Banking Sector – Implementation & Support Services

Case Study: Implementation of Palo Alto Networks Next-Gen Firewalls for a Leading Bank

Overview

The project aimed to enhance the bank’s network security infrastructure by deploying advanced firewalls, ensuring compliance with industry standards and providing design for both data center (DC) and disaster recovery (DR) environments.

Objectives

• Installation and Configuration: Deploy Palo Alto NGFWs (PA-5260) across DC and DR locations.
• Certification Requirements: Ensure all team members hold mandatory Palo Alto and Cisco certifications.
• Design and Implementation: Provide a comprehensive High-Level Design (HLD) and Low-Level Design (LLD) tailored to the bank’s requirements.
• Security and Compliance: Implement security profiles, VPNs and compliance measures to protect the bank’s network.
• Fine-Tuning and Optimization: Continuously monitor and optimize firewall rules and configurations post-deployment

Implementation Phases

Phase 1: Base Configuration of Firewall

1. Review and Migration:
   • Reviewed the existing firewall configuration, including rule sets and compliance parameters.
   • Migrated configurations from legacy appliances to the new Palo Alto NGFWs.
2. Consolidation and Configuration:
   • Consolidated three firewalls (2 Palo Alto and 1 Cisco ASA) based on the design.
   • Configured management interfaces, zones and high availability (Active-Passive) for auto-failover.
   • Upgraded devices to the most stable PAN-OS version.
3. Security Profiles and Policies:
   • Configured security profiles (Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, DNS Security, Vulnerability Protection) based on best practices.
   • Set up IP/service-based rules, NAT policies, address objects and service groups.
   • Integrated Active Directory (AD) and LDAP for user-based policies.
4. Application-Based Policies:
   • Identified and prioritized business rules to ensure uninterrupted application access.
   • Deployed rules for 30 days, followed by a change control process to clean up unused rules.
5. Sign-Off:
   • Provided documentation, policy validation and knowledge transfer.
   • Dedicated OEM resources were made available for hands-on support.

Phase 2: Fine-Tuning

1. Traffic Analysis and Rule Validation:
   • Extracted traffic logs after 30 days of deployment to validate rules and objects.
   • Deleted unused rules based on traffic analysis.
2. Best Practices Implementation:
   • Enabled SSL decryption and flood protection.
   • Configured DoS (Denial of Service) protection for inbound traffic.
   • Enabled Zone Protection for all zones as per customer requirements.
3. Impact Analysis:
   • Conducted impact analysis to ensure no disruption to business operations.
   • Removed redundant rules and optimized firewall performance.

Deliverables

• High-Level Design (HLD): Overview of the project, business impact and recovery plan.
• Low-Level Design (LLD): Detailed network diagrams, IP addressing, routing, and configuration snapshots.
• Security Profiles: Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, DNS Security, and Vulnerability Protection.
• VPN Setup: Site-to-site IPsec VPN configuration.
• Reporting and Alerting: Log forwarding profiles for SIEM integration.

Outcome

• Enhanced Security: The bank’s network security was significantly strengthened with advanced threat protection and compliance measures.
• Operational Efficiency: The implementation of high availability and auto-failover ensured minimal downtime.
• Optimized Performance: Continuous monitoring and fine-tuning of firewall rules improved network performance and reduced unnecessary traffic.
• Compliance: The project met all regulatory and compliance requirements, ensuring the bank’s adherence to industry standards.

Conclusion

The successful deployment of Palo Alto Networks NGFWs for the leading bank demonstrates the importance of a well-planned and executed network security strategy. By leveraging advanced firewall technologies, the bank achieved a secure, compliant, and efficient network infrastructure, ready to handle future challenges.

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