Palo Alto Networks Firewall Essentials: Configuration and Management Training Course

Introduction

• Overview of the Palo Alto Networks portfolio and architecture for government use
• Detailed firewall architecture for enhanced security in public sector environments

Getting Started

• Initial configuration of firewall settings to ensure secure operations for government networks
• Configuration of management network settings to support administrative tasks for government IT staff
• Activation procedures for deploying firewalls in government agencies
• Management of licenses and software updates for ongoing security and compliance for government systems

Managing Firewall Configurations

• Best practices for managing firewall configurations to maintain robust security for government networks
• Methods for viewing and monitoring firewall logs to ensure continuous oversight and incident response for government operations

Managing Firewall Administrator Accounts

• Strategies for managing firewall authentication and authorization to protect sensitive government data
• Steps to create a local firewall administrator account for secure access management in government agencies
• Procedures for creating a non-local firewall administrator account to support remote administration for government IT teams
• Guidelines for creating a firewall administrator account for non-interactive login to automate processes in government systems

Connecting the Firewall to Production Networks

• Techniques for blocking threats through network segmentation to enhance security for government networks
• Usage of network interfaces and security zones to manage traffic flow and access control for government operations
• Configuration of Layer 3 interfaces and sub-interfaces to support complex network architectures in government agencies
• Deployment of virtual wire interfaces to simplify network connectivity for government environments
• Utilization of tap interfaces for monitoring and analysis in government networks
• Implementation of virtual routers to route traffic efficiently in government systems
• Use of loopback interfaces for testing and management purposes in government IT infrastructure

Managing Security Policy Rules

• Procedures for creating and managing security policy rules to protect against various threats for government networks
• Creation and management of NAT policy rules to control network traffic flow for government operations
• Control of application usage using app-ID technology to ensure compliance with government policies

Blocking Threats

• Strategies for blocking threats using security and NAT policies to safeguard government data
• Prevention of packet- and protocol-based attacks through advanced firewall configurations for government networks
• Identification and blocking of threats from known bad sources to protect government systems
• Threat mitigation by identifying and controlling applications to prevent unauthorized access in government environments
• Blocking threats by identifying users to ensure accountability and compliance with government regulations
• Prevention of threats by identifying devices connected to government networks
• Detection and blocking of unknown threats using advanced threat intelligence for government operations
• Protection against threats in encrypted traffic through decryption capabilities for government security
• Prevention of usage of stolen credentials to secure government accounts
• Threat prevention using security profiles tailored for government needs
• Blocking inappropriate web traffic with URL filtering to ensure a safe and compliant online environment for government users
• Use of decryption techniques to identify and block threats in encrypted traffic for enhanced government security

Threat and Traffic Information

• Methods for locating valuable information using logs and reports to support incident response and compliance for government agencies
• Forwarding threat and traffic information to external services for comprehensive threat intelligence and reporting in government operations

Security Best Practices

Summary and Next Steps