Viewing Rule Logs

You can search for the logs that are generated by a specific rule, from the Security Policy or from the Logs & Monitor > Logs tab.

To see logs generated by a rule (from the Security Policy):

1. In SmartConsole, go to the Security Policies view.
2. In the Access Control Policy or Threat Prevention Policy, select a rule.
3. In the bottom pane, click one of these tabs to see:
   • Logs - By default, shows the logs for the Current Rule. You can filter them by Source, Destination, Blade, Action, Service, Port, Source Port, Rule (Current rule is the default), Origin, User, or Other Fields.
   • History (Access Control Policy only) - List of rule operations (Audit logs) related to the rule in chronological order, with the information about the rule type and the administrator that made the change.

To see logs generated by a rule (by Searching the Logs):

1. In SmartConsole, go to the Security Policies view.
2. In the Access Control Policy or Threat Prevention Policy, select a rule.
3. Right-click the rule number and select Copy Rule UID.
4. In the Logs & Monitor > Logs tab, search for the logs in one of these ways:
   • Paste the Rule UID into the query search bar and press Enter.
   • For faster results, use this syntax in the query search bar:

     layer_uuid_rule_uuid:*_<UID>

     For example, paste this into the query search bar and press Enter:

     layer_uuid_rule_uuid:*_46f0ee3b-026d-45b0-b7f0-5d71f6d8eb10

Policy Installation History

In the Installation History you can choose a Gateway, a date and time when the Policy was installed, and:

• See the revisions that were installed on the Gateway and who installed the Policy.
• See the changes that were installed and who made the changes.
• Revert to a specific version, and install the last "good" Policy.

To work with the Policy installation history:

1. In SmartConsole, go to Security Policies.
2. From the Access Tools or the Threat Prevention Tools, select Installation History.
3. In the Gateways section, select a Gateway.
4. In the Policy Installation History section, select an installation date.
5. To see the revisions that were installed and who made them:

   Click View installed changes.

   To see the changes that were installed and who made them :

   Click View.

   To revert to a specific version of the Policy:

   Click Install specific version.

Introducing the Unified Access Control Policy

Define one, unified Access Control Policy. The Access Control Policy lets you create a simple and granular Rule Base that combines all these Access Control features:

• Firewall - Control access to and from the internal network.
• Application & URL Filtering - Block applications and sites.
• Content Awareness - Restrict the Data Types that users can upload or download.
• IPsec VPN and Mobile Access - Configure secure communication with Site-to-Site and Remote Access VPNs.
• Identity Awareness - Identify users, computers, and networks.

There is no need to manage separate Rule Bases. For example, you can define one, intuitive rule that: Allows users in specified networks, to use a specified application, but prevents downloading files larger than a specified size. You can use all these objects in one rule:

• Security Zones
• Services
• Applications and URLs
• Data Types
• Access Roles

Information about these features is collected in one log:

• Network
• Protocol
• Application
• User
• Accessed resources
• Data Types

Creating a Basic Access Control Policy

A firewall controls access to computers, clients, servers, and applications using a set of rules that make up an Access Control Rule Base. You need to configure a Rule Base with secure Access Control and optimized network performance.

A strong Access Control Rule Base:

• Allows only authorized connections and prevents vulnerabilities in a network.
• Gives authorized users access to the correct internal resources.
• Efficiently inspects connections.

Basic Rules

Best Practice - These are basic Access Control rules we recommend for all Rule Bases:

• Stealth rule that prevents direct access to the Security Gateway
• Cleanup rule that drops all traffic that is not matched by the earlier rules in the policy

Note - If you delete the cleanup rule, there will still be an implicit drop rule that drops all traffic that did not match all other rules. This rule does not create log entries. If you want to log the traffic, create an explicit Cleanup rule.

Use Case - Basic Access Control

This use case shows a Rule Base for a simple Access Control security policy. (The Hits, VPN and Content columns are not shown.)

No	Name	Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Action	Track	Install On
1	Admin Access to Gateways	Admins (Access Role)	Gateways-group	Any	Accept	Log	Policy Targets
2	Stealth	Any	Gateways-group	Any	Drop	Alert	Policy Targets
3	Critical subnet	Internal	Finance HR R&D	Any	Accept	Log	CorpGW
4	Tech support	TechSupport	Remote1-web	HTTP	Accept	Alert	Remote1GW
5	DNS server	Any	DNS	Domain UDP	Accept	None	Policy Targets
6	Mail and Web servers	Any	DMZ	HTTP HTTPS SMTP	Accept	Log	Policy Targets
7	SMTP	Mail	NOT Internal net group	SMTP	Accept	Log	Policy Targets
8	DMZ & Internet	IntGroup	Any	Any	Accept	Log	Policy Targets
9	Cleanup rule	Any	Any	Any	Drop	Log	Policy Targets

Rule	Explanation
1	Admin Access to Gateways - SmartConsole administrators are allowed to connect to the Security Gateways.
2	Stealth - All internal traffic that is NOT from the SmartConsole administrators to one of the Security Gateways is dropped. When a connection matches the Stealth rule, an alert window opens in SmartView Monitor.
3	Critical subnet - Traffic from the internal network to the specified resources is logged. This rule defines three subnets as critical resources: Finance, HR, and R&D.
4	Tech support - Allows the Technical Support server to access the Remote-1 web server which is behind the Remote-1 Security Gateway. Only HTTP traffic is allowed. When a packet matches the Tech support rule, the Alert action is done.
5	DNS server - Allows UDP traffic to the external DNS server. This traffic is not logged.
6	Mail and Web servers - Allows incoming traffic to the mail and web servers that are located in the DMZ. HTTP, HTTPS, and SMTP traffic is allowed.
7	SMTP - Allows outgoing SMTP connections to the mail server. Does not allow SMTP connections to the internal network, to protect against a compromised mail server.
8	DMZ and Internet - Allows traffic from the internal network to the DMZ and Internet.
9	Cleanup rule - Drops all traffic that does not match one of the earlier rules.

Use Case - Inline Layer for Each Department

This use case shows a basic Access Control Policy with a sub-policy for each department. The rules for each department are in an Inline Layer. An Inline Layer is independent of the rest of the Rule Base. You can delegate ownership of different Layers to different administrators.

No

Name

Source

Destination

Services & Applications

Content

Action

Track

1

Critical subnet

Internal

Finance HR

Any

Any

Accept

Log

2

SMTP

Mail

NOT internal network (Group)

SMTP

Any

Accept

Log

3

R&D department

R&D Roles

Any

Any

Any

TechSupport Layer

N/A

3.1

R&D servers

Any

R&D servers (Group) QA network

Any

Any

Accept

Log

3.2

R&D source control

InternalZone

Source control servers (Group)

ssh, http, https

Any

Accept

Log

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

3.X

Cleanup rule

Any

Any

Any

Any

Drop

Log

4

QA department

QA network

Any

Any

Any

QA Layer

N/A

4.1

Allow access to R&D servers

Any

R&D Servers (Group)

Web Services

Any

Accept

Log

----

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

4.Y

Cleanup rule

Any

Any

Any

Any

Drop

Log

5

Allow all users to access employee portal

Any

Employee portal

Web Services

Any

Accept

None

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

9

Cleanup rule

Any

Any

Any

Any

Drop

Log

Rules	Explanation
1 2	General rules for the whole organization.
3 3.1 3.2 --- 3.X	An Inline Layer for the R&D department. Rule 3 is the parent rules of the Inline Layer. The Action is the name of the Inline Layer. If a packet does not match on parent rule 3: Matching continues to the next rule outside the Inline Layer (rule 4). If a packet matches on parent rule 3: Matching continues to 3.1, first rule inside the Inline Layer. If a packet matches on this rule, the rule action is done on the packet. If a packet does not match on rule 3.1, continue to the next rule inside the Inline Layer, rule 3.2. If there is no match, continue to the remaining rules in the Inline Layer. --- means one or more rules. The packet is matched only inside the inline layer. It never leaves the inline layer, because the inline layer has an implicit cleanup rule. It is not matched on rules 4, 5 and the other rules in the Ordered Layer. Rule 3.X is a cleanup rule. It drops all traffic that does not match one of the earlier rules in the Inline Layer. This is a default explicit rule. You can change or delete it. Best Practice - Have an explicit cleanup rule as the last rule in each Inline Layer and Ordered Layer.
4 4.1 --- 4.Y	Another Inline Layer, for the QA department.
5	More general rules for the whole organization.
--	One or more rules.
9	Cleanup rule - Drop all traffic that does not match one of the earlier rules in the Ordered Layer. This is a default explicit rule. You can change or delete it. Best Practice - Have an explicit cleanup rule as the last rule in each Inline Layer and Ordered Layer.

Creating Application Control and URL Filtering Rules

Create and manage the Policy for Application Control and URL Filtering in the Access Control Policy, in the Access Control view of SmartConsole. Application Control and URL Filtering rules define which users can use specified applications and sites from within your organization and what application and site usage is recorded in the logs.

