Paloalto Networks PSE-Strata Palo Alto Networks System Engineer Professional - Strata Exam Practice Test

In a Palo Alto Networks firewall, when configuring User-ID, there are two essential components that must be configured: User Mapping and Group Mapping.

User Mapping involves identifying users by their usernames, which helps in associating network traffic with user activity. This is critical for applying user-specific policies and monitoring user activities.

Group Mapping involves associating users with their respective groups, typically pulled from a directory service like LDAP. This allows the firewall to apply policies based on group membership, making it easier to manage policies for large numbers of users.

These components enable the firewall to enforce security policies based on user identity and group membership, enhancing overall network security by ensuring that policies are applied accurately.

When a packet associated with an existing session arrives at the firewall, it is processed through the fast path because the session establishment has already occurred, so the session lookup can be quickly determined. If the packet is subject to content inspection, it will then be processed through a single stream-based content inspection engine before it is allowed to egress. This approach ensures efficient packet handling and minimizes latency while maintaining necessary security inspections.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) significantly enhances security by requiring multiple forms of verification to access accounts, reducing the risk of abuse from stolen credentials. URL Filtering Profiles block access to malicious or high-risk websites that might be used to harvest credentials or facilitate phishing attacks. SSL decryption rules allow security systems to inspect encrypted traffic, ensuring that malicious content is not being hidden within encrypted sessions, thereby preventing the use of stolen credentials on secure sites. These measures collectively help in reducing the risk of credential theft and misuse.

References:

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines on authentication

Palo Alto Networks' Best Practices for URL Filtering

SSL Decryption in Network Security (SANS Institute)

AutoFocus is a threat intelligence service provided by Palo Alto Networks that gives context and insight into threat data by leveraging a vast repository of threat intelligence data. It can inform customers about whether a zero-day attack is specifically targeted at their organization by correlating global threat intelligence with local data. This allows the customer to understand the specific nature and scope of the threat, providing actionable insights to mitigate such attacks.

Preventing unknown targeted attacks requires advanced techniques that can identify and mitigate threats in real-time.

App-ID with the Zero Trust model (Option B):

App-ID identifies applications traversing the network regardless of port, protocol, or evasive tactic employed, ensuring that only legitimate applications are allowed, following the principles of the Zero Trust model.

Cortex XDR licensing is based on the number of nodes and endpoints providing logs. This model ensures that organizations are charged according to the volume of endpoints and devices that are integrated with the Cortex XDR platform for comprehensive detection and response capabilities. By basing the licensing on endpoints and nodes, Cortex XDR offers a scalable and flexible solution that can adapt to the specific needs and growth of an organization's network infrastructure.

References:

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Licensing Guide

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Datasheet

The signature-based Threat Prevention features of the firewall that are informed by intelligence from the Threat Intelligence Cloud include Vulnerability Protection, Anti-Spyware, and Anti-Virus. The Threat Intelligence Cloud collects data from a variety of sources, including global threat intelligence networks, and analyzes this data to identify new threats. This intelligence is then used to update the signatures for these features, allowing the firewall to detect and prevent known threats effectively.

Vulnerability Protection: Uses updated signatures to detect and block exploit attempts against known vulnerabilities.

Anti-Spyware: Detects and prevents spyware based on signatures and threat intelligence.

Anti-Virus: Blocks known malware based on updated virus signatures.

These features are continuously updated with new intelligence, ensuring the firewall can defend against the latest threats.

References: Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention documentation, Threat Intelligence Cloud overview.

The SIA (Scan It All) Processing Engine in a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) is responsible for handling multiple security functions such as file proxy solutions, virus and spyware scanning, vulnerability scanning, and HTTP decoding for URL filtering. This engine ensures comprehensive security coverage by performing deep inspection and analysis of network traffic to detect and mitigate various types of threats, ensuring robust protection for the network.

