Palo Alto Networks App-ID Deep Dive

Introduction: The Power of App-ID

One of the core strengths of Palo Alto Networks firewalls is App-ID, the technology used for application identification. Unlike traditional firewalls that rely solely on port and protocol (Layer 4) information, App-ID uses multiple identification techniques (including signatures, heuristics, protocol decoding, and decryption) to identify applications at Layer 7, regardless of the port they use, whether they hop ports, use non-standard ports, or are hidden within SSL/TLS encryption (requires decryption).

Leveraging App-ID within Security Policy rules is fundamental to implementing a true Next-Generation Firewall strategy, enabling granular control, reducing the attack surface, and allowing other security features like Threat Prevention and QoS to function effectively based on the actual application.

This guide focuses specifically on how to configure and use App-ID as a matching criterion within Security Policy rules (PCNSE Objective 3.1.1).

App-ID Basics: How Applications Are Identified

Palo Alto Networks firewalls employ a systematic process to identify applications:

Signature Matching: The firewall first tries to identify the application based on known patterns in the traffic flow, similar to how intrusion prevention systems work. This is often the quickest and most accurate method for well-known applications.
Protocol Decoding: The firewall decodes the application-layer protocol (e.g., HTTP, FTP, DNS, SMB). This identifies the base protocol, which can then provide context for further analysis or identify simple applications.
Heuristics: For evasive or custom applications, heuristics are used. These are behavioral analysis techniques that look at traffic patterns, transaction characteristics, or other clues within the session to determine the application.
Decryption: If the traffic is encrypted (SSL/TLS), the firewall can decrypt it (if configured to do so) to reveal the cleartext application traffic within. Once decrypted, steps 1-3 can be applied to the inner traffic. The outer encrypted traffic is initially identified as 'ssl'.

This multi-pass approach ensures that applications are identified accurately, even if they try to evade traditional port-based detection.

Simplified App-ID Identification Flow

App-ID Basics: Why Use App-ID in Security Rules?

Using App-ID instead of or in conjunction with traditional port/protocol matching offers significant advantages:

Accurate Identification: Ensures policy decisions are based on the actual application, not just the port (which can be easily spoofed or misused).
Reduced Attack Surface: By explicitly allowing only sanctioned applications on their standard ports (using application-default ), you block potentially malicious or unwanted traffic trying to use common ports like 80 or 443.
Granular Control: Allows you to create policies for specific applications (e.g., allow facebook-base but block facebook-apps or facebook-chat ).
Enable Threat Prevention: Accurate App-ID is often a prerequisite for effective threat signatures (Antivirus, Anti-Spyware, Vulnerability Protection) which are application-specific.
Enable QoS by Application: Allows bandwidth management based on the identified application.
Improved Logging and Visibility: Logs show the actual application, providing much better insights into network activity than port-based logs.

     PCNSE/PCNSA exams heavily test understanding of why App-ID is superior to port-based policy and its role in enabling other security features.
    

Policy Configuration: Methods for Selecting Applications

App-ID is configured within the Security Policy rule definition (Policies > Security). You have several ways to specify applications in a rule:

Specific Applications:
You can browse or search for and add individual App-IDs.

Examples: ssl , web-browsing , dns , microsoft-teams-base , youtube-base , bitorrent .

Use Case: For explicitly allowing or blocking known, specific applications.

Example Rule Segment (Conceptual)

Rule Name: Allow_Teams_Core
Source Zone: Trust
Destination Zone: Untrust
Application: [ Add: microsoft-teams-base , microsoft-teams-audio-video ]
Service: application-default
Action: Allow
Application Groups:
These are custom objects (Objects > Application Groups) where you manually group multiple related App-IDs together.

Example: Create a group called "Approved-Web-Tools" containing App-IDs for salesforce , workday , office366-web .

Use Case: Simplifies policy creation and management by allowing you to reference a logical group instead of numerous individual App-IDs. Makes policies easier to read and update.

Example Rule Segment (Conceptual)

Rule Name: Allow_Approved_Web_Tools
Source Zone: Trust
Destination Zone: Untrust
Application: [ Add: Approved-Web-Tools ] # Reference the custom group
Service: application-default
Action: Allow
Application Filters:
These are dynamic groups based on application characteristics defined by Palo Alto Networks (Objects > Application Filters).

Criteria: You can filter based on Category (e.g., collaboration , social-networking ), Subcategory, Technology ( browser-based , client-server ), Risk ( 1 to 5 ), Characteristics ( evasive , prone-to-misuse ).