To learn which applications and categories have a high risk, look through the Application Wiki in the Access Tools part of the Security Policies view. Find ideas for applications and categories to include in your Policy.

To see an overview of your Access Control Policy and traffic, see the Access Control view in Logs & Monitor > New Tab > Views.

Monitoring Applications

Scenario: I want to monitor all Facebook traffic in my organization. How can I do this?

To monitor all Facebook application traffic:

1. In the Security Policies view of SmartConsole, go to the Access Control Policy.
2. Choose a Layer with Applications and URL Filtering enabled.
3. Click one of the Add rule toolbar buttons to add the rule in the position that you choose in the Rule Base. The first rule matched is applied.
4. Create a rule that includes these components:
   • Name - Give the rule a name, such as Monitor Facebook.
   • Source - Keep it as Any so that it applies to all traffic from the organization.
   • Destination - Keep it as Internet so that it applies to all traffic going to the internet or DMZ.
   • Services & Applications - Click the plus sign to open the Application viewer. Add the Facebook application to the rule:
     • Start to type "face" in the Search field. In the Available list, see the Facebook application.
     • Click each item to see more details in the description pane.
     • Select the items to add to the rule.

     Note - Applications are matched by default on their Recommended services. You can change this. Each service runs on a specific port. The recommended Web Browsing Services are http, https, HTTP_proxy, and HTTPS_proxy.

   • Action - Select Accept
   • Track - Select Log
   • Install On - Keep it as Policy Targets for or all gateways, or choose specific Security Gateways on which to install the rule

The rule allows all Facebook traffic but logs it. You can see the logs in the Logs & Monitor view, in the Logs tab. To monitor how people use Facebook in your organization, see the Access Control view (SmartEvent Server required).

Blocking Applications and Informing Users

Scenario: I want to block pornographic sites in my organization, and tell the user about the violation. How can I do this?

To block an application or category of applications and tell the user about the policy violation:

1. In the Security Policies view of SmartConsole, go to the Access Control Policy.
2. Choose a Layer with Applications and URL Filtering enabled.
3. Create a rule that includes these components:
   • Services & Applications - Select the Pornography category.
   • Action - Drop, and a UserCheck Blocked Message - Access Control

     The message informs users that their actions are against company policy and can include a link to report if the website is included in an incorrect category.

   • Track - Log

     Note - This Rule Base example contains only those columns that are applicable to this subject.

     Name	Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Action	Track	Install On
     Block Porn	Any	Internet	Pornography (category)	Drop Blocked Message	Log	Policy Targets

The rule blocks traffic to pornographic sites and logs attempts to access those sites. Users who violate the rule receive a UserCheck message that informs them that the application is blocked according to company security policy. The message can include a link to report if the website is included in an incorrect category.

Important - A rule that blocks traffic, with the Source and Destination parameters defined as Any, also blocks traffic to and from the Captive Portal.

Limiting Application Traffic

Scenario: I want to limit my employees' access to streaming media so that it does not impede business tasks.

If you do not want to block an application or category, there are different ways to set limits for employee access:

• Add a Limit object to a rule to limit the bandwidth that is permitted for the rule.
• Add one or more Time objects to a rule to make it active only during specified times.

The example rule below:

• Allows access to streaming media during non-peak business hours only.
• Limits the upload throughput for streaming media in the company to 1 Gbps.

To create a rule that allows streaming media with time and bandwidth limits:

1. In the Security Policies view of SmartConsole, go to the Access Control Policy.
2. Choose a Layer with Applications and URL Filtering enabled.
3. Click one of the Add Rule toolbar buttons to add the rule in the position that you choose in the Rule Base.
4. Create a rule that includes these components:
   • Services & Applications - Media Streams category.

     Note - Applications are matched on their Recommended services, where each service runs on a specific port, such as the default Application Control Web browsing Services: http, https, HTTP_proxy, and HTTPS_proxy. To change this, see Services & Applications Column.

   • Action - Click More and select Action: Accept, and a Limit object.
   • Time - Add a Time object that specifies the hours or time period in which the rule is active.

     Note - The Time column is not shown by default in the Rule Base table. To see it, right-click on the table header and select Time.

     Name	Source	Destination	Services and Applications	Action	Track	Install On	Time
     Limit Streaming Media	Any	Internet	Media Streams (Category)	Accept Upload_1Gbps	Log	All	Off-Work

Note - In ClusterXL Load Sharing modes, the specified bandwidth limit is divided between all defined cluster members, regardless of the cluster state. For example, if a rule sets 1Gbps limit in a cluster with three members, each member has a fixed limit of 333 Mbps.

Using Identity Awareness Features in Rules

Scenario: I want to allow a Remote Access application for a specified group of users and block the same application for other users. I also want to block other Remote Access applications for everyone. How can I do this?

If you enable Identity Awareness on a Security Gateway, you can use it together with Application Control to make rules that apply to an access role. Use access role objects to define users, machines, and network locations as one object.

In this example:

• You have already created an Access Role Identified_Users that represents all identified users in the organization. You can use this to allow access to applications only for users who are identified on the Security Gateway.
• You want to allow access to the Radmin Remote Access tool for all identified users.
• You want to block all other Remote Access tools for everyone within your organization. You also want to block any other application that can establish remote connections or remote control.

To do this, add two new rules to the Rule Base:

1. Create a rule and include these components:
   • Source - The Identified_Users access role
   • Destination - Internet
   • Services & Applications - Radmin
   • Action - Accept
2. Create another rule below and include these components:
   • Source - Any
   • Destination - Internet
   • Services & Applications - The category: Remote Administration
   • Action - Block

     Name	Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Action	Track	Install On
     Allow Radmin to Identified Users	Identified_Users	Internet	Radmin	Allow	Log	All
     Block other Remote Admins	Any	Internet	Remote Administration	Block	Log	All

Notes on these rules:

• Because the rule that allows Radmin is above the rule that blocks other Remote Administration tools, it is matched first.
• The Source of the first rule is the Identified_Users access role. If you use an access role that represents the Technical Support department, then only users from the technical support department are allowed to use Radmin.
• Applications are matched on their Recommended services, where each service runs on a specific port, such as the default Application Control Web browsing services: http, https, HTTP_proxy, and HTTPS_proxy. To change this see Changing Services for Applications and Categories.

For more about Access Roles and Identity Awareness, see the R80.10 <idaware> Administration Guide.

Blocking Sites

Scenario: I want to block sites that are associated with categories that can cause liability issues. Most of these categories exist in the Application Database but there is also a custom defined site that must be included. How can I do this?

You can do this by creating a custom group and adding all applicable categories and the site to it. If you enable Identity Awareness on a Security Gateway, you can use it together with URL Filtering to make rules that apply to an access role. Use access role objects to define users, machines, and network locations as one object.

In this example:

• You have already created
  • An Access Role that represents all identified users in the organization (Identified_Users).
  • A custom application for a site named FreeMovies.
• You want to block sites that can cause liability issues for everyone within your organization.
• You will create a custom group that includes Application Database categories as well as the previously defined custom site named FreeMovies.

To create a custom group:

1. In the Object Explorer, click New > More > Custom Application/Site > Application/Site Group.
2. Give the group a name. For example, Liability_Sites.
3. Click + to add the group members:
   • Search for and add the custom application FreeMovies.
   • Select Categories, and add the ones you want to block (for example Anonymizer, Critical Risk, and Gambling)
   • Click Close
4. Click OK.

You can now use the Liability_Sites group in the Access Control Rule Base.

In the Rule Base, add a rule similar to this:

In the Security Policies view of SmartConsole, go to the Access Control Policy.

• Source - The Identified_Users access role
• Destination - Internet
• Services & Applications - Liability_Sites
• Action - Drop

  Note - Applications are matched on their Recommended services, where each service runs on a specific port, such as the default Application Control Web Browsing Services: http, https, HTTP_proxy, and HTTPS_proxy. To change this see Changing Services for Applications and Categories.

Name	Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Action	Track
Block sites that may cause a liability	Identified_Users	Internet	Liability_Sites	Drop	Log

Blocking URL Categories

Scenario: I want to block pornographic sites. How can I do this?

You can do this by creating a rule that blocks all sites with pornographic material with the Pornography category. If you enable Identity Awareness on a Security Gateway, you can use it together with URL Filtering to make rules that apply to an access role. Use access role objects to define users, machines, and network locations as one object.

In this example:

• You have already created an Access Role (Identified_Users) that represents all identified users in the organization.
• You want to block sites related to pornography.

The procedure is similar to Blocking Applications and Informing Users.

In the Rule Base, add a rule similar to this:

• Source - The Identified_Users access role
• Destination - Internet
• Services & Applications - Pornography category
• Action - Drop

  Note - Categories are matched on their Recommended services, where each service runs on a specific port, such as the default Application Control Web Browsing Services: http, https, HTTP_proxy, and HTTPS_proxy. To change this see Changing Services for Applications and Categories.

Ordered Layers and Inline Layers

A policy is a set of rules that the gateway enforces on incoming and outgoing traffic. There are different policies for Access Control and for Threat Prevention.

