Streamlining Palo Alto Networks SSL Decryption: Unveiling ChainGuard, “a Game changer”

A Estevez
2 min readApr 4, 2024

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In the dynamic world of cybersecurity, securing your digital fortress is more than just a necessity; it’s an art. Today, let’s explore a groundbreaking tool that’s been painting a promising picture for SSL decryption — the ‘Chain Guard’. Masterminded by Kevin Steves, this script is a beacon of hope for administrators grappling with the challenges of importing intermediate CA to Palo Alto Networks firewalls.

The Problem:

Imagine this — you’re battling an army of TLS-enabled origin servers that are plagued with misconfigurations. They either don’t return intermediate CA certificates or return them out of order. Worse yet, some return unrelated intermediate certificates. The result? Your end-users are bombarded with errors such as ‘unable to get local issuer certificate.’ The solution seems simple — identify the misconfigured sites, obtain the required certificates, and import them into PAN-OS. However, this process is like navigating through a maze, time-consuming and frustrating.

The Game-Changer: Intermediate CA Preloading

Enter pan-chainguard, the knight in shining armor. Leveraging the PAN-OS default trusted CA store and the All Certificate Information CCADB data file, it discerns the intermediate certificate chains for each root CA certificate.

Imagine this script as a seasoned guide, leading you through the labyrinth of certificates, and helping you preload known intermediates for the trusted CAs onto PAN-OS. The result? A significant reduction in the number of TLS connection errors that users experience from misconfigured servers — all without the need for reactive actions by administrators.

Conclusion:

In essence, the Chain Guard is a powerful ally in the complex realm of SSL decryption. By automating and simplifying the process of importing intermediate CA to Palo Alto Networks firewalls, it allows administrators to focus on the bigger picture — fortifying their digital defense lines. So, why react when you can preempt? With Chain Guard, let’s usher in an era of proactive, efficient, and secure SSL decryption.

All the information about how to install and use it is found in https://github.com/PaloAltoNetworks/pan-chainguard/blob/main/doc/admin-guide.rst Enjoy the ride!!

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