Group contains itself through a chain of nested groups
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
A cycle in the group graph means the membership of the group cannot be enumerated. Commit behavior on a cycle is version dependent, and any tool that expands the group, including this one, has to stop at the cycle and say where it stopped.
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.
- Break the cycle by removing one of the nested memberships.
- Re-check the rules that use every group in the cycle, since their effective membership changes.
Command line
PAN-OS CLI, standalone firewall, vsys1
delete vsys vsys1 address-group <object-name> static <member-that-closes-the-loop>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 address-group <object-name>Values to fill in2
- <object-name>
- The object's name, as it appears on your firewall
- <member-that-closes-the-loop>
- The member that closes the loop
Before you type it1
- Remove one membership to break the loop. Which one is a decision about what the group should mean.
How to confirm the fix
- Re-run the analysis and confirm the cycle finding clears and the group expands to a finite set.
Limits
- None. A cycle is always a defect.
Compliance references
No benchmark recommendation is mapped to this control in this version.
More in Objects
- 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-037One object name is defined at more than one scope
- PAN-SEC-038Policy field holds a literal address instead of a named object
- PAN-SEC-039Two address objects overlap under different names
- PAN-SEC-163An external dynamic list is configured without server authentication
See it on your own firewall
One complete analysis of one firewall costs nothing. A card is required and nothing is charged.