You can organize the Access Control rules in more manageable subsets of rules using Ordered Layers and Inline Layers.

In This Section The Need for Ordered Layers and Inline Layers Order of Rule Enforcement in Inline Layers Order of Rule Enforcement in Ordered Layers Creating an Inline Layer Creating a Ordered Layer Enabling Access Control Features Types of Rules in the Rule Base Administrators for Access Control Layers Sharing Layers Visual Division of the Rule Base with Sections Exporting Layer Rules to a .CSV File Managing Policies and Layers

The Need for Ordered Layers and Inline Layers

Ordered Layers and Inline Layers helps you manage your cyber security more efficiently. You can:

• Simplify the Rule Base, or organize parts of it for specific purposes.
• Organize the Policy into a hierarchy, using Inline Layers, rather than having a flat Rule Base.

  An Inline Layer is a sub-policy which is independent of the rest of the Rule Base. 

• Reuse Ordered Layers in multiple Policy packages, and reuse Inline Layers in multiple Layers.
• Simplify the management of the Policy by delegating ownership of different Layers to different administrators.
• Improve performance by reducing the number of rules in a Layer.

Order of Rule Enforcement in Inline Layers

The Ordered Layer can contain Inline Layers.

This is an example of an Inline Layer:

No.		Source	Destination	VPN	Services	Action
1
2		Lab_network	Any	Any	Any	Lab_rules
	2.1	Any	Any	Any	https http	Allow
	2.2	Any	Any	Any	Any	Drop
3

The Inline Layer has a parent rule (Rule 2 in the example), and sub rules (Rules 2.1 and 2.2). The Action of the parent rule is the name of the Inline Layer.

If the packet does not match the parent rule of the Inline Layer, the matching continues to the next rule of the Ordered Layer (Rule 3).

If a packet matches the parent rule of the Inline Layer (Rule 2), the Firewall checks it against the sub rules:

• If the packet matches a sub rule in the Inline Layer (Rule 2.1), no more rule matching is done.
• If none of the higher rules in the Ordered Layer match the packet, the explicit Cleanup Rule is applied (Rule 2.2). If this rule is missing, the Implicit Cleanup Rule is applied. No more rule matching is done.

Important - Always add an explicit Cleanup Rule at the end of each Inline Layer, and make sure that its Action is the same as the Action of the Implicit Cleanup Rule.

Order of Rule Enforcement in Ordered Layers

When a packet arrives at the gateway, the gateway checks it against the rules in the first Ordered Layer, sequentially from top to bottom, and enforces the first rule that matches a packet.

If the Action of the matching rule is Drop, the gateway stops matching against later rules in the Policy Rule Base and drops the packet. If the Action is Accept, the gateway continues to check rules in the next Ordered Layer.

Item	Description
1	Ordered Layer 1
2	Ordered Layer 2
3	Ordered Layer 3

If none of the rules in the Ordered Layer match the packet, the explicit Default Cleanup Rule is applied. If this rule is missing, the Implicit Cleanup Rule is applied.

Every Ordered Layer has its own implicit cleanup rule. You can configure the rule to Accept or Drop in the Layer settings.

Important - Always add an explicit Cleanup Rule at the end of each Ordered Layer, and make sure that its Action is the same as the Action of the Implicit Cleanup Rule.

Creating an Inline Layer

An Inline Layer is a sub-policy which is independent of the rest of the Rule Base. 

The workflow for making an Inline Layer is:

1. Create a parent rule for the Inline Layer. Make a rule that has one or more properties that are the same for all the rules in the Inline Layer. For example, rules that have the same source, or service, or group of users.
2. Create sub-rules for the Inline Layer. These are rules that define in more detail what to do if the Firewall matches a connection to the parent rule. For example, each sub-rule can apply to specified hosts, or users, or services, or Data Types.

To create an Inline Layer:

1. Add a rule to the Ordered Layer. This is the parent rule.
2. In the Source, Destination, VPN, and Services & Applications cells, define the match conditions for the Inline Layer.
3. Click the Action cell of the rule. Instead of selecting a standard action, select Inline Layer > New Layer.
4. The Layer Editor window opens.
5. Configure the properties of the Inline Layer:
   1. Enable one or more of these Blades for the rules of Inline Layer:
      • Firewall
      • Application & URL Filtering
      • Content Awareness
      • Mobile Access
   2. Optional: It is a best practice to share Layers with other Policy packages when possible. To enable this select Multiple policies can use this layer.
   3. Click Advanced.
   4. Configure the Implicit Cleanup Rule to Drop or Accept.
   5. Click OK.

   The name of the Inline Layer shows in the Action cell of the rule.

6. Under the parent rule of the Inline Layer, add sub-rules.
7. Make sure there is an explicit cleanup rule as the last rule of the Inline Layer.

Creating a Ordered Layer

To create an Ordered Layer:

1. In SmartConsole, click Menu > Manage Policies and Layers.
2. In the left pane, click Layers.

   You will see a list of the Layers. You can select Show only shared Layers.

3. Click the New icon in the upper toolbar.
4. Configure the settings in the Layer Editor window.
5. Optional: It is a best practice to share Layers with other Policy packages when possible. To enable this select Multiple policies can use this layer.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Close.
8. Publish the session.

   This Ordered Layer is not yet assigned to a Policy Package.

To add an Ordered Layer to the Access Control Policy:

1. In SmartConsole, click Security Policies.
2. Right-click a Layer in the Access Control Policy section and select Edit Policy.

   The Policy window opens.

3. In the Access Control section, click the plus sign.

   You will see a list of the Layers that you can add. These are Layers that have Multiple policies can use this layer enabled.

4. Select the Layer.
5. Click OK.
6. Publish the session.

Pre-R80.10 Gateways: To create a Layer for URL Filtering and Application Control:

1. In SmartConsole, click Security Policies.
2. Right-click a Layer in the Access Control Policy section and select Edit Policy.

   The Policy window opens.

3. In the Access Control section, click the plus sign.
4. Click New Layer.

   The Layer Editor window opens and shows the General view.

5. Enable Application & URL Filtering on the Layer.
   1. Enter a name for the Layer.

      We recommend the name Application.

   2. In the Blades section, select Applications & URL Filtering.
   3. Click OK and the Layer Editor window closes.
   4. Click OK and the Policy window closes.
6. Publish the session.

Enabling Access Control Features

Before creating the Access Control Policy, you must enable the Access Control features that you will use in the Policy.

Enable the features on the:

• Security Gateways on which you will install the Policy.
• Ordered Layers and Inline Layers of the Policy. Here you can enable:
  • Firewall. This includes VPN.
  • Applications & URL Filtering
  • Content Awareness
  • Mobile Access

Enabling Access Control Features on a Gateway

1. In SmartConsole, go to Gateways & Servers and double-click the gateway object.

   The General Properties window of the gateway opens.

2. From the navigation tree, click General Properties.
3. In the Network Security tab, select one or more of these Access Control features:
   • IPsec VPN
   • Mobile Access
   • Application Control
   • URL Filtering
   • Content Awareness
   • Identity Awareness
4. Click OK.

Enabling Access Control Features on a Layer

To enable the Access Control features on an Ordered Layer:

1. In SmartConsole, click Security Policies.
2. Under Access Control, right-click Policy and select Edit Policy.
3. Click options for the Layer.
4. Click Edit Layer.

   The Layer Editor window opens and shows the General view.

5. Enable the Blades that you will use in the Ordered Layer:
   • Firewall.
   • Applications & URL Filtering
   • Content Awareness
   • Mobile Access
6. Click OK.

To enable the Access Control features on an Inline Layer:

1. In SmartConsole, click Security Policies.
2. Select the Ordered Layer.
3. In the parent rule of the Inline Layer, right-click the Action column, and select Inline Layer > Edit Layer.
4. Enable the Blades that you will use in the Inline Layer:
   • Firewall.
   • Applications & URL Filtering
   • Content Awareness
   • Mobile Access

   Note - Do not enable a Blade that is not enabled in the Ordered Layer.

5. Click OK.

Types of Rules in the Rule Base

There are three types of rules in the Rule Base - explicit, implied and implicit.

Explicit rules

The rules that the administrator configures explicitly, to allow or to block traffic based on specified criteria.

Important - The default Cleanup rule is an explicit rule that is added by default to every new layer. You can change or delete the default Cleanup rule. We recommend that you have an explicit Cleanup rule as the last rule in each layer.

Implied rules

The default rules that are available as part of the Global properties configuration and cannot be edited. You can only select the implied rules and configure their position in the Rule Base:

• First - Applied first, before all other rules in the Rule Base - explicit or implied
• Last - Applied last, after all other rules in the Rule Base - explicit or implied, but before the Implicit Cleanup Rule
• Before Last - Applied before the last explicit rule in the Rule Base

Implied rules are configured to allow connections for different services that the Security Gateway uses. For example, the Accept Control Connections rules allow packets that control these services:

• Installation of the security policy on a Security Gateway
• Sending logs from a Security Gateway to the Security Management Server
• Connecting to third party application servers, such as RADIUS and TACACS authentication servers

Implicit cleanup rule

The default "catch-all" rule for the Layer that deals with traffic that does not match any explicit or implied rules in the Layer. It is made automatically when you create a Layer.