Use Case: Creating broader policies without needing to list every single application. For example, block all applications with Risk 5 or allow all applications in the 'business-systems' category.

Dynamic Nature: As Palo Alto Networks adds or updates App-IDs, applications matching the filter criteria are automatically included or excluded.

Example Rule Segment (Conceptual)

Rule Name: Block_High_Risk_Apps
Source Zone: Any
Destination Zone: Any
Application: [ Add: High-Risk-App-Filter ] # Reference custom filter based on Risk=4,5
Service: any
Action: Deny

You can combine these methods within a single rule (e.g., allow a specific Application Group but also add one extra specific App-ID).

Policy Configuration: Application-Default vs Service Specified

When configuring Security Policy rules, you must specify the Service . The two main options are application-default and a specific port/protocol definition (e.g., service-http , service-https , or a custom TCP/UDP port).

This setting controls whether the firewall allows the identified application ONLY on its standard, default ports, or if it allows the application on the ports specified in the Service field, regardless of App-ID's default ports.

Comparison:

Feature	Application-Default	Service Specified (e.g., tcp/80, tcp/443)
Port Matching	Traffic must match the application's identified App-ID AND the standard default ports defined for that App-ID.	Traffic must match the application's identified App-ID. The port is matched against the specified Service object, NOT the application's default ports.
Security/Attack Surface	Advantage: Tighter security. Blocks attempts to run applications on non-standard or commonly misused ports (e.g., running BitTorrent on TCP/443). Significant reduction of attack surface. Recommended for most policies.	Disadvantage: Less secure. Allows the application on ANY port defined in the Service object. If the Service is `any` , it allows the application on any port it's found on. Can increase the attack surface by allowing legitimate applications on non-standard ports.
Flexibility	Disadvantage: Less flexible for applications that legitimately use non-standard ports, require a custom service object for exceptions.	Advantage: More flexible. Necessary if an application truly runs on non-standard or multiple custom ports not covered by its application-default definition. Can use `any` for maximum flexibility (least security).
Configuration	Simple - select `application-default` from the Service dropdown.	Requires creating or selecting a specific Service object (standard or custom).
Best Practice	Use `application-default` whenever possible for least privilege and reduced attack surface.	Only use a specific Service when absolutely necessary for an application running on non-standard ports. Avoid `any` unless truly unavoidable and risk is assessed.

Example Scenario: Allowing Web Browsing

Rule 1: Allow Web Browsing (Recommended)

Source: Trust Zone
Destination: Untrust Zone
Application: web-browsing
Service: application-default
Action: Allow

Result: Allows HTTP (tcp/80) and HTTPS (tcp/443) traffic *only* when it is identified as web-browsing .

Rule 2: Allow Web Browsing (Less Secure)

Source: Trust Zone
Destination: Untrust Zone
Application: web-browsing
Service: service-any (or any )
Action: Allow

Result: Allows HTTP and HTTPS traffic identified as web-browsing , even if it runs on non-standard ports (e.g., tcp/8080, tcp/8443). Also allows web-browsing traffic on *any* other port it might potentially be identified on.

Rule 3: Traditional Port-Based Rule (Insecure)

Source: Trust Zone
Destination: Untrust Zone
Application: any
Service: service-http (tcp/80) OR service-https (tcp/443)
Action: Allow

Result: Allows *ANY* application traffic as long as it uses TCP/80 or TCP/443. BitTorrent, malware C2, etc., could potentially traverse this rule if they use these ports. This defeats the purpose of App-ID.

     Understanding the interaction between Application and Service fields is crucial for the PCNSE/PCNSA. Remember: Both must match for the rule to apply. If App-ID is non-default and Service is non-default, the port must match the Service definition. If App-ID is non-default and Service is
     
      application-default
     
     , the port must match the *App-ID's* defined default ports. If App-ID is
     
      any
     
     , only Service matters (traditional firewall). If Service is
     
      any
     
     , only App-ID matters for matching (up to that point).

Decryption & App-ID: Impact on Identification and Policy Order

Encrypted traffic (SSL/TLS) poses a challenge to Layer 7 identification. Before decryption, the firewall can typically only identify this traffic as the generic ssl application, potentially with some limited information gleaned from the SSL/TLS handshake (like SNI - Server Name Indication).

