Advanced Threat Prevention: Inline Cloud Analysis
Table of Contents
Advanced Threat Prevention: Inline Cloud Analysis
Palo Alto Networks now operates a series of
ML-based detection engines in the Advanced Threat Prevention cloud
to analyze traffic for advanced C2 (command-and-control) and spyware
threats in real-time to protect users against zero-day threats.
By operating cloud-based detection engines, you can access a wide array
of detection mechanisms that are updated and deployed automatically
without requiring the user to download update packages or operate
process intensive, firewall-based analyzers which can sap resources.
The cloud-based detection engine logic is continuously monitored
and updated using C2 traffic datasets from WildFire, with additional
support through manual updates by Palo Alto Networks threat researchers,
who provide human intervention for highly accurized detection enhancements.
Inline cloud analysis supports five analysis engines for C2-based
threats over HTTP, HTTP2, SSL, unknown-UDP, and unknown-TCP. Additional
analysis models are delivered through content updates, however,
enhancements to existing models are performed as a cloud-side update,
requiring no firewall update. Inline cloud analysis is enabled and
configured using the anti-spyware profile and requires an active
Advanced Threat Prevention license.
- To take advantage of inline categorization, you must have an active Advanced Threat Prevention subscription.To verify subscriptions for which you have currently-active licenses, select and verify that the appropriate licenses are available and have not expired.
- Update or create a new Anti-Spyware Security profile to enable inline cloud analysis.
- Select an existingAnti-Spyware ProfileorAdda new one ().
- Select your Anti-Spyware profile and then go toInline Cloud AnalysisandEnable inline cloud analysis.
- Specify anActionto take when a threat is detected using a corresponding analysis engine. The following options are available:The default action for each analysis engine isalert.
- Allow—The request is allowed and no log entry is generated.
- Alert—The request is allowed and a Threat log entry is generated.
- Drop—Drops the request; a reset action is not sent to the host/application.
- Reset-Client—Resets the client-side connection.
- Reset-Server—Resets the server-side connection.
- Reset-Both—Resets the connection on both the client and server ends.
- ClickOKto exit the Anti-Spyware Profile configuration dialog andCommityour changes.
- Install an updated firewall device certificate used to authenticate to the Advanced Threat Prevention inline cloud analysis service. Repeat for all firewalls enabled for inline cloud analysis.
For additional information about configuring inline Cloud
Analysis, including adding exceptions, verifying connectivity to
the service, and monitoring details, refer to Configure Inline Cloud Analysis.