Implicit cleanup rules do not show in the Rule Base.

For R80.10 later version Security Gateways, the default implicit cleanup rule action is Drop. This is because most Policies have Whitelist rules (the Accept action). If the Layer has Blacklist rules (the Drop action), you can change the action of the implicit cleanup rule to Accept in the Layer Editor.

For R77.30 or earlier versions Security Gateways, the action of the implicit rule depends on the Ordered Layer:

• Drop - for the Network Layer
• Accept - for a Layer with Applications and URL Filtering enabled

Note - If you change the default values, the policy installation will fail on R77.30 or earlier versions Security Gateways.

Order in which the Firewall Applies the Rules

1. First Implied Rule - No explicit rules can be placed before it.
2. Explicit Rules - These are the rules that you create.
3. Before Last Implied Rules - Applied before the last explicit rule.
4. Last Explicit Rule - We recommend that you use a Cleanup rule as the last explicit rule.

   Note - If you use the Cleanup rule as the last explicit rule, the Last Implied Rule and the Implicit Cleanup Rule are not enforced.

5. Last Implied Rule - Remember that although this rule is applied after all other explicit and implied rules, the Implicit Cleanup Rule is still applied last.
6. Implicit Cleanup Rule - The default rule that is applied if none of the rules in the Layer match.

Configuring the Implied Rules

Some of the implied rules are enabled by default. You can change the default configuration as necessary.

To configure the implied rules:

1. In SmartConsole, select the Access Control Policy.
2. From the toolbar above the policy, select Actions > Implied Rules.

   The Implied Policy window opens.

3. In the left pane, click Configuration.
4. Select a rule to enable it, or clear a rule to disable it.
5. For the enabled rules, select the position of the rules in the Rule Base: First, Last, or Before Last.
6. Click OK and install the policy.

Showing the Implied Rules

To see the implied rules:

In SmartConsole, from the Security Policies View, select Actions > Implied Rules.

The Implied Policy window opens.

It shows only the implied rules, not the explicit rules.

Configuring the Implicit Cleanup Rule

To configure the Implicit Cleanup Rule:

1. In SmartConsole, click Menu > Manage Policies and Layers.
2. In the left pane, click Layers.
3. Select a Layer and click Edit.

   The Layer Editor opens.

4. Click Advanced
5. Configure the Implicit Cleanup Rule to Drop or Accept.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Close.
8. Publish the session.

Administrators for Access Control Layers

You can create administrator accounts dedicated to the role of Access Control, with their own installation and SmartConsole Read/Write permissions.

You can also delegate ownership of different Layers to different administrators.

Sharing Layers

You may need to use the same rules in different parts of a Policy, or have the same rules in multiple Policy packages.

There is no need to create the rules multiple times. Define an Ordered Layer or an Inline Layer one time, and mark it as shared. You can then reuse the Inline Layer or Ordered layer in multiple policy packages or use the Inline Layer in multiple places in an Ordered Layer. This is useful, for example, if you are an administrator of a corporation and want to share some of the rules among multiple branches of the corporation:

• It saves time and prevents mistakes.
• To change a shared rule in all of the corporation's branches, you must only make the change once.

To mark a Layer as shared:

1. In SmartConsole, click Menu > Manage policies and layers.
2. In the left pane, click Layers.
3. Select a Layer in Access Control or in Threat Prevention.
4. Right-click and select Edit Layer.
5. Configure the settings in the Layer Editor window.
6. In General, select Multiple policies and rules can use this layer.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Close.
9. Publish the session.

To reuse a Threat Prevention Ordered Layer:

1. In SmartConsole, go to Menu > Manage policies and layers > Policies.
2. Right-click the required policy and click Edit. The policy properties window opens.
3. In the Threat Prevention box, click the + sign.
4. Select the layer you want to include in this policy package.
5. Click OK.
6. Close the policy properties window.
7. Install Policy.
8. Repeat this procedure for all policy packages.

For examples of Inline Layers and Ordered Layer, see Unified Rule Base Use Cases.

Visual Division of the Rule Base with Sections

To better manage a policy with a large number of rules, you can use Sections to divide the Rule Base into smaller, logical components. The division is only visual and does not make it possible to delegate administration of different Sections to different administrators.

Exporting Layer Rules to a .CSV File

You can export Layer rules to a .csv file. You can open and change the .csv file in a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel.

To export Layer rules to a .csv file:

1. In SmartConsole, click Menu > Manage Policies and Layers.

   The Manage Layers window opens.

2. Click Layers.
3. Select a Layer, and then click Actions > Export selected Layer.
4. Enter a path and file name.

Managing Policies and Layers

To work with Ordered Layers and Inline Layers in the Access Control Policy, select Menu > Manage policies and layers in SmartConsole.

The Manage policies and layers window shows.

To see the Layer in the policy package and their attributes:

In the Layers pane of the window, you can see:

• Name - Layer name
• Number of Rules - Number of rules in the Layer
• Modifier- The administrator who last changed the Layer configuration.
• Last Modified - Date the Layer was changed.
• Show only Shared Layers - A shared Layer has the Multiple policies and rules can use this Layer option selected.
• Layer Details
  • Used in policies - Policy packages that use the Layer
  • Mode:
    • Ordered - An Ordered Layer. In a Multi-Domain Security Management environment, it includes global rules and a placeholder for local, Domain rules.
    • Inline - An Inline Layer, also known as a Sub-Policy.
    • Not in use - A Layer that is not used in a Policy package.

To see the rules in the Layer:

1. Select a Layer.
2. Right-click and select Open layer in policy.

The Columns of the Access Control Rule Base

These are the columns of the rules in the Access Control policy. Not all of these are shown by default. To select a column that does not show, right-click on the header of the Rule Base, and select it.

Column	Description
No.	Rule number in the Rule Base Layer.
Hits	Number of times that connections match a rule.
Name	Name that the system administrator gives this rule.
Source Destination	Network objects that define Where the traffic starts The destination of the traffic.
VPN	The VPN Community to which the rule applies.
Services & Applications	Services, Applications, Categories, and Sites. If Application & URL Filtering is not enabled, only Services show.
Content	The data asset to protect, for example, credit card numbers or medical records. You can set the direction of the data to Download Traffic (into the organization), Upload Traffic (out of the organization), or Any Direction.
Action	Action that is done when traffic matches the rule. Options include: Accept, Drop, Ask, Inform (UserCheck message), Inline Layer, and Reject.
Track	Tracking and logging action that is done when traffic matches the rule.
Install On	Network objects that will get the rule(s) of the policy.
Time	Time period that this rule is enforced.
Comment	An optional field that lets you summarize the rule.

Source and Destination Column

In the Source and Destination columns of the Access Control Policy Rule Base, you can add Network objects including groups of all types. Here are some of the network objects you can include:

• Network
• Host
• Zones
• Dynamic Objects
• Domain Objects
• Access Roles

To Learn More About Network Objects

You can add network objects to the Source and Destination columns of the Access Control Policy.

VPN Column

You can configure rules for Site-to-Site VPN, Remote Access VPN, and the Mobile Access portal and clients.

To make a rule for a VPN Community, add a Site-to-Site Community or a Remote Access VPN Community object to this column, or select Any to make the rule apply to all VPN Communities.

When you enable Mobile Access on a gateway, the gateway is automatically added to the RemoteAccess VPN Community. Include that Community in the VPN column of the rule or use Any to make the rule apply to Mobile Access gateways. If the gateway was removed from the VPN Community, the VPN column must contain Any.

IPsec VPN

The IPsec VPN solution lets the Security Gateway encrypt and decrypt traffic to and from other gateways and clients. Use SmartConsole to easily configure VPN connections between Security Gateways and remote devices.

For Site to Site Communities, you can configure Star and Mesh topologies for VPN networks, and include third-party gateways.

The VPN tunnel guarantees:

• Authenticity - Uses standard authentication methods
• Privacy - All VPN data is encrypted
• Integrity - Uses industry-standard integrity assurance methods

IKE and IPsec

The Check Point VPN solution uses these secure VPN protocols to manage encryption keys, and send encrypted packets. IKE (Internet Key Exchange) is a standard key management protocol that is used to create the VPN tunnels. IPsec is protocol that supports secure IP communications that are authenticated and encrypted on private or public networks.

Mobile Access to the Network

Check Point Mobile Access lets remote users easily and securely use the Internet to connect to internal networks. Remote users start a standard HTTPS request to the Mobile Access Security Gateway, and authenticate with one or more secure authentication methods.

The Mobile Access Portal lets mobile and remote workers connect easily and securely to critical resources over the internet. Check Point Mobile Apps enable secure encrypted communication from unmanaged smartphones and tablets to your corporate resources. Access can include internal apps, email, calendar, and contacts.

To include access to Mobile Access applications in the Rule Base, include the Mobile Application in the Services & Applications column.

