Securing remote access to your network is critical in today’s cyber threat landscape. Palo Alto Networks’ GlobalProtect provides a robust SSL VPN solution that enables secure communication between remote users and the internal network. In this guide, we’ll walk you through configuring SSL VPN on a Palo Alto firewall, complete with screenshots to illustrate each step.

Step 1: Create a Security Zone for VPN Traffic

First, you need to create a security zone to segment the VPN traffic.

1. Navigate to the Network tab in the Palo Alto firewall.
2. Click on Zones and then Add a new zone.
3. Name the Zone (e.g., VPN) and select Layer 3 as the type.
4. Assign the interface that will be handling VPN traffic.

Step 2: Configure the Tunnel Interface

Next, configure the tunnel interface that the VPN will use.

1. Go to Network > Interfaces > Tunnel.
2. Click Add to create a new tunnel interface.
3. Assign the Tunnel Interface to the previously created VPN zone.
4. Configure the IP address for the tunnel interface.

Step 3: Set Up the GlobalProtect Portal

The GlobalProtect Portal manages VPN client configurations and certificates.

1. Navigate to Network > GlobalProtect > Portals.
2. Click Add to create a new portal.
3. Assign an Interface and IP Address for the portal (typically, the external interface).
4. Configure Authentication, selecting a certificate for SSL encryption.

Step 4: Configure the GlobalProtect Gateway

The Gateway provides the actual VPN tunnel to remote users.

1. Go to Network > GlobalProtect > Gateways and click Add.
2. Assign an Interface and IP Address for the gateway.
3. Select SSL/TLS Service Profile and the certificate used for encryption.
4. Configure Tunnel Settings, specifying the tunnel interface created earlier.
5. Set Authentication and define a client authentication profile.

Step 5: Create Authentication Profiles

Authentication profiles define how users will be authenticated.

1. Navigate to Device > Authentication Profile and click Add.
2. Name the Profile and choose the type of authentication (e.g., LDAP, RADIUS).
3. Specify the Server Profile and user domain.
4. Set up user group mappings if necessary.

Step 6: Configure Security Policies

Now, create security policies to allow VPN traffic.

1. Go to Policies > Security and click Add to create a new policy.
2. Name the Policy (e.g., VPN Access).
3. Define the Source Zone (the VPN zone created earlier) and Destination Zone.
4. Set the Service/Applications as required (e.g., allow HTTP/HTTPS, DNS).
5. Enable Logging for monitoring VPN traffic.

Step 7: Test the VPN Connection

Finally, test the configuration by connecting with the GlobalProtect client.

1. Download and install the GlobalProtect client on your remote device.
2. Enter the Portal Address configured earlier.
3. Authenticate using the credentials set in the authentication profile.
4. Verify that the connection is established and traffic is routing as expected.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can successfully configure an SSL VPN using Palo Alto Networks’ GlobalProtect. This setup ensures secure and encrypted remote access to your internal network, protecting your organization from potential cyber threats.