Custom Configuration of Security Profiles and Security Profile Groups

Understanding Security Profiles

Security Profiles in Palo Alto Networks firewalls are sets of rules that define how to inspect and handle various types of traffic. They are applied to security policy rules to provide content inspection and threat prevention for allowed traffic. Key types of Security Profiles include:

• Antivirus: Detects and blocks viruses, worms, and trojans.
• Anti-Spyware: Identifies and blocks spyware and command-and-control traffic.
• Vulnerability Protection: Shields against exploits and protocol anomalies.
• URL Filtering: Controls access to websites based on categories.
• File Blocking: Prevents the transfer of specified file types.
• WildFire Analysis: Detects unknown malware by analyzing files in a sandbox environment.
• Data Filtering: Protects sensitive data by identifying and controlling its transmission.

Reference: Security Profiles - Palo Alto Networks

Creating and Customizing Security Profiles

To create or customize Security Profiles:

1. Navigate to Objects > Security Profiles and select the desired profile type.
2. Click Add to create a new profile or select an existing one to modify.
3. Configure the settings according to your organization's security requirements.
4. Click OK to save the profile.

It's advisable to clone existing profiles and adjust them to maintain consistency and ease of management.

Reference: How to Create Data Center Best Practice Security Profiles

Understanding Security Profile Groups

Security Profile Groups are collections of individual Security Profiles that can be applied collectively to security policy rules. This approach simplifies policy management and ensures consistent application of security measures.

Reference: Security Profile Groups - Palo Alto Networks

Creating a Security Profile Group

To create a Security Profile Group:

1. Navigate to Objects > Security Profile Groups and click Add .
2. Enter a descriptive Name for the group.
3. Select the desired Security Profiles to include in the group.
4. Click OK to save the group.

Note: Naming a group as default will automatically attach it to new security policy rules.

Reference: Create a Security Profile Group

Applying Security Profile Groups to Security Policies

To apply a Security Profile Group to a security policy rule:

1. Navigate to Policies > Security and add or edit a rule.
2. In the Actions tab, set Profile Type to Group .
3. Select the desired Group Profile from the drop-down menu.
4. Click OK to save the policy rule.

Reference: Create a Security Profile Group

Best Practices

• Apply Security Profiles or Profile Groups to all allow rules to ensure comprehensive threat inspection.
• Regularly review and update Security Profiles to adapt to evolving threats.
• Utilize the default Security Profile Group feature to streamline policy creation.
• Customize profiles based on specific network segments or user groups for granular control.

Reference: Set Up or Override a Default Security Profile Group