>
    Security Profile: File Blocking
    Focus
    Download PDF
    Focus
    1. Home
    2. Network Security
    3. Network Security: Security Policy
    4. Security Profiles
    5. Security Profile: File Blocking
    Download PDF
    Network Security

    Security Profile: File Blocking

    Table of Contents

    Security Profile: File Blocking

    Identify specific file types that you want to want to block or monitor.
    Where Can I Use This?
    What Do I Need?
    • NGFW (Cloud Managed)
    • NGFW (PAN-OS & Panorama Managed)
    • Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager)
    • Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama)
    Check for any license or role requirements for the products you're using.
    File Blocking profiles allow you to identify specific file types that you want to want to block or monitor. For most traffic (including traffic on your internal network), block files that are known to carry threats or that have no real use case for upload/download. Currently, these include batch files, DLLs, Java class files, help files, Windows shortcuts (.lnk), and BitTorrent files. Additionally, to provide drive-by download protection, allow download/upload of executables and archive files (.zip and .rar), but force users to acknowledge that they are transferring a file so that they notice that the browser is attempting to download something they were not aware of. For security rules that allow general web browsing, be stricter with your file blocking because the risk of users unknowingly downloading malicious files is much higher. For this type of traffic, attach a more strict file blocking profile that also blocks portable executable (PE) files.
    You can define your own custom File Blocking profiles or choose one of the following predefined profiles when applying file blocking to a Security rule. You can clone and edit the predefined profiles, which are available with content release version 653 and later, and then follow File Blocking profile safe transition steps to preserve application availability as you transition to best practice file blocking settings:
    • basic file blocking
      —Attach this profile to the Security security rules that allow traffic to and from less sensitive applications to block files that are commonly included in malware attack campaigns or that have no real use case for upload/download. This profile blocks upload and download of PE files (.scr, .cpl, .dll, .ocx, .pif, .exe), Java files (.class, .jar), Help files (.chm, .hlp) and other potentially malicious file types, including .vbe, .hta, .wsf, .torrent, .7z, .rar, .bat. Additionally, it prompts users to acknowledge when they attempt to download encrypted-rar or encrypted-zip files. This rule alerts on all other file types to give you complete visibility into all file types coming in and out of your network.
    • strict file blocking
      —Use this stricter profile on the Security rules that allow access to your most sensitive applications. This profile blocks the same file types as the other profile, and additionally blocks flash, .tar, multi-level encoding, .cab, .msi, encrypted-rar, and encrypted-zip files.
    These predefined profiles are designed to provide the most secure posture for your network. However, if you have business-critical applications that rely on some of the applications that are blocked in these default profiles, you can clone the profiles and modify them as necessary. Make sure you only use the modified profiles for those users who need to upload and/or download a risky file type. Additionally, to reduce your attack surface, make sure you are using other security measures to ensure that the files your users are uploading and downloading do not pose a threat to your organization. For example, if you must allow download of PE files, make sure you are sending all unknown PE files to WildFire for analysis. Additionally, maintain a strict URL filtering policy to ensure that users cannot download content from web sites that have been known to host malicious content.
    Configure a file blocking profile with the following actions:
    • Alert
      —When the specified file type is detected, a log is generated in the data filtering log.
    • Block
      —When the specified file type is detected, the file is blocked and a customizable block page is presented to the user. A log is also generated in the data filtering log.
    • Continue
      —When the specified file type is detected, a customizable response page is presented to the user. The user can click through the page to download the file. A log is also generated in the data filtering log. Because this type of forwarding action requires user interaction, it's only applicable for web traffic.

    Configure a File Blocking Profile

    Recommended For You

    © 2024 Palo Alto Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.