For full, granular App-ID of the traffic *within* the encrypted tunnel (e.g., identifying facebook-base or gmail inside HTTPS), the firewall must decrypt the traffic. This requires a separate Decryption Policy.

How Decryption Affects App-ID:

Initial Identification: Traffic arrives and is often first identified as ssl (for TLS/SSL) or web-browsing (for plain HTTP).
Decryption Policy Check: The firewall checks the Decryption Policy based on the initial session parameters (source, destination, zone, service - usually service-https , application - usually ssl ).
Decryption Action:
- If a Decryption rule matches and the action is 'Decrypt', the firewall performs SSL Forward Proxy or SSL Inbound Inspection.
- If a Decryption rule matches and the action is 'No Decrypt', the traffic remains encrypted.
- If no Decryption rule matches, the default action applies (usually 'No Decrypt').
Post-Decryption App-ID: If decrypted, the firewall re-evaluates the traffic using the full App-ID process (signatures, protocol decoding, heuristics) on the now visible cleartext payload. The session's App-ID is updated to the specific application (e.g., facebook-base , youtube , exchange-web-mail ).
Security Policy Re-Evaluation: The security policy lookup happens AFTER App-ID is determined or updated.

Policy Order: Security vs. Decryption

Decryption policies are evaluated before Security policies. However, the Security policy that allows/denies the traffic after decryption must appear *after* the decryption rule has decided to decrypt the traffic.

A Security rule matching ssl allows encrypted traffic to pass through to the Decryption policy engine.
Security rules matching specific applications like web-browsing , facebook-base , etc., are typically placed below the relevant Decryption policy rules. This ensures that once traffic is decrypted, the specific application can be identified and controlled by the appropriate Security rule.
You might have a "catch-all" Security rule allowing ssl above decryption for certain traffic that shouldn't be decrypted or needs a temporary pass before specific App-ID rules are refined.

Simplified Packet Flow with App-ID and Decryption

Decryption & App-ID: Decryption Exemption Issues

While decrypting SSL/TLS traffic is essential for full App-ID and threat inspection, there are scenarios where traffic must be exempted from decryption:

Privacy/Compliance: Traffic to sensitive sites like banking, healthcare, or legal services may be legally or policy-mandated to remain private and not be intercepted/decrypted.
Technical Compatibility: Some applications use techniques like certificate pinning or expect specific certificate chains that conflict with the firewall's SSL Forward Proxy certificate, causing connection errors. Examples include some mobile apps, update services, or specific internal applications.
Resource Limitations: Decryption is CPU-intensive. Exempting high-volume, low-risk traffic can conserve firewall resources.

Issues Arising from Exemption:

Limited App-ID: Traffic exempted from decryption is typically identified only as ssl . The firewall cannot see the actual application or content within the tunnel.
Reduced Security Inspection: Without decryption, Threat Prevention profiles (Antivirus, Anti-Spyware, Vulnerability Protection), URL Filtering, and Data Filtering cannot inspect the content within the SSL/TLS tunnel. Malware, exploits, or sensitive data exfiltration hidden within encrypted traffic will pass through undetected.
Policy Blind Spots: Granular policies based on specific App-IDs (like blocking social media) will not apply if the traffic is exempted and only identified as ssl . You can only control it based on source, destination, user, service (usually 443), and the generic ssl App-ID.

     The implications of decrypting vs. not decrypting traffic (especially the security impact of exemption) are frequently tested in PCNSE/PCNSA exams. Know the reasons for exemption and the consequences (loss of full App-ID, loss of content inspection).
    

Decryption exemption is configured in the Decryption Policy. Best practice is to exempt traffic only when necessary, document the exemptions, and understand the associated security risk.

App-ID Interactive Quiz

Test your knowledge of Palo Alto Networks App-ID with these 30 questions covering concepts often found in PCNSE exams.

1. What is the primary difference between App-ID and traditional Layer 4 firewall rules?

App-ID uses stateful inspection, Layer 4 does not. App-ID identifies applications based on content and behavior (Layer 7), while Layer 4 relies only on port and protocol. App-ID only works with IPv6, Layer 4 works with IPv4. App-ID requires a separate license, Layer 4 rules are included by default.

Correct Answer: B App-ID's key innovation is identifying applications at Layer 7, going beyond port and protocol.

2. Which of the following is NOT a primary technique used by App-ID for identifying applications?

Signatures Heuristics Source IP Address Protocol Decoding

Correct Answer: C Source IP address is a Layer 3 concept used in policy matching, not for identifying the application itself at Layer 7.