Prisma SaaS and VM-300 firewalls can send logs to the Cortex Data Lake (now called Strata Logging Service). Prisma SaaS logs user activity and data access within SaaS applications and forwards these logs to the Strata Logging Service for centralized analysis and monitoring. Similarly, VM-300 firewalls deployed in AWS can send various types of logs, including traffic and threat logs, to the Strata Logging Service through Panorama or directly​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

The Automated Correlation Engine in PAN-OS is designed to analyze firewall logs to detect and correlate actionable events on the network. This feature processes a series of related threat events to identify compromised hosts or other significant security issues. By automatically pinpointing areas of risk and providing detailed insights, it allows administrators to assess vulnerabilities and take preventive measures to protect network resources. This capability is crucial for optimizing security outcomes and maintaining a robust defense posture.

When customers have high bandwidth requirements for Service Connections and need to onboard multiple Service Connections to the same Prisma Access location servicing a single datacenter, there are specific limitations to consider:

A. Network segments in the datacenter need to be advertised to only one Service Connection to prevent routing issues and ensure that traffic is properly managed and routed without conflicts.

B. The customer edge device must support policy-based routing with symmetric return functionality. This requirement ensures that traffic is routed back through the same path it came from, maintaining session integrity and preventing asymmetric routing issues, which can lead to packet loss and connection instability.

To enable Credential Phishing Prevention on a Palo Alto Networks firewall, several actions need to be taken to detect and block phishing attempts effectively.

Enable User Credential Detection: This is crucial for identifying when user credentials are being sent to potentially malicious or unknown sites.

Enable User-ID: This feature maps IP addresses to user identities, which is necessary for identifying which user credentials are being used and applying relevant security policies.

Define a URL Filtering profile: This profile allows the firewall to inspect and control web traffic, blocking access to phishing sites and other malicious URLs.

In PAN-OS 9, the WF-500 appliance added support for new file types, including ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) and 7-Zip files. This expansion enables broader malware detection capabilities by analyzing additional file formats commonly used in various operating systems and compression utilities​ (LIVEcommunity | Palo Alto Networks)​​ (LIVEcommunity | Palo Alto Networks)​.

When a client chooses not to block uncategorized websites, additional measures are necessary to maintain a level of protection.

A URL filtering profile with the action set to continue for unknown URL categories: By setting the action to continue, users will be prompted before accessing uncategorized websites, which provides an extra layer of caution and awareness, helping to mitigate risks associated with unknown sites.

A file blocking profile attached to security policy rules: This helps to reduce the risk of drive-by downloads by blocking potentially harmful file types from being downloaded when users visit uncategorized websites. This additional layer of security ensures that even if users access risky sites, the likelihood of malicious file downloads is minimized.

The Palo Alto Networks Security Operating Platform is designed to prevent various stages of the cyberattack lifecycle. Specifically, it effectively prevents the following four stages:

Breach the Perimeter: By using advanced threat prevention mechanisms, the platform can stop initial attempts to penetrate the network perimeter.

Lateral Movement: Once inside the network, attackers often try to move laterally to access more systems. The platform uses network segmentation and advanced monitoring to detect and prevent such movements.

Exfiltrate Data: Data exfiltration is the process of unauthorized data transfer out of the network. The platform employs data loss prevention (DLP) technologies to detect and block such attempts.

Deliver the Malware: The platform can prevent malware delivery through its threat prevention capabilities, including anti-malware, anti-spyware, and sandboxing technologies.

These steps cover critical phases where the platform can intervene to stop attacks before they cause significant damage.

Information about Command-and-Control (C2) hosts can be found in the following items:

Threat logs (A): These logs contain detailed information about detected threats, including C2 activities.

WildFire analysis reports (B): WildFire reports provide insights into malicious files and their behaviors, including any C2 communication attempts.

Botnet reports (C): These reports identify infected hosts within the network that are communicating with known botnet C2 servers.

These sources collectively provide comprehensive visibility into C2 activities within the network, aiding in the detection and mitigation of compromised hosts​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

For detecting actionable events on the network and processing related threat events, the Automated Correlation Engine (ACE) in PAN-OS is highly suitable.

Automated Correlation Engine (ACE):

ACE analyzes firewall logs to detect patterns and sequences of events that may indicate a compromised host.

