4. Dependencies, filters and groups
  5. Look inside an application

The Lab Tasks pane has the scenario, these tasks, the checks to run, hints and the full solution.

Topology and devices

The network as it opens in EVE-NG, drawn from the lab’s own canvas, and the image each node runs.

Topology of App-ID - from port-based to application-based policy4 nodes and 3 networks, 7 links. Every link is listed as text below the diagram.FW1Client-PCweb01InternetInsideOutsideDMZeth0ethernet1/3eth0mgmtethernet1/2eth0ethernet1/1
4 nodes and 3 networks, with the interface names each link uses. On a narrow screen, scroll the diagram sideways.
Every link, as text
  • FW1 mgmt to Inside (network)
  • FW1 ethernet1/1 to Outside (network)
  • FW1 ethernet1/2 to Inside (network)
  • FW1 ethernet1/3 to DMZ (network)
  • Client-PC eth0 to Inside (network)
  • web01 eth0 to DMZ (network)
  • Internet eth0 to Outside (network)
Nodes in App-ID: from port-based to application-based policy, with the image each runs and the vCPU and RAM it’s set to
NodeDeviceImage in Add NodeSet to
FW1Palo Alto Networks VM-Series (PAN-OS)paloalto-11.2.52 vCPU, 5,632 MB
Client-PCEVE-NG GUI server (Docker)eve-gui-server:latest1 vCPU, 1,024 MB
web01EVE-NG GUI server (Docker)eve-gui-server:latest1 vCPU, 512 MB
InternetEVE-NG GUI server (Docker)eve-gui-server:latest1 vCPU, 512 MB

How to open this lab

  1. Sign in to your workspace at lab.cloudlabbox.com.

  2. In File Manager, open Shared, then the folder Palo Alto NGFW PAN-OS 11 guided labs.

  3. Open 08 - App-ID - from port-based to application-based policy and start its nodes, then open Lab Tasks for the scenario and the steps.

The lab is read-only. You can start the nodes and configure the devices, but changes to the topology can’t be saved. To change it, rebuild it in your own folder.

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CloudLabBox is independent of Palo Alto Networks and Cisco. The lab follows exam topics and isn’t vendor training material; vendor names identify the exams and the images in the workspace.