User Guide: Palo Alto GlobalProtect Log Analyzer
Version 1.4.0 | Last Updated: April 15, 2025
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Palo Alto GlobalProtect Log Analyzer is a specialized web application designed to analyze VPN log files from Palo Alto GlobalProtect systems. The tool helps security professionals identify potential threats, password spraying attempts, and suspicious login behaviors.
Key features include:
- Automated analysis of GlobalProtect log files
- Detection of password spraying attacks
- Identification of suspicious login patterns
- Correlation of threats across multiple log files
- Flagging of suspicious IPs and machine names
- AI-generated security reports
Getting Started
Requirements
- A modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari)
- Valid login credentials for the application (if required)
- GlobalProtect log files in CSV format
Accessing the Application
- Navigate to the application URL in your web browser
- If prompted, enter your authentication credentials
- You will be directed to the main dashboard
Navigation
The application has several main sections accessible from the navigation menu:
- Home - Dashboard showing recent log files and analysis summary
- Agencies - Manage and organize logs by agency
- Upload - Upload and process new log files
- Search - Search through all successful logins
- IOCs - Manage Indicators of Compromise (Admin only)
- Prompt Templates - Manage AI report generation prompts (Admin only)
Uploading Log Files
- Navigate to the Upload section using the navigation menu
- Select an agency from the dropdown menu, or use the default
- Click "Choose File" to select your GlobalProtect log file (CSV format)
- Click "Upload" to begin the upload and analysis process
- The system will process the file and redirect you to the results page when complete
Supported Log Formats:
- CSV files exported from Palo Alto GlobalProtect
- Files must contain standard column headers such as "Receive Time", "Source User", "Public IP", etc.
Viewing Analysis Results
After uploading a log file, you can view the analysis results in two ways:
Analysis Text Output
- From the home page, find your log file in the list
- Click "View Analysis" to see the detailed analysis output
- This page displays all findings including:
- Potential password spraying attempts
- Successful login details
- Critical security alerts
- Machine name analysis
- User activity summaries
AI-Generated Report
- From the home page, find your log file in the list
- Click "View Report" to see the AI-generated security report
- The report provides a structured summary of findings with:
- Executive summary
- Key security findings
- Detailed threat analysis
- Recommended actions
Reports and Interpretation
The analysis and reports highlight several key areas of security concern:
Critical Security Alerts
Pay special attention to sections labeled with "CRITICAL SECURITY ALERT". These indicate:
- Successful logins from known password sprayer IPs
- Logins from IPs in suspicious CIDR blocks
- Logins from manually flagged IPs or machine names
IOC (Indicators of Compromise) Flags
The system flags suspicious login activities including:
- Generic machine names
- Shared machine names across multiple users
- Service account usage
- Mass login events (multiple users from same IP)
- Cross-log shared machine names
IOC Management
Administrators can manage Indicators of Compromise to improve future analysis:
Managing Flagged IPs
- Navigate to the IOCs section
- View the list of currently flagged IP addresses
- To add a new flagged IP:
- Click "Add Flagged IP"
- Enter the IP address and reason for flagging
- (Optional) Add notes and other metadata
- Click "Submit"
- To edit or delete a flagged IP, use the corresponding buttons
Managing Flagged Machines
- Navigate to the IOCs section
- View the list of currently flagged machine names
- To add a new flagged machine:
- Click "Add Flagged Machine"
- Enter the machine name and reason for flagging
- (Optional) Add notes and other metadata
- Click "Submit"
- To edit or delete a flagged machine, use the corresponding buttons
Updating Suspicious Flags
After adding or modifying IOCs, click "Update Suspicious Flags" to apply the changes to existing login records in the database.
Search and Filtering
The search function allows you to find specific login events across all analyzed log files:
- Navigate to the Search section
- Use the filters to narrow down results:
- Username (full or partial)
- IP address (exact match)
- Machine name (full or partial)
- Date range
- Agency
- Click "Search" to view matching results
- Results include timestamp, username, IP address, machine name and other details
- From the search results, you can:
- Flag suspicious IPs (click "Flag IP")
- Flag suspicious machines (click "Flag Machine")
- View all details of a specific login
Admin Functions
Administrator accounts have access to additional features:
Managing Agencies
- Navigate to the Agencies section
- Add new agencies using the form at the top
- View all agencies and their associated log files
- Rename agencies if needed (click "Rename")
Managing Prompt Templates
- Navigate to the Prompt Templates section
- View existing AI report generation templates
- Add a new template (click "Add Template")
- Edit existing templates (click "Edit")
- Set a template as active for report generation
Refreshing Analysis/Reports
- From the home page, find your log file in the list
- Click "Refresh Analysis" to reprocess the log file
- This is useful after updating IOC flags
- Click "Regenerate Report" to create a new AI report
- This is useful after updating prompt templates
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Log File Upload Fails
- Ensure your file is in CSV format
- Check that the file is not too large
- Verify the file has the expected column headers
Analysis Shows "Error" Status
- Check that the file format is correct
- Look for error details in the log file record
- Try refreshing the analysis
No Report Generated
- Verify that Azure OpenAI configuration is set up correctly
- Check that there is an active prompt template
- Try regenerating the report
Search Returns No Results
- Try using fewer search criteria
- Use partial matches for username/machine name
- Check date range parameters
Getting Help
For additional assistance, please contact your system administrator.
Additional Resources