To give access to resources through specified remote access clients, create Access Roles for the clients and include them in the Source column of a rule.

To Learn More About VPN

To learn more about Site to Site VPN and Remote Access VPN, see these guides:

• R80.10 Site to Site VPN Administration Guide
• R80.10 Remote Access VPN Administration Guide
• R80.10 Mobile Access Administration Guide

Services & Applications Column

In the Services & Applications column of the Access Control Rule Base, define the applications, sites, and services that are included in the rule. A rule can contain one or more:

• Services
• Applications
• Mobile Applications for Mobile Access
• Web sites
• Default categories of Internet traffic
• Custom groups or categories that you create, that are not included in the Check Point Application Database.

Service Matching

The Firewall identifies (matches) a service according to IP protocol, TCP and UDP port number, and protocol signature.

To make it possible for the Firewall to match services by protocol signature, you must enable Applications and URL Filtering on the Gateway and on the Ordered Layer.

You can configure TCP and UDP services to be matched by source port.

Application Matching

If an application is allowed in the policy, the rule is matched only on the Recommended services of the application. This default setting is more secure than allowing the application on all services. For example: a rule that allows Facebook, allows it only on the Application Control Web Browsing Services: http, https, HTTP_proxy, and HTTPS_proxy.

If an application is blocked in the policy, it is blocked on all services. It is therefore blocked on all ports.

You can change the default match settings for applications.

Configuring Matching for an Allowed Application

You can configure how a rule matches an application or category that is allowed in the policy. You can configure the rule to match the application in one of these ways:

• On any service
• On a specified service

To do this, change the Match Settings of the application or category. The application or category is changed everywhere that it is used in the policy.

To change the matched services for an allowed application or category:

1. In a rule which has applications or categories in the Services & Applications column, double-click an application or category.
2. Select Match Settings.
3. Select an option:
   • The default is Recommended services. The defaults for Web services are the Application Control Web Browsing Services.
   • To match the application with all services, click Any.
   • To match the application on specified services, click Customize, and add or remove services.
   • To match the application with all services and exclude specified services, click Customize, add the services to exclude, and select Negate.
4. Click OK.

Configuring Matching for Blocked Applications

By default, if an application is blocked in the policy, it is blocked on all services. It is therefore blocked on all ports.

You can configure the matching for blocked applications so that they are matched on the recommended services. For Web applications, the recommended services are the Application Control Web browsing services.

If the match settings of the application are configured to Customize, the blocked application is matched on the customized services service. It is not matched on all ports.

To configure matching for blocked applications:

1. In SmartConsole, go to Manage & Settings > Blades > Application & URL Filtering > Advanced Settings > Application Port Match
2. Configure Match application on ‘Any’ port when used in ‘Block’ rule:
   • Selected - This is the default. If an application is blocked in the Rule Base, the application is matched to Any port.
   • Not selected - If an application is blocked in the Rule Base, the application is matched to the services that are configured in the application object of the application. However, some applications are still matched on Any. These are applications (Skype, for example) that do not limit themselves to a standard set of services.

Summary of Application Matching in a "Block" Rule

Application - Match Setting	Checkbox: Match web application on 'Any' port when used in 'Block' rule	Blocked Application is Matched on Service
Recommended services (default)	Selected (default)	Any
Recommended services (default)	Not selected	Recommended services
Customize	Not relevant	Customized
Any	Not relevant	Any

Adding Services, Applications, and Sites to a rule

You can add services, applications and sites to a rule.

Note - Rules with applications or categories do not apply to connections from or to the Security Gateway.

To add services, applications or sites to a rule:

1. In the Security Policies view of SmartConsole, go to the Access Control Policy.
2. To add applications to a rule, select a Layer with Applications and URL Filtering enabled.
3. Right-click the Services & Applications cell for the rule and select Add New Items.
4. Search for the services, sites, applications, or categories.
5. Click the + next to the ones you want to add.

Creating Custom Applications, Categories, and Groups

You can create custom applications, categories or groups, which are not included in the Check Point Application Database.

To create a new application or site:

1. In the Security Policies view of SmartConsole, go to the Access Control Policy.
2. Select a Layer with Applications and URL Filtering enabled.
3. Right-click the Services & Applications cell for the rule and select Add New Items.

   The Application viewer window opens.

4. Click New > Custom Applications/Site > Application/Site.
5. Enter a name for the object.
6. Enter one or more URLs.

   If you used a regular expression in the URL, click URLs are defined as Regular Expressions.

   Note - If the application or site URL is defined as a regular expression you must use the correct syntax.

7. Click OK.

To create a custom category:

1. In the Security Policies view of SmartConsole, go to the Access Control Policy.
2. Select a Layer with Applications and URL Filtering enabled.
3. Right-click the Services & Applications cell for the rule and select Add New Items.

   The Application viewer window opens.

4. Click New > Custom Applications/Site > User Category.
5. Enter a name for the object.
6. Enter a description for the object.
7. Click OK.

Services and Applications on R80 and Lower Gateways, and after Upgrade

For R77.xx and lower Gateways:

• The Firewall matches TCP and UDP services by port number. The Firewall cannot match services by protocol signature.
• The Firewall matches applications by the application signature.

When you upgrade the Security Management Server and the Gateway to R80 and higher, this change of behavior occurs:

• Applications that were defined in the Application & URL Filtering Rule Base are accepted on their recommended ports

Content Column

You can add Data Types to the Content column of rules in the Access Control Policy.

To use the Content column, you must enable Content Awareness, in the General Properties page of the Security Gateway, and on the Layer.

A Data Type is a classification of data. The Firewall classifies incoming and outgoing traffic according to Data Types, and enforces the Policy accordingly.

You can set the direction of the data in the Policy to Download Traffic (into the organization), Upload Traffic (out of the organization), or Any Direction.

There are two kinds of Data Types: Content Types (classified by analyzing the file content) and File Types (classified by analyzing the file ID).

Content Type examples:

• PCI - credit card numbers
• HIPAA - Medical Records Number - MRN
• International Bank Account Numbers - IBAN
• Source Code - JAVA
• U.S. Social Security Numbers - According to SSA
• Salary Survey Terms

File type examples:

• Viewer File - PDF
• Executable file
• Database file
• Document file
• Presentation file
• Spreadsheet file

Note these limitations:

• Websocket content is not inspected.
• HTTP connections that are not RFC-compliant are not inspected.

To learn more about the Data Types, open the Data Type object in SmartConsole and press the ? button (or F1) to see the Help.

Note - Content Awareness and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) both use Data Types. However, they have different features and capabilities. They work independently, and the Security Gateway enforces them separately.

To learn more about DLP, see the R80.10 Data Loss Prevention Administration Guide.

Actions

Action		Meaning
Accept		Accepts the traffic
Drop		Drops the traffic. The Firewall does not send a response to the originating end of the connection and the connection eventually does a time-out. If no UserCheck object is defined for this action, no page is displayed.
Ask		Asks the user a question and adds a confirmatory check box, or a reason box. Uses a UserCheck object.
Inform			Sends a message to the user attempting to access the application or the content. Uses a UserCheck object.
To see these actions, right-click and select More:
Reject		Rejects the traffic. The Firewall sends an RST packet to the originating end of the connection and the connection is closed.
UserCheck Frequency		Configure how often the user sees the configured message when the action is ask, inform, or block.
Confirm UserCheck		Select the action that triggers a UserCheck message: Per rule - UserCheck message shows only once when traffic matches a rule. Per category - UserCheck message shows for each matching category in a rule. Per application/Site - UserCheck message shows for each matching application/site in a rule. Per Data type - UserCheck message shows for each matching data type.
Limit		Limits the bandwidth that is permitted for a rule. Add a Limit object to configure a maximum throughput for uploads and downloads.
Enable Identity Captive Portal		Redirects HTTP traffic to an authentication (captive) portal. After the user is authenticated, new connections from this source are inspected without requiring authentication.
	Important - A rule that drops traffic, with the Source and Destination parameters defined as Any, also drops traffic to and from the Captive Portal.

UserCheck Actions

UserCheck lets the Security Gateways send messages to users about possible non-compliant or dangerous Internet browsing. In the Access Control Policy, it works with URL Filtering, Application Control, and Content Awareness. (You can also use UserCheck in the Data Loss Prevention Policy, in SmartConsole). Create UserCheck objects and use them in the Rule Base, to communicate with the users. These actions use UserCheck objects:

• Inform
• Ask
• Drop

UserCheck on a Security Gateway

When UserCheck is enabled, the user's Internet browser shows the UserCheck messages in a new window.

You can enable UserCheck on Security Gateways that use:

• Access Control features:
  • Application Control
  • URL Filtering
  • Content Awareness
• Threat Prevention features:
  • Anti-Virus
  • Anti-Bot
  • Threat Emulation
  • Threat Extraction
• Data Loss Prevention

UserCheck on a computer

The UserCheck client is installed on endpoint computers. This client:

• Sends messages for applications that are not based on Internet browsers, such as Skype and iTunes, and Internet browser add-ons and plug-ins.
• Shows a message on the computer when it cannot be shown in the Internet browser.

