Implementing robust IoT security is essential to protect network-connected devices from vulnerabilities and threats. This guide outlines best practices for planning, deploying, and monitoring IoT security using Palo Alto Networks' solutions.
📋 Planning Your IoT Security Deployment
Set Clear Goals:
Define what you aim to achieve, such as gaining visibility into IoT assets and protecting them from attacks.
Assign Responsibilities:
Determine who will handle risk assessments, access controls, and device patching.
Foster Collaboration:
Encourage cooperation between IT infrastructure and security teams to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Strategic Firewall Placement:
Position firewalls to monitor IoT device traffic, especially DHCP traffic, to map IP addresses to MAC addresses effectively.
Phased Deployment:
Consider rolling out IoT security in phases, especially in large networks, to manage complexity.
Define Policy Granularity:
Decide on the level of detail for security policies, grouping devices by attributes like category, vendor, or OS version.
🚀 Deploying IoT Security Effectively
Inventory Assessment:
Allow new devices default network access to observe behavior and enable identification by IoT Security.
Enable Comprehensive Logging:
Activate Enhanced Application Logs (EALs) and ensure log forwarding to the logging service for analysis.
Provision IoT Security Tenant:
Set up an IoT Security cloud tenant to begin data analysis and device identification.
Allow Time for Baseline Establishment:
Allocate approximately one week for IoT Security to gather sufficient data to establish a stable device inventory.
Prioritize Critical Devices:
Identify mission-critical IoT devices and ensure they have high-confidence identification for accurate policy enforcement.
Extend Protection:
Continuously assess and protect all IoT devices, ensuring comprehensive network coverage.
Implement Zero Trust:
Use IoT Security to enforce a zero-trust policy, identifying and protecting critical assets.
Enable Alerts and Reports:
Configure email notifications for security alerts and schedule weekly risk reports to stay informed.
🔍 Monitoring and Maintaining IoT Security
Daily Tasks
Review Security Alerts:
Check for new alerts via email or the IoT Security portal and respond promptly.
Monitor System Alerts:
Ensure all firewalls are connected to IoT Security to maintain continuous monitoring.
Validate New Devices:
Confirm that newly discovered devices are authorized and compliant with network policies.
Weekly Tasks
Analyze Log Volumes:
Look for unusual changes in log volumes that might indicate network issues.
Track High-Value Devices:
Monitor the activity of critical devices and investigate any unexpected inactivity.
Review Risk Reports:
Assess weekly risk reports to identify new threats and track remediation efforts.
Verify Device Mappings:
Ensure firewalls are receiving up-to-date IP address-to-device mappings from IoT Security.
Monthly Tasks
Assess Network Expansion:
Identify new network segments and deploy additional firewalls as needed for coverage.
Audit User Activities:
Review audit logs for any unusual user activities or configuration changes.
🛠️ Configuring Firewalls to Build the Device-ID™ Database
To effectively utilize Device-ID™ for IoT security, Palo Alto Networks firewalls must be properly configured to collect and analyze device information. This involves several key steps to ensure accurate device identification and policy enforcement.
1. Enable Enhanced Application Logging (EAL)
Enhanced Application Logs (EALs) provide detailed information about network traffic, which is essential for identifying and classifying devices.
Navigate to
Device > Log Settings
and enable EALs.
Create a Log Forwarding profile to send EALs to the logging service.
Apply this profile to relevant Security policy rules to ensure logs are generated for the desired traffic.
2. Observe DHCP Traffic
Monitoring DHCP traffic is crucial for mapping IP addresses to MAC addresses, aiding in device identification.
If the firewall is a DHCP server, enable DHCP logging and ensure EALs are generated for DHCP sessions.
If the firewall is not a DHCP server:
Configure the firewall as a DHCP relay agent to observe DHCP requests and responses.
Alternatively, deploy a virtual wire or tap interface to monitor DHCP traffic between clients and the DHCP server.
3. Enable Device Identification on Zones
Device-ID™ must be enabled on the firewall zones where device traffic is observed.
Go to
Network > Zones
and select the desired zone.
Check the
Enable Device Identification
option.
Repeat for all internal zones where device identification is required.
4. Configure Service Routes for IoT Security Communication
Ensure the firewall can communicate with IoT Security services to send logs and receive policy recommendations.
Navigate to
Device > Setup > Services > Service Route Configuration
.
Customize service routes for:
Data Services
: For forwarding EALs to the logging service.
IoT
: For retrieving device mappings and policy recommendations.
Palo Alto Networks Services
: For other necessary communications.
Select appropriate source interfaces and addresses for each service route.
5. Apply Security Policy Rules to Allow Necessary Applications
Define Security policy rules to permit applications required for Device-ID™ and IoT Security operations.
Create rules allowing applications such as:
paloalto-iot-security
: For IoT Security communications.
paloalto-logging-service
: For log forwarding.
paloalto-updates
: For retrieving device dictionary updates.
Ensure these rules are applied to the correct source and destination zones and addresses.
6. Commit Configuration Changes
After completing the above configurations, commit the changes to apply them to the firewall.
