How to limit concurrent GlobalProtect connections per user

[Remo]

Hi communit

So far it isn't possible to limit the concurrent GlobalProtect connections per user directly in PAN-OS. There is a feature request #4603 for which you can vote and wait/hope that this will be implemented.

If you need a solution (workaround) right now, once more the PAN-OS API is your friend. Because we (like probably some or a lot og admins here) had the problem, that we had users, specially from external suppliers, who shared their accounts and so they logged in multiple times. So I wrote this little powershell script. The script needs to be configured as scheduled task to run every minute for example. Every time the script runs it checks the connected Global Protect users and then kicks out users that are logged in multiple times. If you want, you can also specify the number of allowed concurrent logins per user with the variable $maxlogins. This way you're able to kick out users that are logged in more than 3 times for example.

[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12;

$apikey = "INSERT_API_KEY_HERE"
$firewall = "FIREWALL_HOSTNAME_OR_IP"
$gpgateway = "GLOBAL_PROTECT_GATEWAY_NAME"
$maxlogins = 1

Function callApiOp ($firewall, $param) {
    $request = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
    $apiurl = "https://" + $firewall + "/api/?key=" + $apikey + "&type=op&cmd=" + $param
    return [xml]$request.DownloadString($apiurl)
}

$param = "<show><global-protect-gateway><current-user><gateway>" + $gpgateway + "</gateway></current-user></global-protect-gateway></show>"
$logins = callApiOp $firewall $param
$logins = $logins.response.result.entry | sort 'login-time-utc'
$loginevents = @{}
foreach ($event in $logins) {
    $username = $event.username
    if ($loginevents.ContainsKey($username)) {
        $loginevents.($username) = $loginevents.($username) + 1

    }
    else {
        $loginevents.Add($username,1)
    }
}
foreach ($user in $loginevents.GetEnumerator()) {
    $forcelogout = $logins | Where-Object {$_.username -eq $user.key}
    $userstologout = $user.Value - $maxlogins
    for ($i=0;$i -lt $userstologout; $i++) {
        if ($forcelogout.count -eq $null) {
            $domain = $forcelogout.domain
            $computer = $forcelogout.computer
            $username = $forcelogout.username
        }
        else {
            $domain = $forcelogout[$i].domain
            $computer = $forcelogout[$i].computer
            $username = $forcelogout[$i].username
        }
        $logoutparam = "<request><global-protect-gateway><client-logout><gateway>" + $gpgateway + "-N</gateway><reason>force-logout</reason><user>" + $username + "</user><computer>" + $computer + "</computer>"
        if ($domain -ne "") {
            $logoutparam += "<domain>" + $domain + "</domain>"
        }
        $logoutparam += "</client-logout></global-protect-gateway></request>"

        $status = callApiOp $firewall $logoutparam
        if ($status.response.result.response.status -eq "success") {
            write-host "Logged out user $username from computer $computer"
        }
        else {
            $msg = "Could not logout " + $username + " from computer " + $computer + " because of the following error: " + $status.response.result.response.error
            Write-Host $msg
        }

    }
}

Maybe this helps at least some of you, or at least gives another idea for the almost countless use cases of the PAN-OS API.

Feedback is appreciated 😉

Regards,

Remo

[Alvaro_Arango]

This script is awesome, thank you for such a contribution. Let me ask you something, it is possible the script disconnect the second connection not the first one? I was making some test and it disconnects the first connection and the company requirement is the second one.

[StephanyeHidalgo]

Hi everyone

Until now there is not a way to limit user with the NFGW. 

We are trying to use this script, but we cannot logout the users.

the script runs and also display the users that are logout, but we made some test and the users are still conected. Could you help us with this? We try with On demand configuration and User-Logon on the APP of Global Protect but nothing happens. 

[Remo]

Hi @StephanyeHidalgo 

Whith PAN-OS version are you using? I created the script already quite a while ago, so it might be possible that the logout API call is no slightly different and because of that the logout does not work. Maybe tomorrow I can do some short tests with PAN-OS 9.1.8 and if required I can update the script.

[Remo]

Hi all

I updated the script slightly with some more lines and a hopefully helpful output in case of errors. I tested the script on a firewall running PAN-OS 9.1.9 with a global protect deployment that has SAML as authentication configured. With another check regarding other authentication methods where the domain attribute may be is there it should still work in such deployments. So if anyone is going to use the script, feel free to get back to me in case of problems or other feedback.

(I updated the script in the first post of this topic)

[jdordonez]

hello,
I am running the script the same as the one you posted but I have some errors.
that script still works with version 9 of palo alto and from a powershell 2016

hola,
yo estoy ejecutando el script igual al que publicaste pero tengo algunos errores.
ese script aun te funciona con la version 9 de palo alto y desde un powershell 2016

[fyousuf]

An alternative python based solution to the same problem is here:
https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/api-articles/limit-maximum-globalprotect-vpn-sessions/ta-p/3328...

[enginy]

Yet another easy-to-deploy, dependency/installation free, cross-platform and open-sourced go based modern solution available here:
https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/general-topics/pan-gplimiter-limit-concurrent-globalprotect-ses...

The project can be directly reachable here as well: https://github.com/enginy88/PAN-GPLimiter

BTW Thank you @Remo for the inspiration!

[R.Girard888323]

@Remo I adhere to the colleague's comment, the script is great. But it would be very useful for me if I disconnected the second user who logs in and not the one who was previously logged in

[enginy]

Hi @R.Girard888323 !

If you would use either one of two more advanced solution, it can be parametrically defined which one should be kicked: oldest or newest sessions. Please check the last 2 post above your comment.

In @fyousuf 's implementation, "remove_new_sessions" config parameter controls that behavior. In my implementation "PANGPLIMITER_KICK_OLDEST" config parameter controls that behavior.

Hope it helps!

[RaulGirard]

Thank you very much