To Learn More About UserCheck

To learn more about UserCheck, see the R80.10 Next Generation Security Gateway Guide.

Tracking Column

These are some of the Tracking options:

• None - Do not generate a log.
• Log - This is the default Track option. It shows all the information that the Security Gateway used to match the connection.
• Accounting - Select this to update the log at 10 minute intervals, to show how much data has passed in the connection: Upload bytes, Download bytes, and browse time.

To Learn More About Tracking

To learn more about Tracking options, see the R80.10 Logging and Monitoring Administration Guide.

Unified Rule Base Use Cases

Here are some use cases that show examples of rules that you can define for the Access Control Policy.

Use Cases In this section: Use Case - Application Control and Content Awareness Ordered Layer Use Case - Inline Layer for Web Traffic Use Case - Content Awareness Ordered Layer Use Case - Application & URL Filtering Ordered Layer

Use Case - Application Control and Content Awareness Ordered Layer

This use case shows an example unified Access Control Policy. It controls applications and content in one Ordered Layer.

No.	Name	Source	Destination	VPN	Services & Applications	Content	Action	Track
General compliance (1)
1	Block categories	Any	Internet	Any	Anonymizer Critical Risk	Any	Drop   Block Message	Log
Block risky executables (2)
2	Block download of executable files from uncategorized and high risk sites	InternalZone	Internet	Any	Uncategorized High Risk	Download Traffic   Executable File	Drop	Log
Credit card data (3-4)
3	Allow uploading of credit cards numbers, by finance, and only over HTTPS	Finance (Access Role)	Web Servers	Any	https	Upload Traffic   PCI – Credit Card Numbers	Accept	Log
4	Block other credit cards from company Web servers	Any	Web Servers	Any	Any	Any Direction   PCI – Credit Card Numbers	Drop	Log
Inform about sensitive data over VPN (5)
5	Inform the user about sensitive data from VPN sites	Any	Any	RemoteAccess	Any	Any Direction   Salary Survey Report	Inform	Log
cleanup (6)
6	Cleanup rule	Any	Any	Any	Any	Any	Accept	Log

Rule	Explanation
1	General Compliance section - Block access to unacceptable Web sites and applications.
2	Block risky executables section - Block downloading of high risk executable files.
3-4	Credit card data section - Allow uploading of credit cards numbers only by the finance department, and only over HTTPS. Block other credit cards.
5	Block sensitive data over VPN section - A remote user that connects over the organization's VPN sees an informational message.
6	cleanup rule - Accept all traffic that does not match one of the earlier rules.

Use Case - Inline Layer for Web Traffic

This use case shows an example Access Control Policy that controls Web traffic. The Web server rules are in an Inline Layer.

No	Name	Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Content	Action	Track
1	Headquarter WEB traffic - via proxy	HQ	Proxy	Web Proxy	Any	Ask Web Access Policy   Access Noti... once a day per applic...	Log
2	Allow Proxy to the Internet	Proxy	Internet	Web	Any	Accept	None
3	Allow local branch to access the internet directly	Local Branch	Internet	Web	Any	Ask   Web Access Policy   Access Noti... once a day per applic...	Log
4	Web Servers	InternalZone	Web Servers	Web	Any	Web Servers protection	N/A
4.1	Block browsing with unapproved browsers	Any	Any	NEGATED Google Chrome Internet Explorer 11 Firefox Safari	Any	Drop	Log
4.2	Inform user when uploading Credit Cards only over HTTPS	Any	Any	https	Upload Traffic PCI - Credit Card Numbers	Inform   Access Noti... once a day per applic...	Log
4.3	Block Credit Cards	Any	Any	Any	Any Direction PCI - Credit Card Numbers	Drop Block Message	Log
4.4	Block downloading of sensitive content	Any	Any	Any	Download Traffic HIPAA - Medical Record Headers	Drop	Log
4.5	Cleanup rule	Any	Any	Any	Any	Accept	None
5	Ask user when sending credit cards to PayPal	InternalZone	Internet	PayPal	Any Direction PCI - Credit Card Numbers	Ask Company Policy   Access Noti... once a day per applic...	Log
6	Cleanup rule	Any	Any	Any	Any	Drop	Log

Rule	Explanation
4	This is the parent rule of the Inline Layer. The Action is the name of the Inline Layer. If a packet matches on the parent rule, the matching continues to rule 4.1 of the Inline Layer. If a packet does not match on the parent rule, the matching continues to rule 5.
4.1 -4.4	If a packet matches on rule 4.1, the rule action is done on the packet, and no more rule matching is done. If a packet does not match on rule 4.1, continue to rule 4.2. The same logic applies to the remaining rules in the Inline Layer.
4.5	If none of the higher rules in the Ordered Layer match the packet, the explicit Cleanup Rule is applied. The Cleanup rule is a default explicit rule. You can change or delete it. We recommend that you have an explicit cleanup rule as the last rule in each Inline Layer and Ordered Layer.

Use Case - Content Awareness Ordered Layer

This use case shows a Policy that controls the upload and download of data from and to the organization.

There is an explanation of some of the rules below the Rule Base.

No	Name	Source	Destination		Services & Applications	Content	Action	Track
Regulatory compliance
1	Block the download of executable files	InternalZone	Internet		Any	Download Traffic Executable file	Drop	Log
2	Allow uploading of credit cards numbers by finance users, only over HTTPS	Finance (Access Role)	Web Servers		https	Upload Traffic   PCI – Credit Card Numbers	Accept	Log
3	Block other credit cards from company Web servers	InternalZone	Web Servers		Any	Any Direction   PCI – Credit Card Numbers	Drop   Block Message	Log
Personally Identifiable Information
4	Matches U.S. Social Security Numbers (SSN) allocated by the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).	InternalZone	Internet		Any	Upload Traffic   U.S. Social Security Numbers - According to SSA	Inform   Access Notifi... once a day per applicati...	Log
5	Block downloading of sensitive medical information	InternalZone	Internet		Any	Download Traffic   HIPAA – Medical Records Headers	Drop   Block Message	Log
Human Resources
6	Ask user when uploading documents containing salary survey reports.	InternalZone	Internet		Any	Upload Traffic   Salary Survey Report	Ask   Company Policy once a day per applicati...	Log
Intellectual Property
7	Matches data containing source code	InternalZone		Internet	Any	Any Direction Source Code	Restrict source code	N/A
7.1		Any	Any		Any	Download Traffic   Source Code	Accept	Log
7.2		Any	Any		Any	Upload Traffic   Source Code	Ask   Company Policy once a day per applicati...	Log
7.3	Cleanup Inline Layer	Any	Any		Any	Any	Drop   Block Message	Log

Rule	Explanation
1-3	Regulatory Compliance section - Control the upload and download of executable files and credit cards. You can set the direction of the Content. In rule 1 it is Download Traffic, in rule 2 it is Upload Traffic, and in rule 3 it is Any Direction. Rule 1 controls executable files, which are File Types. The File Type rule is higher in the Rule Base than rules with Content Types (Rules 2 to 7). This improves the efficiency of the Rule Base, because File Types are matched sooner than Content Types.
4-5	Personally Identifiable Information section - Controls the upload and download of social security number and medical records. The rule Action for rule 4 is Inform. When an internal user uploads a file with a social security number, the user sees a message.
6	Human resources section - controls the sending of salary survey information outside of the organization. The rule action is Ask. If sensitive content is detected, the user must confirm that the upload complies with the organization's policy.
7	Intellectual Property section - A group of rules that control how source code leaves the organization. Rule 7 is the parent rule of an Inline Layer. The Action is the name of the Inline Layer. If a packet matches on rule 7.1, matching stops. If a packet does not match on rule 7.1, continue to rule 7.2. In a similar way, if there is no match, continue to 7.3. The matching stops on the last rule of the Inline Layer. We recommend that you have an explicit cleanup rule as the last rule in each Inline Layer

Use Case - Application & URL Filtering Ordered Layer

This use case shows some examples of URL Filtering and Application Control rules for a typical policy that monitors and controls Internet browsing. (The Hits, VPN and Install On columns are not shown.)