7. Verify Device-ID™ Operation
Confirm that Device-ID™ is functioning as expected.
Check that EALs are being generated and forwarded to the logging service.
Ensure that devices are being identified and classified in the IoT Security portal.
Review policy rule recommendations and import them into the firewall as needed.
By following these steps, your firewall will be equipped to build and maintain an accurate Device-ID™ database, enhancing your network's IoT security posture.
Enhanced Application Logging (EAL) provides detailed network activity data essential for Palo Alto Networks applications like IoT Security and Cortex XDR. To enable EAL, follow these steps:
1. Enable EAL Globally
Navigate to
Device > Setup > Management > Cloud Logging
and edit the Cloud Logging Settings to enable Enhanced Application Logging.
2. Create or Modify a Log Forwarding Profile
Go to
Objects > Log Forwarding
and add or edit a profile. In the profile settings, enable Enhanced Application Logging by checking the appropriate option.
3. Apply the Log Forwarding Profile to Security Policy Rules
Under
Policies > Security
, edit the desired security policy rules. In the
Actions
tab, set the Log Forwarding profile to the one configured with EAL.
After completing these steps, commit the configuration changes to activate Enhanced Application Logging.
📡 Understanding Firewall Log Forwarding and Device Identification in IoT Security
To effectively identify and manage IoT devices within your network, Palo Alto Networks' IoT Security solution relies on detailed log data collected by Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs). This section explains how firewalls forward logs to the appropriate services and how these logs are utilized for device identification.
🔄 Log Forwarding Process
Firewalls generate Enhanced Application Logs (EALs) that contain metadata about network traffic, including application usage and session details. These logs are forwarded to the Palo Alto Networks cloud-based logging service. Depending on your IoT Security subscription type, the logs are handled as follows:
IoT Security Subscription:
Logs are streamed to both the IoT Security application and the Strata Logging Service (also known as Cortex Data Lake) for storage and analysis.
IoT Security – Doesn't Require Data Lake (DRDL) Subscription:
Logs are streamed solely to the IoT Security application without being stored in the Strata Logging Service.
This log forwarding setup enables the IoT Security application to access the necessary data for device identification and policy recommendation.
🧠 Device Identification Mechanism
Once the IoT Security application receives the EALs, it employs advanced machine learning algorithms to analyze the network behavior of devices. The identification process involves:
Behavioral Analysis:
Examining traffic patterns, application usage, and communication behaviors to establish a baseline for each device.
Attribute Extraction:
Determining device characteristics such as type, vendor, model, operating system, and OS version.
Device Profiling:
Creating a comprehensive profile for each device, which is then used to generate policy recommendations and enforce security measures.
This continuous analysis ensures that the IoT Security application maintains an up-to-date inventory of devices and their associated risk profiles.
⚙️ Configuring Firewalls for Effective Log Forwarding
To facilitate accurate device identification, ensure that your firewalls are configured to:
Set Up Log Forwarding Profiles:
Create and apply log forwarding profiles to relevant security policy rules to direct logs to the appropriate services.
Configure Service Routes:
Establish service routes that allow the firewall to communicate with the logging service and IoT Security application.
Enable Device Identification on Zones:
Activate Device-ID™ on internal zones where IoT devices are present to allow for accurate mapping and policy enforcement.
Proper configuration ensures that the IoT Security application receives the necessary data to accurately identify devices and provide effective security recommendations.
🔐 Enhancing Vulnerability Protection with IoT Device Identification
Integrating Palo Alto Networks' IoT Security with Device-ID™ significantly strengthens your network's vulnerability protection. By accurately identifying and profiling IoT devices, the system enables the creation of precise security policies that address specific vulnerabilities associated with each device type.
🧠 Device Identification and Profiling
IoT Security employs machine learning to analyze network behaviors, allowing it to:
Classify Devices:
Determine the device type, vendor, model, and operating system.
Assess Risk:
Identify known vulnerabilities (e.g., CVEs) associated with each device.
Monitor Behavior:
Establish baseline behaviors to detect anomalies.
This detailed profiling is crucial for understanding the potential risks each device poses to the network.
🛡️ Automated Security Policy Recommendations
Based on the device profiles, IoT Security automatically generates security policy recommendations that can be imported into your Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs). These policies are tailored to:
Allow Legitimate Traffic:
Permit normal device communications essential for functionality.
Restrict Unusual Behavior:
Block or alert on traffic patterns that deviate from the established baseline.
Apply Specific Protections:
Enforce vulnerability protection profiles that address known weaknesses of the device.
By implementing these recommendations, you ensure that each device operates within its intended parameters, reducing the attack surface.
🔄 Continuous Monitoring and Policy Updates
IoT Security continuously monitors device behaviors and updates profiles as new information becomes available. This ongoing analysis allows for:
Dynamic Policy Adjustments:
Security policies can be updated to reflect changes in device behavior or newly discovered vulnerabilities.
Real-Time Threat Detection:
Immediate identification and response to anomalous activities.
Improved Incident Response:
Detailed device information aids in swift remediation efforts.
This adaptive approach ensures that your network remains protected against evolving threats.