3. What App-ID is typically assigned to encrypted SSL/TLS traffic BEFORE decryption?

https unknown web-browsing ssl

Correct Answer: D The firewall initially identifies encrypted traffic as the generic 'ssl' application.

4. A Security policy rule has Application set to 'web-browsing' and Service set to 'application-default'. On which ports will this rule allow web-browsing traffic?

The standard default ports for web-browsing (TCP 80, TCP 443). Any port that the firewall identifies web-browsing traffic on. Only TCP 80. Only TCP 443.

Correct Answer: A When Service is 'application-default', the rule only matches the application on its predefined standard ports.

5. A Security policy rule has Application set to 'facebook-base' and Service set to 'any'. What is a potential security disadvantage of this configuration?

It will block all Facebook traffic. It prevents the use of Security Profiles. It allows facebook-base traffic on non-standard or potentially misused ports. It requires SSL decryption for facebook-base.

Correct Answer: C Setting Service to 'any' removes the port constraint based on the application's default ports, potentially allowing the application on unintended ports.

6. You want to block all applications categorized as 'social-networking' with a risk level of 4 or 5. What is the most efficient way to do this in a Security policy?

Add every individual social-networking application with risk 4 or 5 to the rule. Create an Application Filter based on Category and Risk, then use the filter in the rule. Create an Application Group with these applications. Use a Service object matching ports commonly used by social networking.

Correct Answer: B Application Filters are designed for dynamic grouping based on characteristics like category and risk, and automatically update.

7. What is the primary benefit of using Application Groups?

They allow dynamic inclusion of applications based on characteristics. They automatically update with new App-IDs. They enforce application-default services. They simplify policy management by grouping related App-IDs manually.

Correct Answer: D Application Groups are manually created static groups of App-IDs to make policy rules cleaner and easier to manage.

8. When configuring a Security policy rule, if you set the Application to 'any' and the Service to 'service-http', how will the firewall identify the traffic?

It will still attempt to identify the application at Layer 7, but the rule will match any traffic on TCP 80 regardless of the identified application. It will ONLY identify traffic based on TCP 80 and bypass App-ID. It will block all traffic because of the conflicting settings. It will use the application-default service for all traffic on TCP 80.

Correct Answer: A The firewall always attempts App-ID. However, a rule with Application 'any' and Service 'service-http' matches ANY session using TCP 80 after the initial port match, effectively behaving like a traditional firewall rule for matching purposes, even if App-ID runs in the background.

9. What happens to SSL/TLS traffic if it matches a Decryption policy rule with the action 'No Decrypt'?

The session is immediately blocked. The firewall performs SSL Inbound Inspection instead. The traffic remains encrypted, and the App-ID remains 'ssl' or the initial Layer 7 guess. The firewall injects its own certificate to decrypt the traffic.

Correct Answer: C 'No Decrypt' bypasses the decryption process. The traffic stays encrypted, limiting App-ID visibility to the outer layer (ssl) and preventing content inspection.

10. Where are App-ID objects (like Applications, Application Groups, and Application Filters) defined and managed?

Device > Setup > Content-ID Objects > Applications Policies > Security Network > Zones

Correct Answer: B Application objects are managed under the Objects tab in the Palo Alto Networks GUI.

11. Which security profile is LEAST likely to be effective against threats hidden inside SSL/TLS traffic if that traffic is NOT decrypted?

Threat Prevention (Antivirus, Vulnerability Protection, Anti-Spyware) URL Filtering File Blocking All of the above are ineffective without decryption.

Correct Answer: A While URL Filtering and File Blocking also operate on content, Threat Prevention signatures are heavily reliant on inspecting the actual application payload, which is obscured by encryption. All content inspection is fundamentally limited without decryption. Option D is also very close to correct, but Threat Prevention signatures are perhaps the *most* impacted by encryption.

12. What is a common technical reason for exempting certain SSL/TLS traffic from decryption?

To save disk space on the firewall. The application uses UDP instead of TCP. The application default port is unknown. The application uses certificate pinning, causing trust issues with the firewall's injected certificate.

Correct Answer: D Certificate pinning is a security mechanism where an application expects a very specific certificate. The firewall replacing the certificate breaks this mechanism, leading to errors.

13. True or False: App-ID relies heavily on static port numbers for identification.

True False

Correct Answer: B False. While App-ID can *start* with port/protocol analysis, its core strength is identifying applications regardless of the port used, using signatures, heuristics, and decryption.