No.	Name	Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Action	Track	Time
1	Liability sites	Any	Internet	Potential liability (group)	Drop Blocked Message	Log	Any
2	High risk applications	Any	Internet	High Risk iTunes Anonymizer (category)	Drop Blocked Message	Log	Any
3	Allow IT department Remote Admin	IT (Access Role)	Any	Radmin	Allow	Log	Work- Hours
4	Allow Facebook for HR	HR(Access Role)	Internet	Facebook	Allow Download_1Gbps	Log	Any
5	Block these categories	Any	Internet	Streaming Media Protocols Social Networking P2P File Sharing Remote Administration	Drop Blocked Message	Log	Any
6	Log all applications	Any	Internet	Any	Allow	Log	Any

Rule	Explanation
1	Liability sites- Blocks traffic to sites and applications in the custom Potential_liability group. The UserCheck Blocked Message is shown to users and explains why their traffic is blocked. Scenario: I want to block sites that are associated with categories that can cause liability issues. Most of these categories exist in the Application Database but there is also a custom defined site that must be included. How can I do this? You can do this by creating a custom group and adding all applicable categories and the site to it. If you enable Identity Awareness on a Security Gateway, you can use it together with URL Filtering to make rules that apply to an access role. Use access role objects to define users, machines, and network locations as one object. In this example: You have already created An Access Role that represents all identified users in the organization (Identified_Users). A custom application for a site named FreeMovies. You want to block sites that can cause liability issues for everyone within your organization. You will create a custom group that includes Application Database categories as well as the previously defined custom site named FreeMovies. To create a custom group: In the Object Explorer, click New > More > Custom Application/Site > Application/Site Group. Give the group a name. For example, Liability_Sites. Click + to add the group members: Search for and add the custom application FreeMovies. Select Categories, and add the ones you want to block (for example Anonymizer, Critical Risk, and Gambling) Click Close Click OK. You can now use the Liability_Sites group in the Access Control Rule Base. In the Rule Base, add a rule similar to this: In the Security Policies view of SmartConsole, go to the Access Control Policy. Source - The Identified_Users access role Destination - Internet Services & Applications - Liability_Sites Action - Drop Note - Applications are matched on their Recommended services, where each service runs on a specific port, such as the default Application Control Web Browsing Services: http, https, HTTP_proxy, and HTTPS_proxy. To change this see Changing Services for Applications and Categories.   Name Source Destination Services & Applications Action Track Block sites that may cause a liability Identified_Users Internet Liability_Sites Drop Log
2	High risk applications - Blocks traffic to sites and applications in the High Risk category and blocks the iTunes application. The UserCheck Block Message is shown to users and explains why their traffic is blocked.
3	Allow IT department Remote Admin - Allows the computers in the IT department network to use the Radmin application. Traffic that uses Radmin is allowed only during the Work-Hours (set to 8:00 through 18:30, for example).
4	Allow Facebook for HR - Allows computers in the HR network to use Facebook. The total traffic downloaded from Facebook is limited to 1 Gbps, there is no upload limit.
5	Block these categories - Blocks traffic to these categories: Streaming Media, Social Networking, P2P File Sharing, and Remote Administration. The UserCheck Blocked Message is shown to users and explains why their traffic is blocked. Note - The Remote Administration category blocks traffic that uses the Radmin application. If this rule is placed before rule 3, then this rule can also block Radmin for the IT department.
6	Log all applications- Logs all traffic that matches any of the URL Filtering and Application Control categories.

Rule Matching in the Access Control Policy

The Firewall determines the rule to apply to a connection. This is called matching a connection. Understanding how the firewall matches connections will help you:

• Get better performance from the Rule Base.
• Understand the logs that show a matched connection.

Examples of Rule Matching

These example Rule Bases show how the Firewall matches connections.

Note that these Rule Bases intentionally do not follow Best Practices for Access Control Rules. This is to make the explanations of rule matching clearer.

Rule Base Matching - Example 1

For this Rule Base:

No.	Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Content	Action
1	InternalZone	Internet	ftp-pasv	Download executable file	Drop
2	Any	Any	Any	Executable file	Accept
3	Any	Any	Gambling (Category)	Any	Drop
4	Any	Any	Any	Any	Accept

This is the matching procedure for an FTP connection:

Part of connection	Firewall action	Inspection result
SYN	Run the Rule Base: Look for the first rule that matches: Rule 1 – Match.	Final match (drop on rule 1). Shows in the log. The Firewall does not turn on the inspection engines for the other rules.

Rule Base Matching - Example 2

For this Rule Base:

No.	Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Content	Action
1	InternalZone	Internet	Any	Download executable file	Drop
2	Any	Any	Gambling (category)	Any	Drop
3	Any	Any	ftp	Any	Drop
4	Any	Any	Any	Any	Accept

This is the matching procedure when browsing to a file sharing Web site. Follow the rows from top to bottom. Follow each row from left to right:

Part of connection	Firewall action	Inspection result
SYN	Run the Rule Base. Look for the first rule that matches: Rule 1 - Possible match. Rule 2 - Possible match. Rule 3 - No match. Rule 4 - Match.	Possible match (Continue to inspect the connection).
HTTP Header	The Firewall turns on inspection engines to examine the data in the connection. In this example turn on the: URL Filtering engine – Is it a gambling site? Content Awareness engine - Is it an executable file?	Application: File sharing (category). Content: Don’t know yet.
	Optimize the Rule Base matching. Look for the first rule that matches: Rule 1 - Possible match. Rule 2 - No match. Rule 3 - No match. Rule 4 - Match.	Possible match (Continue to inspect the connection).
HTTP Body	Examine the file.	Data: PDF file.
	Optimize the Rule Base matching. Look for the first rule that matches: Rule 1 - No match. Rule 2 - No match. Rule 3 - No match. Rule 4 - Match.	Final match (accept on rule 4). Shows in the log.

Rule Base Matching - Example 3

For this Rule Base:

No.	Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Content	Action
1	InternalZone	Internet	Any	Download executable file	Drop
2	Any	Any	Gambling (Category)	Any	Drop
3	Any	Any	Any	Any	Accept

This is the matching procedure when downloading an executable file from a business Web site. Follow the rows from top to bottom. Follow each row from left to right:

Part of connection	Firewall action	Inspection result
SYN	Run the Rule Base. Look for the first rule that matches: Rule 1 – Possible match. Rule 2 – Possible match. Rule 3 – Match.	Possible match (Continue to inspect the connection).
HTTP Header	The Firewall turns on inspection engines to examine the content in the connection. In this example turn on the: URL Filtering engine – Is it a gambling site? Content Awareness engine - Is it an executable file?	Application: Business (Category). Content: Don’t know yet.
	Optimize the Rule Base matching. Look for the first rule that matches: Rule 1 – Possible match. Rule 2 – No match. Rule 3 – Match.	Possible match (Continue to inspect the connection).
HTTP Body	Examine the file.	Content: Executable file.
	Optimize the Rule Base matching. Look for the first rule that matches: Rule 1 – Match. Rule 2 – No match. Rule 3 – Match.	Final match (accept on rule 1). Shows in the log.

The matching examples show that:

• The Firewall sometimes runs the Rule Base more than one time. Each time it runs, the Firewall optimizes the matching, to find the first rule that applies to the connection.
• If the rule includes an application, or a site, or a service with a protocol signature (in the Application and Services column), or a Data Type (in the Content column), the Firewall:
  • Turns on one or more inspection engines.
  • Postpones making the final match decision until it has inspected the body of the connection.
• The Firewall searches for the first rule that applies to (matches) a connection. If the Firewall does not have all the information it needs to identify the matching rule, it continues to inspect the traffic.

Best Practices for Access Control Rules

1. Make sure you have these rules:
   • Stealth rule that prevents direct access to the Security Gateway
   • Cleanup rule that drops all traffic that is not allowed by the earlier rules in the policy.
2. Use Layers to add structure and hierarchy of rules in the Rule Base.
3. Add all rules that are based only on source and destination IP addresses and ports, in a Firewall/Network Ordered Layer at the top of the Rule Base.
4. Create Firewall/Network rules to explicitly accept safe traffic, and add an explicit cleanup rule at the bottom of the Ordered Layer to drop everything else.
5. Create an Application Control Ordered Layer after the Firewall/Network Ordered Layer. Add rules to explicitly drop unwanted or unsafe traffic. Add an explicit cleanup rule at the bottom of the Ordered Layer to accept everything else.

   Alternatively, put Application Control rules in an Inline Layer as part of the Firewall/Network rules. In the parent rule of the Inline Layer, define the Source and Destination.

6. Share Ordered Layers and Inline Layers when possible.
7. For R80.10 Gateways and higher: If you have one Ordered Layer for Firewall/Network rules, and another Ordered Layer for Application Control - Add all rules that examine applications, Data Type, or Mobile Access elements, to the Application Control Ordered Layer, or to an Ordered Layer after it.
8. Turn off XFF inspection, unless the gateway is behind a proxy server. For more, see: sk92839.
9. Disable a rule when working on it. Enable the rule when you want to use it. Disabled rules do not affect the performance of the Gateway. To disable a rule, right click in the No. column of the rule and select Disable.

Best Practices for Efficient rule Matching

1. Place rules that check the source, destination, and port (network rules) higher in the Rule Base.

   Reason: Network rules are matched sooner, and turn on fewer inspection engines.

2. Place rules that check applications and content (Data Types) below network rules.
3. Do not define a rule with Any in the Source and in the Destination, and with an Application or a Data Type. For example these rules are not recommended:

   Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Content
   Any	Any	Facebook
   Any	Any		Credit Card numbers

   Instead, define one of these recommended rules:

   Source	Destination	Services & Applications	Content
   Any	Internet	Facebook
   Any	Server		Credit Card numbers

   Reason for 2 and 3: Application Control and Content Awareness rules require content inspection. Therefore, they:

   • Allow the connection until the Firewall has inspected connection header and body.
   • May affect performance.
4. For rules with Data Types: Place rules that check File Types higher in the Rule Base than rules that check for Content Types.