It automatically processes related threat events, pinpointing areas of risk and providing actionable insights.

When beginning to understand the Zero Trust protect surface using the Palo Alto Networks Zero Trust reference architecture, the following two steps are crucial:

Validate User Identities through Authentication (A): This step involves ensuring that all users are authenticated properly. By verifying the identities of users attempting to access the network, organizations can ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive resources. This is a fundamental principle of Zero Trust, which operates on the premise of "never trust, always verify."

Categorize Data and Applications by Levels of Sensitivity (C): This involves identifying and classifying data and applications based on their sensitivity and importance to the organization. By understanding what needs to be protected and the level of sensitivity, security policies can be tailored to provide appropriate levels of protection. This helps in prioritizing security measures based on the criticality of the data and applications.

References:

Palo Alto Networks, Zero Trust Architecture Documentation.

NIST Zero Trust Architecture (NIST SP 800-207).

To configure the rate of file submissions to WildFire in a Palo Alto Networks NGFW, you set a limit on the maximum number of files submitted per day. This configuration allows administrators to control and manage the volume of files sent to WildFire for analysis, ensuring that it fits within the limits of their license and operational requirements.

Choosing between the hardware and virtual offerings of Panorama depends on specific use cases and requirements.

Dedicated Logger Mode is Required: Hardware Panorama can be configured in Dedicated Logger Mode, which is not available in the virtual offering. This mode is crucial for environments needing dedicated, high-capacity log collection and storage.

Logs per Second Exceed 10,000: Hardware Panorama is designed to handle high log rates more efficiently than the virtual offering. When the log rate exceeds 10,000 logs per second, the hardware version can manage the load more effectively, ensuring better performance and reliability.

When configuring Prisma Cloud to scan your Amazon S3 account, the service requires specific permissions to access your S3 resources. This is achieved by providing the access key ID, which, along with the secret access key, allows Prisma Cloud to authenticate and authorize the necessary access to your S3 buckets. This method ensures secure and efficient management of permissions and access within your AWS environment​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

To prevent the abuse of stolen credentials, two effective configuration elements are:

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (C): Implementing MFA adds an additional layer of security by requiring users to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to a resource such as an application or online account. This significantly reduces the risk of credential abuse because even if the credentials are stolen, the attacker would still need the second factor to gain access.

URL Filtering Profiles (D): URL Filtering Profiles help prevent access to malicious or inappropriate websites. By restricting access to known phishing and malicious sites, URL filtering can prevent users from inadvertently entering their credentials on fraudulent websites, thereby reducing the chances of credential theft and misuse.

References:

Palo Alto Networks, Multi-Factor Authentication Setup and URL Filtering Profiles documentation.

For a price-sensitive customer needing to secure a Windows Virtual Server with a maximum throughput of 100Mbps and requiring up to 45,000 sessions, the VM-200 instance is the appropriate choice. The VM-200 is designed to handle up to 100Mbps of throughput and supports a sufficient number of sessions to meet the customer's requirements, making it a cost-effective and suitable option for this use case​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

DNS sinkholing is a technique used to intercept and redirect malicious traffic to a designated IP address (sinkhole) to identify and prevent further malicious activity. When a compromised host attempts to connect to a known malicious domain, it is instead directed to the sinkhole IP address. This allows security administrators to identify infected hosts by examining traffic logs, where connections to the sinkhole IP address are recorded. DNS sinkholing does not require a separate license, and the relevant signatures are typically included in the Threat Prevention package.

Using a virtual wire (vWire) interface configuration can enhance the security of a production online system while minimizing the impact on the existing network.

Virtual Wire:

A vWire interface operates transparently at Layer 2, allowing the firewall to inspect traffic without making changes to the existing network topology.

This mode is ideal for inline deployments where minimal changes to the network configuration are desired.

To configure SSL Forward Proxy, two types of certificates can be used:

Enterprise CA-signed certificates: These certificates are issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) within the organization, ensuring trust within the enterprise environment.

Self-Signed certificates: These are generated and signed by the firewall itself. While easier to deploy, they may not be trusted by external clients unless explicitly added to their trust stores.