14. Which Palo Alto Networks feature is directly enabled or significantly enhanced by accurate App-ID?

High Availability (HA) Virtual Wire interfaces Quality of Service (QoS) Policy Based Forwarding (PBF)

Correct Answer: C QoS policies can be configured to prioritize or limit bandwidth based on the identified application, which requires accurate App-ID.

15. If you have a Security policy rule allowing the 'ssl' application and a Decryption policy rule below it set to 'Decrypt' for the same traffic, followed by Security rules allowing specific applications like 'web-browsing' or 'facebook-base'. What is the expected order of events for encrypted Facebook traffic?

Decrypt -> Identify facebook-base -> Match allow web-browsing/facebook rule -> Allow. Identify facebook-base -> Match allow web-browsing/facebook rule -> Decrypt -> Allow. Identify ssl -> Match allow ssl rule -> Allow traffic without decryption. Identify ssl -> Match allow ssl rule -> Check Decryption policy -> Decrypt -> Re-identify facebook-base -> Re-evaluate Security policy -> Match allow web-browsing/facebook rule -> Allow.

Correct Answer: D Traffic is initially identified (often as 'ssl'). Security policies are checked. If an 'ssl' rule allows it, it proceeds to Decryption policy. If decrypted, App-ID is updated, and Security policy is re-evaluated against the new App-ID.

16. You've created a custom Application Group called 'Approved-Business-Apps' containing Salesforce, Workday, and Office365-web. Which tab in the Security policy rule configuration would you use this group?

Service Application Action Destination

Correct Answer: B Application Groups are used as criteria within the Application tab (or column) of a Security policy rule.

17. An Application Filter dynamically includes App-IDs based on their characteristics. What is the primary benefit of this dynamic nature?

Policies using the filter automatically stay up-to-date as Palo Alto Networks releases new or updated App-IDs matching the criteria. The filter can be used in Decryption policies. It allows specifying custom ports for applications. It reduces the load on the firewall's data plane.

Correct Answer: A The key advantage of Application Filters is that they automatically incorporate new App-IDs that match the defined criteria, requiring less manual updates to policies.

18. What is the recommended Service setting for most Security policy rules when specific App-IDs are used?

any tcp/80 tcp/443 application-default

Correct Answer: D Using 'application-default' ensures the application is only allowed on its standard, defined ports, which is a security best practice for minimizing the attack surface.

19. If a session is identified as 'unknown-tcp' on port 12345, what does this primarily indicate?

The firewall blocked the session. The traffic was encrypted and not decrypted. App-ID could not identify a known application signature, protocol, or heuristic for this traffic flow. The session matched an implicit allow rule.

Correct Answer: C 'unknown-tcp' or 'unknown-udp' means the App-ID engine could not positively identify the application using its various techniques.

20. Which log type is most crucial for understanding what applications are traversing the firewall and being identified by App-ID?

Traffic logs Threat logs Configuration logs System logs

Correct Answer: A Traffic logs provide detailed information about each session, including the identified App-ID, source, destination, user, duration, bytes transferred, and the policy rule matched.

21. You configure a Security rule to block 'bittorrent' application. A user attempts to run BitTorrent traffic. The firewall identifies the traffic as 'bittorrent' but allows it. What is the MOST likely reason?

The user was exempted from the rule. The BitTorrent traffic was encrypted. The firewall doesn't support blocking BitTorrent. Another Security rule above the block rule allowed the traffic.

Correct Answer: D Security policies are evaluated top-down. If an 'allow' rule higher in the list matched the traffic before the 'block bittorrent' rule was reached, the traffic would be allowed.

22. Which App-ID characteristic indicates how prone an application is to misuse or evasion?

Category Risk Subcategory Technology

Correct Answer: B The Risk characteristic (1-5, 5 being highest) indicates the security risk associated with using that application.

23. An application uses dynamic ports. How should you configure the Service field in a Security policy rule allowing this application while maintaining reasonable security?

Create a custom Service object defining the expected port range(s) and use that, along with the specific App-ID. Set the Service field to 'any'. Set the Service field to 'application-default'. Use a traditional port-based rule with Application 'any'.

Correct Answer: A If an application legitimately uses non-default or dynamic ports, define a custom Service object with the necessary ports. This is more secure than using 'any' but provides the required flexibility.

24. Which of the following is NOT a valid method for adding applications to a Security policy rule?

Selecting specific App-IDs. Using a custom Application Group. Using an Application Filter. Importing a list of port numbers from a CSV file.

