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    nonexistent LAN addresses route to WAN

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • JKnottJ Offline
      JKnott @bPsdTZpW
      last edited by

      @bpsdtzpw
      What is the local network you're sending from? If it's any RFC1918 address, then NAT is normally used. NAT will cause all packets leaving the firewall to do so from the WAN address, not the LAN address, so the rule won't apply. As I said, use Packet Capture to see that.

      PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
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      • B Offline
        bPsdTZpW @JKnott
        last edited by

        @jknott said in nonexistent LAN addresses route to WAN:

        @bpsdtzpw
        What is the local network you're sending from? If it's any RFC1918 address, then NAT is normally used. NAT will cause all packets leaving the firewall to do so from the WAN address, not the LAN address, so the rule won't apply. As I said, use Packet Capture to see that.

        The question is not the source address, to which NAT applies, but the destination address. In my case, the destination address is a nonexistent RFC1918 address, e.g., 192.168.10.1. When I tracert to that address, pfSense properly recognizes that it's not on any existing subnet, and therefore routes the packets out the default gateway. Yes, it NATs the source address, but it (of course) leaves the destination address, 192.168.10.1 in this example, unchanged. This causes an RFC1918 address to appear on the WAN, which is improper. Hence I added the outbound rule, which does in fact work as indicated by tracert failing after I added it, and pfSense logging the blocking of the packets intended for the bad address.

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        • JKnottJ Offline
          JKnott @bPsdTZpW
          last edited by

          @bpsdtzpw

          The question is where that packet originates. If you're using NAT, which is the case for most IPv4 users, then it originates at the WAN interface and so the rule does not apply. If you have a public IPv4 subnet on your LAN, then pfsense is routing, not using NAT, and the packets originate on the LAN and will be filtered by that RFC1918 rule. Using NAT to reach the Internet is the exact same situation as pinging from the pfsense box itself. In both cases the packet originates at the WAN interface. Again, fire up Packet Capture to see this. See if you can tell the difference between a ping originating on your LAN or on pfsense.

          PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
          i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
          UniFi AC-Lite access point

          I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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

            @bpsdtzpw said in nonexistent LAN addresses route to WAN:

            Shouldn't pfSense have a default rule preventing the routing of LAN addresses onto a WAN interface that acts as a gateway to non-private networks

            That could cause all kinds of issues to be honest. What if user is using pfsense downstream of a rfc1918 network with lots of rfc1918 address space.

            The link I provided goes over some of this.. It is very common for users to be behind a double nat while using pfsense. The default block rfc1918 rule on wan prevents unsolicited inbound into pfsense from rfc1918. But if also blocked outbound to rfc1918, that could cause a lot of confusion to why their pfsense doesn't work for new users - that is my take on it.

            Out of the box the way it is - you could put pfsense connected to a rfc1918 on its wan, and as long as it doesn't over lap with the lan side of pfsense - pfsense would work for getting to the internet throught the rfc1918 transit on its wan.

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            • B Offline
              bPsdTZpW
              last edited by

              @jknott said in nonexistent LAN addresses route to WAN:

              The question is where that packet originates. If you're using NAT, which is the case for most IPv4 users, then it originates at the WAN interface and so the rule does not apply....

              The rule is a floating rule, on the WAN interface, with direction "out" and type "quick", with source "any" and destination "single host or alias" with alias RFC1918 specified. This rule definitely blocks egress from the WAN interface of packets containing RFC1918 destination addresses.

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              • JKnottJ Offline
                JKnott @bPsdTZpW
                last edited by

                @bpsdtzpw

                I was referring to the default RFC1918 rule on the WAN interface. If you want to use an ordinary, non floating rule, it would be placed on the LAN interface, to keep the packets from reaching pfsense and NAT.

                PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                UniFi AC-Lite access point

                I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                • JKnottJ Offline
                  JKnott @bPsdTZpW
                  last edited by

                  @bpsdtzpw

                  BTW, here's a rule I created a few years ago, to keep Unique Local Addresses, the IPv6 equivalent of RFC1918, from going out to the world.

                  f7544795-ef2c-4491-96b8-0f248052a31f-image.png

                  PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                  i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                  UniFi AC-Lite access point

                  I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                  • stephenw10S Offline
                    stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                    last edited by

                    There are many situations where you would not want to block RFC1918 as destination.

                    On my home firewall both my ISPs use private IPs for the gateway for example. So the default gateway monitoring would fail.

                    It's non-routable anyway so that traffic goes nowhere.

                    Steve

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                    • JKnottJ Offline
                      JKnott @stephenw10
                      last edited by

                      @stephenw10 said in nonexistent LAN addresses route to WAN:

                      It's non-routable anyway so that traffic goes nowhere

                      Those addresses are routeable, just not allowed on the Internet.

                      PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                      i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                      UniFi AC-Lite access point

                      I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                      • stephenw10S Offline
                        stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                        last edited by

                        Well not by anything that counts! But, OK, not in the way 169.254 is non-routable.

                        Anyway the fact RFC1918 IP destinations are sent out of the WAN is not a problem and is required in some situations.

                        Steve

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