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Palo Alto NGFW lab 6 of 30

Security policy fundamentals

Write the depot's first real rulebase: address objects, groups and tags; allow rules built on App-ID with application-default; a deny rule placed above the allow; logging on the default rules; shadowed rules; and the tools to prove which rule matches: test security-policy-match, the session table, traffic logs and rule hit counts.

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 06 - Security policy fundamentals

Try it free for 30 minutesRun it on Lite from £3 a day

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Level
Beginner
Time
About 50 minutes
Nodes need
5 vCPU, 7,680 MB
Smallest plan
Lite

The scenario

The depot firewall routes between its zones (lab 04), and an outbound NAT rule is already in place so users can reach the internet once policy allows it (you'll build NAT yourself in lab 07). Right now no security rule exists, so every interzone flow hits interzone-default and is denied. Calder's policy, agreed with the depot manager, is:

  1. Depot users may browse the intranet on web01 (web, HTTPS, ping).
  2. Only the admin workstation (Client-PC, 10.1.1.10) may SSH to the DMZ servers.
  3. Depot users may browse the internet (web, HTTPS, DNS, ping).
  4. Nobody may SSH out to the internet.
  5. Everything else is denied, and logged.

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

  • Create address objects, an address group and tags
  • Write allow and deny rules between zones with App-ID and application-default
  • Order rules correctly and recognise a shadowed rule at commit
  • Override the interzone default rule to log denied traffic
  • Prove the matching rule with test security-policy-match, sessions, traffic logs and hit counts

The tasks

  1. Objects and tags
  2. Write the rules in the right order
  3. Log what the default rules deny
  4. A shadowed rule
  5. Prove which rule matches

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 Security policy fundamentals4 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 Security policy fundamentals, 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 06 - Security policy fundamentals 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.