Both types of certificates allow the firewall to decrypt and inspect SSL/TLS traffic, ensuring that malicious traffic can be detected and blocked even when encrypted.

References: Palo Alto Networks SSL Decryption documentation.

The Best Practice Assessment (BPA) tool provided by Palo Alto Networks helps organizations to assess and improve their security posture. The tool identifies several best practices, including:

Use of Decryption Policies: Implementing decryption policies ensures that encrypted traffic can be inspected for threats. This is crucial for identifying and mitigating risks hidden within SSL/TLS encrypted traffic​ (Marks4Sure)​.

Measure the Adoption of URL Filters, App-ID, User-ID: The BPA tool evaluates how effectively the organization is utilizing URL filtering, application identification (App-ID), and user identification (User-ID) to enforce security policies. These technologies are essential for granular control and visibility over network traffic​ (Marks4Sure)​.

Identify Sanctioned and Unsanctioned SaaS Applications: The tool helps in identifying which SaaS applications are being used within the network, distinguishing between those that are sanctioned by IT and those that are not. This visibility is crucial for managing shadow IT and ensuring that only approved applications are used, reducing security risks​ (Marks4Sure)​.

Dynamic User Groups (DUGs) in Palo Alto Networks are determined using tags. Tags are metadata assigned to users based on various criteria, such as behavior, location, or other attributes. These tags are used to dynamically update group memberships without manual intervention. For instance, if a user meets certain conditions defined by the administrator, they are automatically tagged and included in the respective DUG. This feature enhances the flexibility and automation of security policies, ensuring that the right policies are applied to the right users in real-time.

The Vulnerability Protection profile on Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall includes signatures to protect against a variety of threats, including brute force attacks.

Vulnerability Protection Profile:

This profile contains specific signatures designed to detect and block attempts to exploit vulnerabilities, including those used in brute force attacks.

The SP3 (Single Pass Parallel Processing) architecture of Palo Alto Networks' Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) is designed to address high-throughput and low-latency requirements while providing comprehensive security features. This architecture allows the firewall to process network traffic in a single pass for all security functions, which significantly enhances performance by reducing latency and ensuring high throughput. By highlighting SP3, you can assure potential customers that the NGFW can handle their performance needs while delivering robust security.

When HTTP header logging is enabled on a URL Filtering profile in Palo Alto Networks firewalls, the attribute-value that can be logged includes:

X-Forwarded-For (A): This HTTP header is commonly used to identify the originating IP address of a client connecting to a web server through an HTTP proxy or load balancer. Logging this header allows administrators to track the source IP addresses of clients accessing resources through proxies, providing better visibility into user activity.

References:

Palo Alto Networks, URL Filtering Profiles Documentation.

HTTP Header Field Definitions (RFC 7239).

To support MineMeld indicators on PAN-OS External Dynamic Lists (EDLs), you must configure the Prototype setting. The prototype defines the type of node and its configuration in MineMeld, which is essential for generating the correct feed format that the firewall can consume. This allows the EDL to dynamically pull in threat intelligence data from MineMeld and apply it to security policies​ (LIVEcommunity | Palo Alto Networks)​​ (LIVEcommunity | Palo Alto Networks)​.

An administrator needing a PDF summary report that compiles information from existing reports based on data for the top five in each category has the options to send this report on a daily or weekly basis. These timeframe options provide flexibility in monitoring and reviewing critical network and security metrics regularly, ensuring timely insights and actions.

References:

Palo Alto Networks Report Configuration Guide

Palo Alto Networks Reporting and Logging Documentation

Having WildFire machine learning (ML) capability inline on the firewall provides significant advantages in real-time threat prevention.

Inline ML Capability:

The firewall can analyze and block unknown malicious files in real-time, preventing the first instance of infection (patient zero).

This enhances security without disrupting business productivity, as threats are mitigated immediately.

