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    Simplied method of preventing inter-VLAN communication

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Firewalling
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    • S
      Stewart @Cloudless Smart Home
      last edited by

      @appleguy So, the RFC1918 rule shouldn't block the internet since all internet IP are route-able and would be outside of the RFC1918 rule. In this instance it looks like the Crypto Subnet is 10.0.100.0/24 and The Crypto Gateway is 10.0.100.1. Your device would presumable have an IP between 10.0.100.2-254. The RFC1918 rule would prevent traffic destined for 10.0.100.1 but should allow any traffic not destined for it to still be route-able.

      Maybe you are missing some of the other rules? For example, if DHCP gives the router for DNS then you need a rule to allow your subnet to communicate with the gateway on port 53. I don't see that in your list. That's why I explicitly allow ICMP and DNS and then block all RFC1918 and then allow all. That is likely the problem since it was solved by allowing communication to the firewall.

      You can choose how you want it to work. You can leave it as is and have full access to the firewall from that subnet, that's fine. For our clients, we wouldn't want a subnet like that to have any more access than required so only ICMP (to test that the network is up) and DNS (so devices can resolve to the internet) and allowed. You could circumvent the DNS rule if you use external DNS servers. You could also do away with the ICMP rule if you don't want to be able to ping the router to test connectivity.

      In addition, as @JeGr and @derelict eluded to, use reject instead of block and also have a rule to reject traffic from the subnet to "This firewall (self)". Those should be added as well.

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      • Cloudless Smart HomeC
        Cloudless Smart Home
        last edited by Cloudless Smart Home

        still blocking internet access on my home assistant on this IoT vlan. thought I had it sorted out, and haven't made the changes answered above, but am I missing something? my home assistant can download updates or even reboot properly if this rfc1918 block rule is enabled, but it the setup I posted above does seem to work fine for the crypto vlan. it's so weird, because the rfc1918 is the only block rule on the IoT vlan, and I have the allow rule to the appropriate .1 address, same as crypto vlan.

        Screenshot 2023-01-18 at 7.13.15 PM.png

        Screenshot 2023-01-18 at 7.15.49 PM.png

        johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • johnpozJ
          johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @Cloudless Smart Home
          last edited by johnpoz

          @appleguy and where are you pointing for dns? If it was say the IP address of pfsense (rfc1918) on your iot network - you blocked it.. So yeah internet stuff not going to work via dns.

          Here is a what you might use for a typical locked down vlan.

          rules.jpg

          This allows talking to pfsense IP on this vlan for dns and ntp, and also allows clients on this network to ping pfsense IP (connectivity testing for example).

          But blocks all other access to any firewall IP - prevent access to gui on this network, or even say the wan IP (which is commonly public IP)..

          Blocks access access to any other local network/vlan - and then at the end allows internet.

          An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
          If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
          Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
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          • Cloudless Smart HomeC
            Cloudless Smart Home @Cloudless Smart Home
            last edited by Cloudless Smart Home

            @johnpoz

            Screenshot 2023-01-15 at 5.36.13 PM.png

            doesn't my first rule allow dns but just more open than it needs to be?

            johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • johnpozJ
              johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @Cloudless Smart Home
              last edited by

              @appleguy if that is where your pointing for dns - but that rule shows zero evaluations - see the 0/0 nothing has matched that rule.

              An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
              If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
              Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
              SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

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              • Cloudless Smart HomeC
                Cloudless Smart Home @johnpoz
                last edited by

                @johnpoz
                so should I say this firewall everywhere you said test address?

                johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • johnpozJ
                  johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @Cloudless Smart Home
                  last edited by johnpoz

                  @appleguy huh.. for your iot vlan you would use your iot network and iot address where my rules have test.

                  Where exactly is your home assistant pointing to for dns - it doesn't seem to be that 10.0.100.1 address (is this the iot pfsense IP?)

                  It doesn't seem like anything on iot is trying to talk to that IP - since that rule has never even matched once..

                  Oh - my bad, I mean your crypto address and network.

                  home assistant on this IoT vlan

                  What are the rules on this interface?? If something on your iot vlan is not getting internet - we need to see the rules on that interface.

                  An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                  If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                  Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                  SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

                  Cloudless Smart HomeC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • Cloudless Smart HomeC
                    Cloudless Smart Home @johnpoz
                    last edited by Cloudless Smart Home

                    @johnpoz I think because I took the screen shot before testing it. I am just updating everything like your example and see if that is better, (similar to previous answers) but I do better with pictures for sure ๐Ÿ˜‰

                    edit: order keeps changing on me because I didn't save the order
                    Screenshot 2023-01-18 at 10.09.19 PM.png

                    does that look right?

                    johnpozJ 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • johnpozJ
                      johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @Cloudless Smart Home
                      last edited by

                      @appleguy no - rules are evaluated top down, first rule to trigger wins and no other rules are evaluated.

                      If your dns is say 10.0.100.1 which is rfc1918 your first rule would prevent that access. So no dns.

                      edit - now that is wrong as well, since your block rules are below where you allow everything. Order matters..

