The WildFire
Analysis
Environment identifies previously unknown malware and generates
signatures that Palo Alto Networks firewalls can use to then detect
and block the malware. When a Palo Alto Networks firewall detects
an unknown sample (a file or a link included in an email), the firewall
can automatically forward the sample for WildFire analysis. Based
on the properties, behaviors, and activities the sample displays
when analyzed and executed in the WildFire sandbox, WildFire determines the
sample to be benign, grayware, phishing, or malicious. WildFire
then generates signatures to recognize the newly-discovered malware,
and makes the latest signatures globally available for retrieval
in real-time. All Palo Alto Networks firewalls can then compare incoming
samples against these signatures to automatically block the malware
first detected by a single firewall.The following workflow describes
the WildFire process lifecycle from when a user downloads a file
carrying an advanced VM-aware payload to the point where WildFire
generates a signature package used by Palo Alto Networks firewalls
to protect against future exposure to malware.