#CiscoLive
Troubleshooting URL and
Application Filtering Issues on
Secure Firewall
Shakthi Gunashekaran
Technical Consulting Engineer
TACSEC-2002
#CiscoLive
Your Speaker
Shakthi Gunashekaran
• Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
• 6 years as Network Security Engineer
• 3 years as Technical Consulting Engineer in HTTS
Security at RTP
• Cisco Self-Publisher – Security
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Agenda
• Overview of URL and Application Filtering
• Best Practices
• Troubleshooting Common Issues
• Q&A Session
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• This session will focus on the best
practices and top case generators
for these features.
• This is a troubleshooting session.
General knowledge of Secure
Firewall is expected.
• The features in this session are
based on FMC in version 7.0+.
Before We Go Pact • Questions at the end of session.
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Overview of URL
and Application
Filtering
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
[Link]
Secure Firewall
> system support trace
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 Packet 9573: TCP ******S*, 05/25-[Link].358685, seq 1675526169, dsize 0
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 Firewall: pending rule-matching, ‘allow [Link]', pending URL
Server Cert:
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 Packet 9576: TCP ***AP***, 05/25-[Link].478673, seq 1675526170, ack 3373080446, dsize 517
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 AppID: service: HTTPS(1122), client: SSL client(1296), payload: Cisco(184), misc: (0)
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 Firewall: pending rule-matching, ‘allow [Link]', waiting for decryption
Since decryption is enabled, we need to wait for this to get past TLS handshake and into HTTP protocol:
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 inspection pending, waiting for decrypted-URL, rule order 2, id 268434446
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 rule order 2, ‘[Link].*', action Allow continue eval of pending deny
Service has changed from HTTPS to HTTP/2, now we are in HTTP protocol, we should have the URL:
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 Packet 9585: TCP ***AP***, 05/25-[Link].528674, seq 1675526795, ack 3373084593, dsize 13
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 Stream: TCP normalization error in NO_TIMESTAMP
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 AppID: service: HTTP/2(2889), client: (0), payload: (0), misc: (0)
We have the actual URL:
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 Starting with minimum 2, ‘allow [Link]', and SrcZone first with zones 1 -> 2, geo 0(xff 0) -> 0, vlan 0, src sgt: 0, src sgt
type: unknown, dst sgt: 0, dst sgt type: unknown, svc 2889, payload 184, client 596, misc 0, user 9999997, url [Link] host [Link], no xff
[Link] 50636 -> [Link] 443 6 AS=0 ID=0 GR=1-1 no match rule order 3, ‘allow [Link]', url 0 ([Link] custom url
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In browser type in URL and
press enter:
[Link]
CN (TLS): HTTP:
SNI (TLS): URL: [Link]
[Link] [Link]
TCP TLS: Client TLS: Server HTTP
3WHS Hello Certificate Request
IP Security SSL App App Layer
Detection preprocessor
Intelligence
(SI) SI
SI App
(URL /DNS)
Detection
(URL /DNS)
SI
L7 ACL (URL and (URL /DNS)
Application
Filtering
L7 ACL (URL and
Application Red = Snort Process
Filtering
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URL Filtering in Secure Firewall
Snort Process
IP Security App SSL App Identity Application Layer
Intelligence Detection Decryption Detection Policy Preprocessors
IPS, File & URL + IPS Policy Security Network
QoS Application before AC Intelligence Analysis
Malware Policy
Classify per AC Rule Filtering rule (URL /DNS) Policy
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URL Filtering
• Enables safe web access for users in a network
URL Filtering
[Link]
• Can be enabled for each
Access Control Rule
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URL Filtering Types
Category and Reputation-Based URL Filtering
• Filters access to websites based on general classification and risk level
FMC queries Cisco Cloud for
URL Data
URL Data sent to FMC
URL Filtered Data
FMC pushes the URL Data to
Cisco Cloud Managed Devices.
