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    Cloudflare tunnels with Docker connector security

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • A
      argonaut
      last edited by

      Hi

      I recently setup a tunnel with Cloudflare with a Docker connector running on my NAS.

      But I am now worried about the security of such because anyone who can guess at my domain name will be brought straight to the pfsense login gui.

      Am I missing something here?

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

        @argonaut how would that be? Why would a tunnel to a docker running behind pfsense access pfsense gui?

        When you resolve say something.domain.tld that is hosted on clouldflare, and then pushed down the tunnel when you access it, that would not access your pfsense wan IP and then gui port.

        Now sure if something.domain.tld resolved to your pfsense wan IP, and you were running the gui on pfsense wan port, and you had that open sure they would hit your gui. But why would the gui port (443? or 80?) be open on your wan in the first place?

        But none of that would have anything to do with a tunnel between a docker and clouldflare.

        If your gui is exposed on your wan, they don't have to "guess" any domain, they could just hit your IP with random scan.. You understand there is going to be countless things scanning the internet, and sure on 443 and 80.. And lots of other ports - you shouldn't really ever expose pfsense gui to the public internet. If you want to access your pfsense gui while remote, it would be best to vpn to pfsense, and access the gui over the vpn.

        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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        • stephenw10S
          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
          last edited by

          I'd guess you are testing from a LAN side client and don't have split-DNS or NAT reflection enabled.

          https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/recipes/port-forwards-from-local-networks.html

          johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • johnpozJ
            johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @stephenw10
            last edited by johnpoz

            @stephenw10 possible - but normally when you setup some domain to be tunnel to your whatever, the fqdn would resolve to a cloudflare IP and not the actual wan IP of pfsense.

            tunnel.jpg

            wouldn't really matter where the "client" is wanting to connect to this fqdn is, it should resolve to the cloudflare IP..

            The example.com in the above pic.

            cloudflare would then send it down the tunnel you setup.. your end of the tunnel will be connected by your device running the "cloudflared" app that connects to cloudflare and creates the tunnel.

            Pfsense really isn't involved in this at all.. Since the tunnel is actually brought up by the docker he is running.. the fqdn you connect to should point to a cloudflare IP. All pfsense part in this would letting the device running clouldflared software outbound.

            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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            • stephenw10S
              stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
              last edited by

              Hmm, good point!

              Then maybe he does have split DNS configured but resolving incorrectly?

              Hard to see why it would ever hit any pfSense IP, I agree.

              johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • johnpozJ
                johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @stephenw10
                last edited by

                @stephenw10 said in Cloudflare tunnels with Docker connector security:

                split DNS configured but resolving incorrectly?

                Yeah could be very probable - @argonaut can you pm the fqdn your using for this tunnel if you're not wanting it public posted.. And I can check what it resolves to on the public internet - which should be a cloudflare owned IP.

                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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                • A
                  argonaut
                  last edited by

                  Thank-you for your replies. I appreciate it.

                  I wrote that message in haste as I had just configured Cloudflare tunnel and it worked perfectly taking me to the LAN interface on pfsense.

                  But then I realized anyone who guessed the domain name could also go straight into my network...

                  But I did some more reading and now see how you have to lock things down.

                  So a learning curve and an exciting new technology - for me anyways.

                  Any tips on locking down Cloudflare tunnels so that pfsense and the local network is not compromised?

                  Vlans for access vs CT?

                  Thanks again!

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

                    @argonaut anytime you allow anybody into a box on your network no matter what the method is a possible way into your network.. if they compromise that something you allow them access to. Be it a docker or a service, so yeah you are better off locking that device that service is running on from access the rest of your 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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                    • stephenw10S
                      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                      last edited by

                      Yup put that container in a different subnet/VLAN so you can segregate it from the rest of your network. If it's exposed to the internet it may be compromised at some point so it should be in a DMZ of sorts if possible.

                      johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • johnpozJ
                        johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @stephenw10
                        last edited by

                        containers/dockers are good starts in compartmentalization in that they normal only have the pieces needed to provide whatever service they are handling. So even if they were to get compromised in someway and the bad guy could get a prompt. What can be done could be very limited in what commands are available, etc.

                        But yeah it never hurts to also have it in an isolated segment that can not even talk to the rest of your 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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                        • A
                          argonaut
                          last edited by

                          Thanks again for your replies.

                          I enjoy playing around with all this networking and security stuff.

                          Very exciting.

                          And pfsense is the best!

                          And a great support community - thank-you.

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