Object is defined but never referenced
At a glance
Base severity
Area
Platform
Evidence level
Benchmark reference
Reads the export, not the device
ConfigProof reads a configuration export. This control is evaluated against the objects in that file, and it reports what the file says. It does not connect to the device and sees no traffic, so a finding here describes the configuration, not what the firewall is doing right now.
Why it matters
Unreferenced address and service objects enlarge the configuration, slow commits and make review harder. They are also a common sign of a decommission that was not finished.
How to fix it
Web interface
The steps below are written for the web interface. A finding raised on your own export carries the same steps with your object names filled in.
- Confirm the object is not referenced from another vsys, device group or template.
- Delete it, or tag it for a scheduled cleanup.
Command line
PAN-OS CLI, standalone firewall, vsys1
delete vsys vsys1 <object-type> <object-name>An example. Values in angle brackets are yours to supply; a finding on your own export fills in the names it read. Nothing here commits. Review the candidate configuration, then commit it yourself.
Read it back
show vsys vsys1 <object-type> <object-name>Values to fill in2
- <object-type>
- The kind of object this is
- <object-name>
- The object's name, as it appears on your firewall
Before you type it1
- A configuration shows definitions and references, not traffic, so review this before you run it.
How to confirm the fix
- Search Panorama and every other vsys for references before deleting.
- Confirm the object is not staged for a planned change.
Limits
- A firewall-only export cannot see Panorama references, and objects staged for a future change are legitimately unreferenced. Confidence is 0.8.
Compliance references
No benchmark recommendation is mapped to this control in this version.
More in Objects
- PAN-SEC-015Duplicate address objects with the same value
- PAN-SEC-017Address group is dangerously broad
- PAN-SEC-018Allow rule uses an object that resolves to the whole internet
- PAN-SEC-034Configuration references an object that does not exist
- PAN-SEC-035Group has no members
- PAN-SEC-036Group contains itself through a chain of nested groups
- PAN-SEC-037One object name is defined at more than one scope
- PAN-SEC-038Policy field holds a literal address instead of a named object
See it on your own firewall
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