Website Firewall
User requests to browse a Website
System uses local dataset provided
by Cisco Cloud to filter
User access to Website Allowed or
Blocked
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URL Filtering Types
Manual URL Filtering Object > Object Management >
Security Intelligence > URL Lists
and Feeds > Add URL Lists and
Feeds
• Manually add the URLs in the access rules
for filtering
• Does not require any special License
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Application Filtering
• Application detectors are added through VDB updates
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ACTION: ALLOW
Scenario 1 URL: [Link]
Application: FACEBOOK
Navigate: [Link]
URL and Application
Condition in same Access
Control Rule Result: Will be allowed but not
recommended to use
Note: Default Action is ‘Block’
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ACTION: BLOCK
Scenario 2 URL: [Link]
Application: GMAIL
Navigate to ‘[Link]’
URL and Application
Condition in same Access Result: Will be Allowed because the URL
Control Rule [Link] redirects to
[Link] or
[Link]
Note: Default Action is ‘Block’
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Best Practices
Use category and reputation based-filtering
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Inspect packets before URL is identified
Monitored Connection
Client Server
DNS/
HTTP/
System identifies the Application in the session HTTPS
Firewall
System Identifies URL/ Domain
System identifies the ClientHello message or the server certificate (For
Encrypted sessions with non-encrypted domain name)
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Inspect packets before URL is identified
On FMC:
Access Control Policy > Advanced > Network Analysis and Intrusion Policy
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Block Threat Categories
• Threat categories identify known Malicious sites
• [Link]
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URL Conditions and Rule Order
Rule Order Exception
ACL Drop Rules (only with Layer
URL Filtering Block Rule
3/4 criteria)
ACL Rules with Application and
URL Filtering Rules
Encrypted Traffic Inspection
Intrusion, File and Malware Rules Intrusion, File and Malware Rules
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URL Conditions and Rule Order
L3/L4
Rule to Allow All Social Media Access takes precedence over URL Rule to block TikTok.
TikTok gets allowed since it’s part of Social Networking Category.
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URL Conditions and Rule Order
• Always Add Exceptions to URL rule above the rule you are making an exception to.
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Uncategorized or Reputation-less URLs
Uncategorized URLs cannot be filtered by Reputation.
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Uncategorized or Reputation-less URLs
URLs in any Category can be filtered even if there is no reputation
known. Choose ‘Apply to Unknown Reputation’ option under
Reputations.
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URL Filtering and TLS Server Identity Discovery
• TLS protocol 1.3 encrypts
FMC: Access Control Policy > Advanced
Server certificate for added
security.
• Server Certificate is
needed to match URL and
application filtering
criteria.
• Enable TLS Server Identity
Discovery to extract server
certificate without
decrypting the entire
packet.
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Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Cloud Connectivity Issues
URL Filtering License URL Filtering Updates
Integration > Other Integration >
System > Smart Licenses
Cloud Services
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Cloud Connectivity Issues
URL Filtering Monitor Verify Connectivity
System > Health > Policy Verify if ping to these URLs are
successful from Management
device
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
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Incorrect URL filtering result
Things to check if the URL
appears to be incorrectly
handled based on its URL
category and reputation
Cached URLs Expire Default value = Never
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Dispute Category and Reputation of URLs
Integration > Other Integration > Cloud Services
[Link]
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Find Category and Reputation of URL
In FMC : Analysis > Advanced > URL
admin
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Access Control and URL Filtering Reputation
Rule Action is ‘Block’
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Access Control and URL Filtering Reputation
Rule Action is ‘Allow’
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ACTION: BLOCK
Scenario 3 URL: [Link]
Google Search “[Link]”
Search Query Parameters Result:
in URL Search will be allowed but you
cannot access the URL.
Note: Default Action is ‘Block’
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Access Control Policy:
Scenario 4
Rule1: ACP L3/4 Rules
Rule2: Application Rule to block ‘YOUTUBE’
Rule3: URL Rule to Allow all Streaming Video
Rule4: URL Rule to block ‘[Link]’
Rule4: URL Rule to Allow all Social Networking
Manual URL Filtering
Test:
1. Access YOUTUBE [Action: Block]
2. Navigate to [Link] [Action: Allow]
Note: Default Action is ‘Block’
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References
References
• FMC URL Filtering Configuration Guide
[Link]
guide-v70/url_filtering.html
• Best Practices for URL Filtering
[Link]
guide-v70/url_filtering.html#ID-2189-00000301
• Best Practices for Configuring Application Control
[Link]
guide-v70/rule_management_common_characteristics.html#id_101338
• Best Practices for Rule Order
[Link]
guide-v70/best_practices_for_access_control.html#ID-2176-000005cc
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References
• Inspection of Packets That Pass Before Traffic Is Identified
[Link]
guide-
v70/advanced_access_control_settings_for_network_analysis_and_intrusion_policies.html#ID-
2194-0000001f
• TLS/SSL Guidelines and Limitations
[Link]
guide-v70/getting_started_with_ssl_rules.html#id_65029
• SSL Decryption Configuration Guide
[Link]
700/[Link]
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