                      An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                      If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                      Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                      SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

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                      • johnpozJ
                        johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @Cloudless Smart Home
                        last edited by

                        @appleguy yeah this better.. But not sure why your using "this firewall" for dns - while that can work.. Are you devices going to use every possible pfsense IP, or just the IP on that interface?

                        Normally you would only allow this network to talk to the IP of pfsense on that network for dns and ntp, ping, etc.

                        An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                        If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                        Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                        SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

                        Cloudless Smart HomeC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • Cloudless Smart HomeC
                          Cloudless Smart Home @johnpoz
                          last edited by Cloudless Smart Home

                          @johnpoz oh no, so change this firewall back to 10.0.100.1 on the first 3 rules? I think I need to allow for DHCP on the router too?

                          johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • johnpozJ
                            johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @Cloudless Smart Home
                            last edited by

                            @appleguy depends on what you want.. But your first rules should allow for dns and anything else you want to be allowed to the IP of pfsense on this interface. If you don't care about pinging pfsense, or ntp or even dns then that is not needed.

                            But normally clients only "need" to talk to 1 IP of pfsense, normally the IP of pfsense on that interface - "this firewall" is all IPs of pfsense, other vlans/networks - the wan IP, etc.

                            Its odd your not showing any hits on those rules 0/0 if you were actually using a Pfsense IP for dns - those should show some hits. Mine are all 0/0 on my test interface. Because I only use that interface for showing rules, etc. I don't really have a test network ;)

                            An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                            If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                            Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                            SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

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                            • johnpozJ
                              johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @johnpoz
                              last edited by johnpoz

                              @johnpoz here is an actual network of mine with devices on it.

                              guest.jpg

                              Notice my rule for dns is any for destination - I don't care where they talk for dns, which could be pfsense IP on this guest network or it might be 8.8.8.8 for example..

                              But see the order, I allow stuff I want that could be rfc1918 before I block rfc1918. In this case the "this firewall" rule is preventing access to say pfsense wan IP for the gui port or ssh, etc.

                              Just remember top down, first rule to trigger wins. Walk down your rules on what you want to allow, what you want to block, walking through the rules to see which rule would trigger..

                              In the case of these rules - I could prob just use wan address vs "this firewall" since what worried about is guest accessing say the public IP of pfsense for gui or ssh, all other IPs of pfsense are rfc1918.

                              An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                              If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                              Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                              SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

                              Cloudless Smart HomeC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • Cloudless Smart HomeC
                                Cloudless Smart Home @johnpoz
                                last edited by

                                @johnpoz ok, loosened some back up a little. don't see any default rules for DHCP in protocols so DHCP should still work? I do DNS and DHCP from pfsense.

                                Screenshot 2023-01-18 at 10.27.48 PM.png

                                johnpozJ JeGrJ S 3 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • johnpozJ
                                  johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @Cloudless Smart Home
                                  last edited by

                                  @appleguy dhcp is a hidden rule when you enable dhcp on an interface.

                                  An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                                  If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                                  Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                                  SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

                                  S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • JeGrJ
                                    JeGr LAYER 8 Moderator @Cloudless Smart Home
                                    last edited by

                                    @appleguy said in Simplied method of preventing inter-VLAN communication:

                                    @johnpoz ok, loosened some back up a little. don't see any default rules for DHCP in protocols so DHCP should still work? I do DNS and DHCP from pfsense.

                                    Screenshot 2023-01-18 at 10.27.48 PM.png

                                    @appleguy First three rules just need "CRYPTO addr" not "*" - no need for any in that case, as you'd normally only want them to reach pfSense for DNS and NTP or PING and leave anything other closed.

                                    Don't forget to upvote ๐Ÿ‘ those who kindly offered their time and brainpower to help you!

                                    If you're interested, I'm available to discuss details of German-speaking paid support (for companies) if needed.

                                    Cloudless Smart HomeC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • Cloudless Smart HomeC
                                      Cloudless Smart Home @JeGr
                                      last edited by Cloudless Smart Home

                                      @jegr thanks again for all your help! finally got it right! wait, not *? does not mean inverted?

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                                      • S
                                        Stewart @johnpoz
                                        last edited by

                                        @johnpoz Is there a way to see the hidden rules? I've never really considered that there would be Firewall rules set up on an interface that we didn't know about. I've wondered from time to time how DHCP works even though traffic is denied.

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                                        • S
                                          Stewart @Cloudless Smart Home
                                          last edited by

                                          @appleguy This is how I have all my ports/VLANs set up by default. Similar to yours but I specify the destination and use external NTP.
                                          f159f222-8df2-4a64-90ca-499f53fe3048-image.png

                                          It's interesting to go back and see. Nothing's pinging the firewall or using DNS on this VLAN. That's OK. Nothing trying to get into the firewall. Also good. But something is trying to access other local IPs outside of the subnet? What're those cameras up to, I wonder? Glad I've got that block!

                                          Cloudless Smart HomeC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • Cloudless Smart HomeC
                                            Cloudless Smart Home @Stewart
                                            last edited by

                                            @stewart I like the vlan id in the name! gonna do that too ๐Ÿ˜

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