Generating Palo Alto Firewall Audit Reports Using Firewall Analyzer

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Overview

This article presents a detailed guide to generating firewall audit reports for Palo Alto Networks firewalls using Firewall Analyzer , a powerful log analysis and reporting tool designed to simplify and enhance firewall audit processes. Network and security administrators can utilize this tool to gain actionable insights into policy usage, configuration hygiene, risk assessment, and compliance status — all from a centralized interface.

Prerequisites

  1. Install and setup ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer on your machine
  2. Palo Alto firewall must be added to Firewall Analyzer.


ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer Installation

Download and Setup

  1. Download the ManageEngine Applications Manager Setup on the corresponding Virtual Machine (VM).
  2. Open the setup file and click Next to proceed.

Configure Ports

  1. The default port numbers should be 8060 and 8061. Do not change these values.
  2. Click Yes to confirm and proceed.

Registration Process (Optional)

  1. A registration window will appear ( this can be skipped )
  2. Fill in the required details and click Next to proceed.

Select Database

  1. Choose POSTGRESQL as the backend database for the firewall.
  2. Click Next to proceed.

Loading and Login

  1. A loading screen related to the ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer will appear.
  2. After loading, the login page will be displayed.
  3. Use the default credentials:
  4. Click Login


How to Add Palo Alto Firewall to Firewall Analyzer

Steps:

  1. Open Firewall Analyzer and go to Settings.
  2. Under the Discovery section, click on Add Device.
  3. Fill in the device details:
  4. Device Type: Firewall
  5. Vendor Name: Palo Alto
  6. Is Virtual Device: No
  7. IP Address: Enter the management IP of the firewall
  8. Device Name: Choose a meaningful identifier
  9. Select Fetch through API and provide admin credentials.
  10. Click Validate and wait for successful authentication.
  11. Once validated, click Save.
The firewall is now integrated, and various reports can be accessed and exported.


Report Categories and Export Procedures

Rule Management Overview Report

Purpose: The Rule Management Overview Report provides a consolidated summary of all configured security rules, including details like total number of rules, active vs. inactive rules, rule type (e.g., security, NAT), and other metadata. This report helps administrators get a high-level view of the firewall rulebase for quick assessment and audit readiness.

  1. Use Case: Useful during audit reviews, firewall health checks, and initial rulebase assessments.
  2. Helps with: Inventory tracking, understanding policy distribution, and identifying rulebase bloat.

Steps to download the report: 

1. Navigation: 
Rule Management → Overview → Summary

2. Export: 
click export-> Use the Export option to download the overview report for the selected device.

Compliance Report

Purpose: The Compliance Report evaluates the firewall’s configuration against industry-specific compliance standards (such as PCI DSS, ISO 27001, or NIST). It flags non-compliant rules, missing logging, insecure services, or overly permissive access that could violate security policies.

  1. Use Case: Required for internal or third-party audits and certification renewals.
  2. Helps with: Ensuring regulatory compliance, reducing audit failures, and improving firewall governance.

Steps to download the report: 

1. Navigation:
Settings → Firewall Server → Device Rule

2. Export:
Use the Export option to download the compliance report for the selected device.

Unused Rules, Unused Objects, and Unassigned Interfaces, unassigned objects

Purpose: This report identifies stale and unreferenced configurations in the firewall, such as unused rules, objects not linked to any policy, and interfaces with no assignments. Removing these items helps maintain a clean, optimized, and manageable firewall rulebase.

  1. Use Case: Crucial during firewall cleanup exercises and performance optimization.
  2. Helps with: Reducing attack surface, improving policy clarity, and enhancing operational efficiency.

Steps to download the report: 

1. Navigation: 
Rule Management → Cleanup

2. Steps:
Select the appropriate category (e.g., Unused Rules, Unused Objects, Unassigned Interfaces).

3. Click Export to download the cleanup report.

Security Rule Risk Report

We can View a graphical representation of risky rules,

Purpose: This report visually and analytically highlights firewall rules that pose a security risk, such as rules with overly broad criteria (e.g., any-any rules), insecure services, or insufficient logging. The risk score helps prioritize which rules need immediate review or remediation.

  1. Use Case: Ideal for proactive security posture assessments and risk-based policy management.
  2. Helps with: Identifying high-risk rules, prioritizing remediation, and improving overall security hygiene.

Steps to download the report: 

1. Navigation:
Rule Management →  Risk

2. Export:
Click Export on the same page to download the risk report.

Duplicate Objects Report

Purpose: This report detects and lists duplicate objects (e.g., address, service, or group objects with the same value but different names). Duplicate objects can cause configuration inconsistencies, complicate rule management, and increase chances of misconfigurations.

  1. Use Case: Essential for configuration standardization and firewall policy optimization.
  2. Helps with: Enhancing clarity, reducing administrative burden, and avoiding redundant policy entries.

Steps to download the report: 

1. Navigation:
Rule Management → Optimization → Duplicate Objects

2. Export:
Use the Export button to download a report listing all duplicate objects in the firewall configuration.

Summary

Using Firewall Analyzer simplifies the process of managing and auditing Palo Alto firewalls. With built-in capabilities to fetch data via API, generate compliance reports, and visualize risk, administrators can ensure firewall hygiene, policy efficiency, and regulatory readiness.


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