Host Firewall
Control communications on your endpoints based on the
network location of your device by using the Cortex XDR host firewall
The Cortex XDR host firewall enables you to
control communications on your endpoints. To use the host firewall,
you set rules that allow or block the traffic on the devices and
apply them to your endpoints using Cortex XDR host firewall policy
rules. Additionally, you can configure different sets of rules based
on the current location of your endpoints - within or outside your
organization network. The Cortex XDR host firewall rules leverage
the operating system firewall APIs and enforce them on your endpoints
only, they do not update your Windows or Mac firewall settings.
The
following are prerequisites to apply Cortex XDR host firewall policy
rules on your endpoints:
Platform | Requirements and Limitations |
---|---|
Windows |
|
Mac |
|
Linux | Not supported. |
To configure the Cortex XDR host firewall in
your network, follow this high-level workflow:
Enable Network Location Configuration
If you want to apply location based host firewall
rules, you must first enable network location configuration in your Agent Settings Profile.
When
enabled, Cortex XDR performs the following to determine the endpoint
location:
- A domain controller (DC) connectivity test to check whether the device is connected to the internal network or not. If the device has access toLDAP://rootDSEthen it is in the organization. Otherwise, if the DC test failed or returned an external domain, Cortex XDR proceeds to a DNS connectivity test.
- In the DNS test, the Cortex XDR agent submits a DNS name that is known only to the internal network. If the DNS returned the pre-configured internal IP, then the device is within the organization. Otherwise, if the DNS IP cannot be resolved, then the device is located outside.
In every heartbeat, and if the
Cortex XDR agent detects a network change on the endpoint, the agent
triggers the device location test and re-calculates the policy according
to the new location.
Add a New Host Firewall Profile
- Log in to Cortex XDR.Go toand selectEndpointsPolicy ManagementExtensions Profiles. Select the+ New ProfilePlatformand clickHost FirewallNext
- Fill-in the general information for the new profile.
- Assign a name and an optional description to the profile.
- By default, host firewall profile rules are based on the current location of your device. Configure two sets of rules: a set ofExternal Rulesthat apply when the device is located outside the internal organization network, and a set ofInternal Rulesthat apply when the device is located within the internal organization network. If you disable theLocation Basedoption, your policy will apply the internal set of rules only, and that will be applied to the device regardless of its location.
- Create host firewall rules.For Windows:Click+New Rule. A host firewall rule allows or blocks the communication to and/or from a Windows endpoint. You can fine tune the rule by applying the action to the following parameters:
- Action—Select whether toAlloworBlockthe communication on the endpoint.
- Specific IPs and Ports—(Optional) Configure the rule for specific local or remote IPs and/or Ports. You can also set a range of IP addresses.
- Direction—Select the direction of the communication this rule applies to:
- Inbound—Communication to the endpoint.
- Outbound—Communication from the endpoint.
- Both—The rule applies to both inbound and outbound communication.
- Protocol—(Optional) Select a specific protocol you want this rule to apply to.
- Path—(Optional) Enter the full path and name of a program you want the rule to apply to. If you use system variables in the path definition, you must re-enforce the policy on the endpoint every time the directories and/or system variables on the endpoint change.
If the profile is location based, you can define both internal and external rules. You can also copy a rule from one set to another.For Mac:- Enable Host Firewall Management.Enable this option to allow Cortex XDR to manage the host firewall on your Mac endpoints.
- Configure the host firewall internal and external settings.The host firewall settings allow or block inbound communication on your Mac endpoints. You can fine tune the rule by applying the action to the following parameters:
- Enable stealth mode—Hide your mac endpoint from all TCP and UDP networks by enabling the Apple Stealth mode on your endpoint.
- Block all incoming connections—Select where to block all incoming communications on the endpoint or not.
- Application exclusions—Allow or block specific programs running on the endpoint using Apple BundleID.
If the profile is location based, you can define both internal and external settings.
- Save your profile.When you’re done,Createyour host firewall profile.
Apply Host Firewall Profiles to Your Endpoints
After you defined the required host firewall
profiles, you must configure the Protection Policies and enforce
them on your endpoints. Cortex XDR applies Protection policies on endpoints
from top to bottom, as you’ve ordered them on the page. The first
policy that matches the endpoint is applied. If no policies match,
the default policy that enables all communication to and form the
endpoint is applied.
- Log in to Cortex XDR.Go to.EndpointsPolicy ManagementExtensions Policy Rules+New Policy
- Configure settings for the host firewall policy.
- Assign a policy name and optional description.The platform will automatically be assigned to Windows.
- Assign the host firewall profile you want to use in this rule.
- If desired, assignDevice Configurationand/orDevice Exceptionsand orHost Firewallprofiles. If none are assigned, the default profiles will be applied.
- ClickNext.
- Select the target endpoints on which to enforce the policy.Use filters or manual endpoint selection to define the exact target endpoints of the policy rules.
- ClickDone.
Alternatively, you can associate the host firewall profile to an existing policy. Right-click the policy and selectEdit. Select theHost Firewallprofile and clickNext. If needed, you can edit other settings in the rule (such as target endpoints, description, etc.) When you’re done, clickDone - Configure policy hierarchy.Drag and drop the policies in the desired order of execution.
- Savethe policy hierarchy.After the policy is saved and applied to the agents, Cortex XDR enforces the host firewall policies on your environment.
Monitor the Host Firewall Activity on your Endpoint
T to view only the communication events on
the endpoint to which the Cortex XDR host firewall rules were applied,
you can run the
Cytool firewall show
command.Additionally,
to monitor the communication on your endpoint, you can use the following
operating system utilities:
- Windows—Since the Cortex XDR Host Firewall leverages the Microsoft Windows Filtering Platform (WFP), you can use a monitoring tool such as Network Shell (netsh), the Microsoft Windows command-line utility to monitor the network communication on the endpoint.
- Mac—From the endpoint, you can view the list of blocked and allowed applications in the firewall. The Cortex XDR host firewall blocks only incoming communications on Mac endpoints, still allowing outbound communication initiated from the endpoint.System PreferencesSecurity and PrivacyFirewallFirewall options
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