Correct Answer: D You can import Service objects (port numbers), but the Application criteria uses App-IDs, Groups, or Filters, not just raw port lists.

25. What is the primary benefit of using App-ID for security rather than just relying on URL Filtering?

App-ID identifies the application's function or purpose regardless of the URL or port, providing deeper visibility into traffic like P2P, encrypted tunnels, or specific software usage. App-ID is faster than URL filtering. URL Filtering only works on HTTPS traffic, while App-ID works on all traffic. App-ID can block traffic even if the URL is allowed.

Correct Answer: A App-ID understands the application itself (e.g., BitTorrent, SSH, Exchange), which is broader than just the destination website (URL). It works on non-web traffic too.

26. You observe traffic logs showing a legitimate internal application being identified as 'unknown-tcp'. What is the first recommended step for resolving this?

Change the Security rule to allow 'any' application on the required port. Exempt the traffic from all security inspection. Use the App-ID troubleshooting features or run a packet capture to analyze the traffic for patterns, potentially leading to a custom App-ID or contacting support. Create a custom Service object and use it in the policy without specifying an application.

Correct Answer: C When traffic is 'unknown', the correct approach is to investigate why App-ID can't identify it using troubleshooting tools. You might then create a custom App-ID or report it to Palo Alto Networks.

27. If you want to prioritize bandwidth for voice traffic (like RTP) within a QoS policy, what would be the primary matching criterion?

Source IP Address Destination Port Security Zone Application ID (e.g., rtp, skype-call, microsoft-teams-audio-video)

Correct Answer: D QoS policies leverage App-ID to identify specific applications or application categories (like voice/video) to apply bandwidth management rules.

28. A Security policy rule has Application set to 'any' and Service set to 'application-default'. What traffic will this rule match?

This is an invalid or ineffective configuration; the firewall cannot determine which default ports to apply without a specific App-ID. It will match any application on TCP 80 and TCP 443. It will match any application on its standard default ports. It matches all traffic regardless of port or application.

Correct Answer: A The 'application-default' service is tied to the default ports of the *specified* application. If the Application is 'any', there's no specific application whose default ports can be referenced, rendering the rule effectively useless or invalid in its intent. You need a specific App-ID or group/filter with 'application-default'.

29. You have separate Security rules: Rule 1 allows 'ssl' from Trust to Untrust. Rule 2 (below Rule 1) decrypts Trust to Untrust SSL traffic. Rule 3 (below Rule 2) allows 'web-browsing' from Trust to Untrust. Which rule would match standard encrypted web browsing traffic after decryption?

Rule 1 (Allow ssl) Rule 2 (Decrypt rule) Rule 3 (Allow web-browsing) None, the traffic would be implicitly denied.

Correct Answer: C Traffic initially matches Rule 1 (allowing ssl). Then it hits Rule 2 (decrypting). After decryption, the App-ID updates from 'ssl' to 'web-browsing'. The Security policy evaluation restarts *below* the point of decryption, finding Rule 3 which now matches the 'web-browsing' App-ID.

30. What is the risk associated with allowing an application with the 'evasive' characteristic?

It can be difficult for the firewall to consistently identify or apply security policies/profiles to this traffic. The application uses excessive bandwidth. It indicates the application is likely malware. The application uses non-standard ports exclusively.

Correct Answer: A The 'evasive' characteristic means the application uses techniques designed to avoid detection by security devices (e.g., port hopping, unusual session patterns), making it harder for App-ID and subsequent security profiles to function reliably.

Introduction: The Power of App-ID

App-ID Basics: How Applications Are Identified

App-ID Basics: Why Use App-ID in Security Rules?

Policy Configuration: Methods for Selecting Applications

Example Rule Segment (Conceptual)

Example Rule Segment (Conceptual)

Example Rule Segment (Conceptual)

Policy Configuration: Application-Default vs Service Specified

Comparison:

Example Scenario: Allowing Web Browsing

Rule 1: Allow Web Browsing (Recommended)

Rule 2: Allow Web Browsing (Less Secure)

Rule 3: Traditional Port-Based Rule (Insecure)

Decryption & App-ID: Impact on Identification and Policy Order

How Decryption Affects App-ID:

Policy Order: Security vs. Decryption

Decryption & App-ID: Decryption Exemption Issues

Issues Arising from Exemption:

App-ID Interactive Quiz