Intra-Data-Center Traffic Security Approach
Table of Contents
10.0 (EoL)
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- What Is a Data Center Best Practice Security Policy?
- Why Do I Need a Data Center Best Practice Security Policy?
- Data Center Best Practice Methodology
- How Do I Deploy a Data Center Best Practice Security Policy?
- How to Assess Your Data Center
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- Create the Data Center Best Practice Antivirus Profile
- Create the Data Center Best Practice Anti-Spyware Profile
- Create the Data Center Best Practice Vulnerability Protection Profile
- Create the Data Center Best Practice File Blocking Profile
- Create the Data Center Best Practice WildFire Analysis Profile
- Use Cortex XDR Agent to Protect Data Center Endpoints
- Create Data Center Traffic Block Rules
- Order the Data Center Security Policy Rulebase
- Maintain the Data Center Best Practice Rulebase
- Use Palo Alto Networks Assessment and Review Tools
End-of-Life (EoL)
Intra-Data-Center Traffic Security Approach
Learn the risks of the traditional approach to securing
traffic flowing between data center servers (east-west traffic)
and how the best practice approach mitigates those risks.
The traditional legacy approach to securing east-west
traffic between data center servers leaves valuable assets exposed
to risk, while the best practice approach protects your valuable
assets.
| The Traditional Approach | Risk | The Best Practice Approach |
|---|---|---|
You don’t need to segment traffic that doesn’t cross
the data center perimeter so traffic between application tiers doesn’t
need to pass through the security infrastructure. | An attacker who compromises any data center server can move laterally to critical data center servers and repurpose them. Attackers inside the data center can move at will without fear of being discovered. | Segment traffic between application tiers
using tight allow rules to prevent unnecessary communication, reduce
the attack surface, and help prevent an attacker from moving laterally
within the data center. Log and monitor allow list violations. |
The data center is safe inside the trusted
network, so it’s not urgent to patch data center servers quickly. | Vulnerabilities remain open longer and present attack
vectors to attackers. | Install patches on data center servers in a timely manner to close down vulnerabilities. Creating allow list security policy rules helps you understand what is running in your data center and where unpatched services are running. |
Mix blocking and alerting threat prevention profiles
from multiple vendors. | A conglomeration of individual tools leaves
security holes for attackers and may not work together well. | The Palo Alto Networks suite of coordinated security tools works together to plug security holes, prevent attacks, and to identify unknown malware attempting to spread among data center servers. |
In addition:
- Create a unique service account for each function. For example, allow only specific service accounts to replicate exchange mailboxes, and allow only specific service accounts on web servers to query MySQL databases. Don’t use one service account for both functions.
- Monitor service accounts.
- Don’t allow regular user accounts in the data center.
When you transition from port-based to application-based
rules, in the rulebase, place the application-based rule above the
port-based rule it will replace. Reset the policy rule hit counter for both rules.
If traffic hits the port-based rule, its policy rule hit count increases.
Tune the application-based rule until no traffic hits the port-based
rule for a period of time, then remove the port-based rule.