For a Fortune 500 customer concerned about sending discovered malware outside of their network, the WildFire Private Cloud is the appropriate solution. The WildFire Private Cloud allows the organization to retain all malware analysis within their own data center, ensuring that sensitive information and discovered threats are not transmitted to external servers. This version of WildFire is designed for organizations with stringent data privacy and security policies, offering the same advanced threat detection and prevention capabilities as the public cloud version, but hosted entirely within the customer's infrastructure.

 To protect against port scans from the internet, a Zone Protection Profile should be applied to the zone of the ingress interface. This profile helps defend the network by setting thresholds for various types of scans and attacks, including port scans, thus reducing the risk of reconnaissance activities that precede actual attacks​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.QUESTION NO: 43

When log sizing is factored for the Cortex Data Lake on the NGFW, what is the average log size used in calculation?

A. 8MB

B. depends on the Cortex Data Lake tier purchased

C. 18 bytes

D. 1500 bytes

Answer: D

When calculating log sizing for the Cortex Data Lake on the NGFW, the average log size used is 1500 bytes. This size helps in estimating storage requirements and planning for log retention policies efficiently, ensuring that there is adequate storage capacity to handle the volume of logs generated by the network firewalls​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.QUESTION NO: 44

What can be applied to prevent users from unknowingly downloading malicious file types from the internet?

A. A vulnerability profile to security policy rules that deny general web access

B. An antivirus profile to security policy rules that deny general web access

C. A zone protection profile to the untrust zone

D. A file blocking profile to security policy rules that allow general web access

Answer: D

To prevent users from unknowingly downloading malicious file types from the internet, a File Blocking Profile should be applied to security policy rules that allow general web access. This profile can be configured to block or alert on downloads of specific file types that are commonly used to deliver malware, providing an additional layer of protection against threats​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

In PAN-OS 10.0 and later, DNS Security allows for the application of policy actions based on specific domain types, enhancing the network's security posture.

Grayware (Option A):

Domains associated with potentially unwanted applications or non-malicious software that may pose a security risk.

The update frequencies for the databases of different subscription services on Palo Alto Networks are as follows:

Anti-virus: Daily updates ensure that the latest virus definitions and malware signatures are available to protect against new threats.

Application: Weekly updates provide the latest application signatures to maintain accurate application identification and control.

Threats: Daily updates deliver the most current threat signatures to enhance the firewall's ability to detect and prevent emerging threats.

WildFire: Updates every 5 minutes ensure that the latest malware analysis results and protections are quickly disseminated to protect against new and evolving threats.

These update intervals are designed to provide comprehensive and up-to-date protection against a wide range of security threats.

References:

Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention Documentation

Palo Alto Networks WildFire Subscription Service Guide

To ensure that firewalls have the most current set of signatures for up-to-date protection, it is recommended to use dynamic updates with the most aggressive schedule required by business needs. Dynamic updates allow the firewall to automatically download and install the latest threat signatures and security updates from Palo Alto Networks. This approach minimizes the window of vulnerability by ensuring that the firewall is consistently equipped with the most recent protections against emerging threats. Setting an aggressive update schedule ensures timely application of critical updates, enhancing the overall security posture of the network.

WildFire signatures are generated based on the analysis of unknown files submitted to the WildFire cloud. These signatures are updated and pushed to the antivirus database every 24 hours. This frequent update cycle ensures that the firewall can detect and block the latest threats quickly and effectively, minimizing the window of exposure to new malware.

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) offer advanced features that are not typically found in legacy firewall products, including:

Policy Match is Based on Application: Unlike legacy firewalls that base policies primarily on IP addresses, ports, and protocols, Palo Alto Networks NGFWs can create policies based on specific applications (App-ID). This allows for more precise control over network traffic, ensuring that only legitimate application traffic is allowed while blocking unwanted or malicious applications.

Identification of Application is Possible on Any Port: Traditional firewalls often rely on static port numbers to identify traffic, which can be easily bypassed by applications using non-standard ports. Palo Alto Networks NGFWs can identify applications regardless of the port they use, providing more accurate application identification and better security enforcement.

These features enhance the ability to manage and secure network traffic effectively, providing superior protection compared to legacy firewall solutions.