Tag Archives: File Blocking

File Blocking Shootout – Palo Alto vs. Fortinet

We needed to configure the Internet-facing firewall for a customer to block encrypted files such as protected PDF, ZIP, or Microsoft Office documents. We tested it with two next-generation firewalls, namely Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto Networks. The experiences were quite different…

TL;DR: While Fortinet is able to block encrypted files, Palo Alto fails since it does not identify encrypted office documents! [UPDATE: Palo Alto has fixed the main problem, see notes below.]

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Palo Alto File Blocking: Benefits and Limitations

I tested the file blocking features of the Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall and was a bit confused why several file types still passed the firewall though I set the policy to “any block”. Therefore, I tested a few scenarios with the file blocking security profile and present my test results here.

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