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Mike12345's avatar
Mike12345
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Jul 28, 2024

F5 LTM SSL Bridging - send decrypted traffic to clone pool

Hi, I'm trying to lab a scenario I was asked about at work. Whether it is possible to send decrypted TLS/SSL traffic to an IDS through the clone pool. I have seen an overview stating this is possibl...
  • Kevin_Stewart's avatar
    Jul 31, 2024

    Very simply, in the proxy "HUD" chain, a clone pool sits at layer 2, whereas TLS decryption happens at layer 6. In other words, you're seeing encrypted traffic at the clone pool because decryption hasn't happened yet.

    To get decrypted traffic to a clone pool you have to get past layer 6. If you're not re-encrypting to the server, you can put the clone on the server side of the proxy. If you are re-encrypting to the backend, then you'd need a VIP-target solution:

    client-side VIP --> (vip target) --> server-side VIP

    The client-side VIP has a client SSL profile and an iRule that VIP targets to the server-side VIP that has the server SSL profile. You can then put your clone pool on the server side (inside) of the client-side VIP, or client side (inside) of the server-side VIP.