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Network Firewall docs (issue #1025) #1060

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14 changes: 7 additions & 7 deletions docs/network_firewall.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ Leave the defaults for "Time Server Information". Click Next.

On "Configure WAN Interface", enter the appropriate configuration for your network. Consult your local sysadmin if you are unsure what to enter here. For many environments, the default of DHCP will work and the rest of the fields can be left blank. Click Next.

For "Configure LAN Interface", set the IP address and subnet mask of the Application Subnet for the LAN interface. Click Next.
For "Configure LAN Interface", set the IP address and subnet mask of the Application Subnet for the LAN interface. Be sure that the CIDR prefix correctly corresponds to your subnet mask-- pfsense should automatically calculate this for you, but you should always check. Click Next.
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Should we add that for the values used in the doc the CIDR should be /24 So they don't need to look it up?

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👍 Furthermore, in L36, I suggest: This is a very common subnet choice for home routers. -> The /24 subnet is a common choice for home routers. Specifically referring to the subnet by CIDR notation adds clarity for non-technical folks, at no cost to clarity for technical audiences.


Set a strong admin password. We recommend generating a random password with KeePassX, and saving it in the Tails Persistent folder using the provided KeePassX database template. Click Next.

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ We set up the LAN interface during the initial configuration. We now need to set
- IPv4 Configuration Type: Static IPv4
- IPv4 Address: Monitor Gateway

Leave everything else as the default. Save and Apply Changes.
Once again, be sure that the CIDR prefix correctly corresponds to your subnet mask-- pfsense should automatically calculate this for you, but you should always check. Leave everything else as the default. Save and Apply Changes.

### Disable DHCP on the LAN

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -156,23 +156,23 @@ For pfSense, see Section 6 of the pfSense Guide for information on setting up fi
2. pfSense is a stateful firewall, which means that you don't need corresponding rules for the iptables rules that allow incoming traffic in response to outgoing traffic (`--state ESTABLISHED,RELATED`). pfSense does this for you automatically.
3. You should create the rules on the interface where the traffic originates from. The easy way to do this is look at the sources (`-s`) of each of the iptables rules, and create that rule on the corresponding interface:

* `-s APP_IP` → `LAN`
* `-s MONITOR_IP` → `OPT1`
* `-s APP_IP` → `LAN`
* `-s MONITOR_IP` → `OPT1`

4. Make sure you delete the default "allow all" rule on the LAN interface. Leave the "Anti-Lockout" rule enabled.
5. Any traffic that is not explicitly passed is logged and dropped by default in pfSense, so you don't need to add explicit rules (`LOGNDROP`) for that.
6. Since some of the rules are almost identical except for whether they allow traffic from the App Server or the Monitor Server (`-s MONITOR_IP,APP_IP`), you can use the "add a new rule based on this one" button to save time creating a copy of the rule on the other interface.
7. If you are having trouble with connections, the firewall logs can be very helpful. You can find them in the WebGUI in *Status → System Logs → Firewall*.

We recognize that this process is cumbersome and may be difficult for people inexperienced in managing networks to understand. We are working on automating much of this for the next SecureDrop release.
We recognize that this process is cumbersome and may be difficult for people inexperienced in managing networks to understand. We are working on automating much of this for the next SecureDrop release. If you're unsure how to set up your firewall, use the screenshots in the next section as your guide.

#### Example Screenshots

Here are some example screenshots of a working pfSense firewall configuration:
Here are some example screenshots of a working pfSense firewall configuration.

![Firewall IP Aliases](images/firewall/ip_aliases.png)
![Firewall Port Aliases](images/firewall/port_aliases.png)
![Firewall LAN Rules](images/firewall/lan_rules.png)
![Firewall OPT1 Rules](images/firewall/opt1_rules.png)

Once you've set up the firewall, continue with the instructions in the [Install Guide](/docs/install.md#set-up-the-servers).
Once you've set up the firewall, continue with the instructions in the [Install Guide](/docs/install.md#set-up-the-servers).