   Reason: File Types are matched sooner than Content Types.

To see examples of some of these best practices, see the Unified Rule Base Use Cases and Creating a Basic Access Control Policy.

Installing the Access Control Policy

1. On the Global Toolbar, click Menu > Install Policy.

   The Install Policy window opens showing the Security Gateways.

2. If there is more than one Policy package: From the Policy drop-down list, select a policy package.
3. Select Access Control. You can also select other Policies.
4. If there is more than one gateway: Select the gateways on which to install the Policy.
5. Select the Install Mode:
   • Install on each selected gateway independently - Install the policy on each target gateway independently of others, so that if the installation fails on one of them, it doesn't affect the installation on the rest of the target gateways.

     Note - If you select For Gateway Clusters, if installation on a cluster member fails, do not install on that cluster, the Security Management Server makes sure that it can install the policy on all cluster members before it begins the installation. If the policy cannot be installed on one of the members, policy installation fails for all of them.

   • Install on all selected gateways, if it fails do not install on gateways of the same version - Install the policy on all the target gateways. If the policy fails to install on one of the gateways, the policy is not installed on other target gateways.
6. Click Install.

Analyzing the Rule Base Hit Count

Use the Hit Count feature to show the number of connections that each rule matches. Use the Hit Count data to:

• Analyze a Rule Base - You can delete rules that have no matching connections

  Note - If you see a rule with a zero hit count it only means that in the Security Gateways enabled with Hit Count there were no matching connections. There can be matching connections on other Security Gateways.

• Better understand the behavior of the Access Control Policy

You can show Hit Count for the rules in these options:

• The percentage of the rule hits from total hits
• The indicator level (very high, high, medium, low, or zero)

These options are configured in the Access Control Policy Rule Base and also changes how Hit Count is shown in other supported Software Blades.

When you enable Hit Count, the Security Management Server collects the data from supported Security Gateways (from version R75.40 and up). Hit Count works independently from logging and tracks the hits even if the Track option is None.

Enabling or Disabling Hit Count

By default, Hit Count is globally enabled for all supported Security Gateways (from R75.40). The timeframe setting that defines the data collection time range is configured globally. If necessary, you can disable Hit Count for one or more Security Gateways.

After you enable or disable Hit Count you must install the Policy for the Security Gateway to start or stop collecting data.

To enable or disable Hit Count globally:

1. In SmartConsole, click Menu > Global properties.
2. Select Hit Count from the tree.
3. Select the options:
   • Enable Hit Count - Select to enable or clear to disable all Security Gateways to monitor the number of connections each rule matches.
   • Keep Hit Count data up to - Select one of the time range options. The default is 3 months. Data is kept in the Security Management Server database for this period and is shown in the Hits column.
4. Click OK.
5. Install the Policy.

To enable or disable Hit Count on each Security Gateway:

1. From the Gateway Properties for the Security Gateway, select Hit Count from the navigation tree.
2. Select Enable Hit Count to enable the feature or clear it to disable Hit Count.
3. Click OK.
4. Install the Policy.

Configuring the Hit Count Display

These are the options you can configure for how matched connection data is shown in the Hits column:

• Value - Shows the number of matched hits for the rule from supported Security Gateways. Connection hits are not accumulated in the total hit count for:
  • Security Gateways that are not supported
  • Security Gateways that have disabled the hit count feature

  The values are shown with these letter abbreviations:

  • K = 1,000
  • M = 1,000,000
  • G = 1,000,000,000
  • T = 1,000,000,000,000

  For example, 259K represents 259 thousand connections and 2M represents 2 million connections.

• Percentage - Shows the percentage of the number of matched hits for the rule from the total number of matched connections. The percentage is rounded to a tenth of a percent.
• Level - The hit count level is a label for the range of hits according to the table.

  The hit count range = Maximum hit value - Minimum hit value (does not include zero hits)

  Hit Count Level	Icon	Range
  Zero		0 hits
  Low		Less than 10 percent of the hit count range
  Medium		Between 10 - 70 percent of the hit count range
  High		Between 70 - 90 percent of the hit count range
  Very High		Above 90 percent of the hit count range

To show the Hit Count in the Rule Base:

Right-click the heading row of the Rule Base and select Hits.

To configure the Hit Count in a rule:

1. Right-click the rule number of the rule.
2. Select Hit Count and one of these options (you can repeat this action to configure more options):
   • Timeframe - Select All, 1 day, 7 days, 1 month, or 3 months
   • Display - Select Percentage, Value, or Level

To update the Hit Count in a rule:

1. Right-click the rule number of the rule.
2. Select Hit Count > Refresh.

Preventing IP Spoofing

IP spoofing replaces the untrusted source IP address with a fake, trusted one, to hijack connections to your network. Attackers use IP spoofing to send malware and bots to your protected network, to execute DoS attacks, or to gain unauthorized access.

Anti-Spoofing detects if a packet with an IP address that is behind a certain interface, arrives from a different interface. For example, if a packet from an external network has an internal IP address, Anti-Spoofing blocks that packet.

Example:

The diagram shows a Gateway with interfaces 2 and 3, and 4, and some example networks behind the interfaces.

For the Gateway, anti-spoofing makes sure that

• All incoming packets to 2 come from the Internet (1)
• All incoming packets to 3 come from 192.168.33.0
• All incoming packets to 4 come from 192.0.2.0 or 10.10.10.0

If an incoming packet to B has a source IP address in network 192.168.33.0, the packet is blocked, because the source address is spoofed.

When you configure Anti-Spoofing protection on a Check Point Security Gateway interface, the Anti-Spoofing is done based on the interface topology. The interface topology defines where the interface Leads To (for example, External (Internet) or Internal), and the Security Zone of interface.

Configuring Anti-Spoofing

Make sure to configure Anti-Spoofing protection on all the interfaces of the Security Gateway, including internal interfaces.

To configure Anti-Spoofing for an interface:

1. In SmartConsole, go to Gateways & Servers and double-click the Gateway object.

   The General Properties window of the Gateway opens.

2. From the navigation tree, select Network Management.
3. Click Get Interfaces.
4. Click Accept.

   The gateway network topology shows. If SmartConsole fails to automatically retrieve the topology, make sure that the details in the General Properties section are correct and the Security Gateway, the Security Management Server, and the SmartConsole can communicate with each other.

5. Select an interface and click Edit.

   The Interface properties window opens.

6. From the navigation tree, select General.
7. In the Topology section of the page, click Modify.

   The Topology Settings window opens.

8. Select the type of network that the interface Leads To:
   • Internet (External) or This Network (Internal) - This is the default setting. It is automatically calculated from the topology of the gateway. To update the topology of an internal network after changes to static routes, click Network Management > Get Interfaces in the General Properties window of the gateway.
   • Override - Override the default setting.

   If you Override the default setting:

   • Internet (External) - All external/Internet addresses
   • This Network (Internal) -
     • Not Defined - All IP addresses behind this interface are considered a part of the internal network that connects to this interface
     • Network defined by the interface IP and Net Mask - Only the network that directly connects to this internal interface
     • Specific - A specific network object (a network, a host, an address range, or a network group) behind this internal interface
     • Interface leads to DMZ - The DMZ that directly connects to this internal interface
9. Optional: In the Security Zone section, choose the zone of the interface.
10. Configure Anti-Spoofing options. Make sure that Perform Anti-Spoofing based on interface topology is selected.
11. Select an Anti-Spoofing action:
    • Prevent - Drops spoofed packets
    • Detect - Allows spoofed packets. To monitor traffic and to learn about the network topology without dropping packets, select this option together with the Spoof Tracking Log option.
12. Configure Anti-Spoofing exceptions (optional). For example, configure addresses, from which packets are not inspected by Anti-Spoofing:
    1. Select Don't check packets from.
    2. Select an object from the drop-down list, or click New to create a new object.
13. Configure Spoof Tracking - select the tracking action that is done when spoofed packets are detected:
    • Log - Create a log entry (default)
    • Alert - Show an alert
    • None - Do not log or alert
14. Click OK twice to save Anti-Spoofing settings for the interface.

For each interface, repeat the configuration steps. When finished, install the policy.

Anti-Spoofing Options

• Perform Anti-Spoofing based on interface topology - Select this option to enable spoofing protection on this external interface.
• Anti-Spoofing action is set to - Select this option to define if packets will be rejected (the Prevent option) or whether the packets will be monitored (the Detect option). The Detect option is used for monitoring purposes and should be used in conjunction with one of the tracking options. It serves as a tool for learning the topology of a network without actually preventing packets from passing.
• Don't check packets from - Select this option to make sure anti-spoofing does not take place for traffic from internal networks that reaches the external interface. Define a network object that represents those internal networks with valid addresses, and from the drop-down list, select that network object. The anti-spoofing enforcement mechanism disregards objects selected in the Don't check packets from drop-down menu.
• Spoof Tracking - Select a tracking option.