Configure Inline Categorization (PAN-OS 10.2 & Later)

1. Log in to the PAN-OS web interface.
2. To take advantage of inline categorization, you must have an active Advanced URL Filtering subscription.

   Local inline categorization can be enabled if you are a pre-existing holder of a legacy URL Filtering subscription.

   Verify that you have an Advanced URL Filtering subscription. To verify subscriptions for which you have currently-active licenses, select DeviceLicenses and verify that the appropriate licenses are available and have not expired.

3. Update or create a new URL Filtering profile to enable cloud inline categorization.

   The policy action used by local and cloud inline categorization is dependent on the configured settings under the Categories tab.

   1. Select an existing URL Filtering Profile or Add a new one (ObjectsSecurity ProfilesURL Filtering).
   2. Select your URL Filtering profile and then go to Inline Categorization and enable the inline categorization methods you want to deploy.
      • Enable cloud inline categorization—A cloud-based inline deep learning engine that analyzes suspicious web page content in real-time to protect users against zero-day web attacks, including targeted phishing attacks, and other web-based attacks that use advanced evasion techniques.
      • Enable local inline categorization—A firewall-based detection engine using machine learning techniques to prevent malicious variants of JavaScript exploits and phishing attacks embedded in webpages.
   3. Click OK and Commit your changes.
4. (Optional) Add URL exceptions to your URL Filtering profile if you encounter false-positives. You can add exceptions by specifying an external dynamic list or custom URL category list in the URL Filtering profile. The specified exceptions apply to both cloud and local inline categorization.

   URL exceptions created through other mechanisms that add entries to the custom URL category (ObjectsCustom ObjectsURL Category)

   can also function as exceptions for inline categorization.

   1. Select Objects > Security Profiles > URL Filtering.
   2. Select a URL Filtering profile for which you want to exclude specific URLs, then select Inline Categorization.
   3. Click Add to select a pre-existing URL-based external dynamic list or custom URL category. If none is available, create a new external dynamic list or custom URL category, respectively.
   4. Click OK to save the URL Filtering profile.
   5. Commit your changes.
5. (Required when the firewall is deployed with an explicit proxy server) Configure the proxy server used to access the servers that facilitate requests generated by all configured inline cloud analysis features. A single proxy server can be specified and applies to all Palo Alto Networks update services, including all configured inline cloud and logging services.

   1. (PAN-OS 11.2.3 and later) Configure the proxy server through PAN-OS.

      1. Select Device Setup Services and edit the Services details.
      2. Specify the Proxy Server settings and Enable proxy for Inline Cloud Services. You can provide either an IP address or FQDN in the Server field.
         The proxy server password must contain a minimum of seven characters.
      3. Click OK.
   2. (For the following releases only: PAN-OS 10.2.11 and later and PAN-OS 11.1.5 and later) Configure the proxy server through the firewall CLI.

      1. Access the firewall CLI.
      2. Configure the base proxy server settings using the following CLI commands:

         set deviceconfig system secure-proxy-server <FQDN_or_IP>
         set deviceconfig system secure-proxy-port <1-65535>
         set deviceconfig system secure-proxy-user <value>
         set deviceconfig system secure-proxy-password <value>

         The proxy server password must contain a minimum of seven characters.
      3. Enable the proxy server to send requests to the inline cloud service servers using the following CLI command:

         debug dataplane mica set inline-cloud-proxy enable

      4. View the current operational status of proxy support for inline cloud services using the following CLI command:

         debug dataplane mica show inline-cloud-proxy

         For example:

         debug dataplane mica show inline-cloud-proxy
         
         Proxy for Advanced Services is Disabled

6. (Optional) Set the Cloud Content Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) used by the firewall to handle inline categorization service requests. The default FQDN connects to hawkeye.services-edge.paloaltonetworks.com and then resolves to the closest cloud services server. You can override the automatic server selection by specifying a regional cloud content server that best meets your data residency and performance requirements.

   The Cloud Content FQDN is a globally used resource and affects how other services that rely on this connection sends traffic payloads.

   Verify that the firewall uses the correct Content Cloud FQDN (DeviceSetupContent-IDContent Cloud Setting) for your region and change the FQDN if necessary:

   • US—us.hawkeye.services-edge.paloaltonetworks.com
   • EU—eu.hawkeye.services-edge.paloaltonetworks.com
   • UK—uk.hawkeye.services-edge.paloaltonetworks.com

     The UK-based cloud content FQDN provides Advanced URL Filtering inline categorization service support by connecting to the backend service located in the EU (eu.hawkeye.services-edge.paloaltonetworks.com).
   • APAC—apac.hawkeye.services-edge.paloaltonetworks.com
7. (Optional) Verify the status of your firewall’s connectivity to the inline categorization servers.

   1. The ml.service.paloaltonetworks.com server provides periodic updates for firewall-based components related to the operation of cloud and local inline categorization.

      Use the following CLI command on the firewall to view the connection status.

      show mlav cloud-status 

      For example:

      show mlav cloud-status
      
      MLAV cloud
      Current cloud server:          ml.service.paloaltonetworks.com
      Cloud connection:              connected

      If you are unable to connect to the inline ML cloud service, verify that the following domain is not being blocked: ml.service.paloaltonetworks.com.
   2. The hawkeye.services-edge.paloaltonetworks.com server is used by cloud inline categorization to handle service requests.

      Use the following CLI command on the firewall to view the connection status.

      show ctd-agent status security-client 

      For example:

      show ctd-agent status security-client
      
      ...
      Security Client AceMlc2(1)
      Current cloud server:          hawkeye.services-edge.paloaltonetworks.com
      Cloud connection:              connected
      ...

      CLI output shortened for brevity.

      If you are unable to connect to the Advanced URL Filtering cloud service, verify that the following domain is not being blocked: hawkeye.services-edge.paloaltonetworks.com.
8. Install an updated firewall device certificate used to authenticate to the Advanced URL Filtering cloud service. Repeat for all firewalls enabled for cloud inline categorization.
9. Test your URL filtering deployment.