Palo Alto Networks PCSFE Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer Exam Practice Test

Answer : B, C

The two requirements for automating service deployment of a VM-Series firewall from an NSX Manager are:

Panorama has been configured to recognize both the NSX Manager and vCenter.

The deployed VM-Series firewall can establish communications with Panorama.

NSX Manager is a software component that provides centralized management and control of the NSX environment, including network virtualization, automation, and security. Service deployment is a process that involves deploying and configuring network services, such as firewalls, load balancers, or routers, on the NSX environment. VM-Series firewall is a virtualized version of the Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall that can be deployed on various cloud or virtualization platforms, including NSX. Panorama is a centralized management server that provides visibility and control over multiple Palo Alto Networks firewalls and devices. Panorama has been configured to recognize both the NSX Manager and vCenter is a requirement for automating service deployment of a VM-Series firewall from an NSX Manager. vCenter is a software component that provides centralized management and control of the VMware environment, including hypervisors, virtual machines, and other resources. Panorama has been configured to recognize both the NSX Manager and vCenter by adding them as VMware service managers and enabling service insertion for VM-Series firewalls on NSX. This allows Panorama to communicate with the NSX Manager and vCenter, retrieve information about the NSX environment, and deploy and manage VM-Series firewalls as network services on the NSX environment. The deployed VM-Series firewall can establish communications with Panorama is a requirement for automating service deployment of a VM-Series firewall from an NSX Manager. The deployed VM-Series firewall can establish communications with Panorama by registering with Panorama using its serial number or IP address, and receiving configuration updates and policy rules from Panorama. This allows the VM-Series firewall to operate as part of the Panorama management domain, synchronize its settings and status with Panorama, and report its logs and statistics to Panorama. vCenter has been given Palo Alto Networks subscription licenses for VM-Series firewalls and Panorama can establish communications to the public Palo Alto Networks update servers are not requirements for automating service deployment of a VM-Series firewall from an NSX Manager, as those are not related or relevant factors for service deployment automation. Reference: [Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE)], [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on VMware NSX-T], [Panorama Overview], [VMware Service Manager], [Register the Firewall with Panorama]

Answer : A, B

The two private cloud environments that Palo Alto Networks have deep integrations with are:

VMware NSX-T

Cisco ACI

A private cloud environment is a cloud computing service that provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS) or platform as a service (PaaS) to customers within a private network or data center. A private cloud environment requires network security that can protect the traffic between different virtual machines (VMs) or other resources from cyberattacks and enforce granular security policies based on application, user, content, and threat information. Palo Alto Networks have deep integrations with VMware NSX-T and Cisco ACI, which are two private cloud environments that provide network virtualization, automation, and security for cloud-native applications. VMware NSX-T is a private cloud environment that provides software-defined networking (SDN) and security for heterogeneous endpoints and workloads across multiple hypervisors, containers, bare metal servers, or clouds. Cisco ACI is a private cloud environment that provides application-centric infrastructure (ACI) and security for physical and virtual endpoints across multiple data centers or clouds. Palo Alto Networks have deep integrations with VMware NSX-T and Cisco ACI by enabling features such as dynamic address groups, service insertion, policy redirection, service chaining, orchestration, monitoring, logging, and automation for VM-Series firewalls and Panorama on these platforms. Dell APEX and Nutanix are not private cloud environments that Palo Alto Networks have deep integrations with, but they are related platforms that can be used for other purposes. Reference: [Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE)], [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on VMware NSX-T], [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on Cisco ACI], [What is VMware NSX-T?], [What is Cisco ACI?]

Answer : D

App-ID is the component that can provide application-based segmentation and prevent lateral threat movement. Application-based segmentation is a method of dividing the network into smaller segments or zones based on application or workload characteristics, such as function, dependency, owner, or security posture. Lateral threat movement is a technique used by attackers to move across the network from one compromised host to another, looking for sensitive data or assets. App-ID is a feature that identifies and classifies applications and protocols based on their content and characteristics, regardless of port, encryption, or evasion techniques. App-ID can provide application-based segmentation and prevent lateral threat movement by applying granular security policies based on application information to each segment or connection, blocking unauthorized access or data exfiltration. DNS Security, NAT, and URL Filtering are not components that can provide application-based segmentation and prevent lateral threat movement, but they are related features that can enhance security and visibility. Reference:Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [App-ID Overview], [Microsegmentation with Palo Alto Networks], [Lateral Movement]

Answer : B

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Inbound Inspection is the offering that can gain visibility and prevent an attack by a malicious actor attempting to exploit a known web server vulnerability using encrypted communication. SSL Inbound Inspection is a feature that allows the firewall to decrypt and inspect inbound SSL/TLS traffic from external clients to internal servers. SSL Inbound Inspection can gain visibility and prevent an attack by a malicious actor attempting to exploit a known web server vulnerability using encrypted communication by applying threat prevention technologies, such as antivirus, anti-spyware, vulnerability protection, URL filtering, file blocking, data filtering, and WildFire analysis, to the decrypted traffic and blocking any malicious content or activity. OCSP, Advanced URL Filtering (AURLF), and WildFire are not offerings that can gain visibility and prevent an attack by a malicious actor attempting to exploit a known web server vulnerability using encrypted communication, but they are related solutions that can enhance security and visibility. Reference:Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [SSL Inbound Inspection], [Threat Prevention Datasheet]

Answer : A

CN-Series devices obtain a VM-Series authorization key from Panorama. Panorama is a centralized management server that provides visibility and control over multiple Palo Alto Networks firewalls and devices. A VM-Series authorization key is a license key that activates the VM-Series firewall features and capacities. CN-Series devices obtain a VM-Series authorization key from Panorama by registering with Panorama using their CPU ID and requesting an authorization code from Panorama's license pool. Panorama then generates an authorization key for the CN-Series device and sends it back to the device for activation. CN-Series devices do not obtain a VM-Series authorization key from local installation, GitHub, or Customer Support Portal, as those are not valid or relevant sources for license management. Reference:Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Panorama Overview], [VM-Series Licensing Overview], [CN-Series Licensing]

Answer : D

Dynamic Address Group is the PAN-OS feature that allows for automated updates to address objects when VM-Series firewalls are setup as part of an NSX deployment. NSX is a software-defined network (SDN) solution that provides network virtualization, automation, and security for cloud-native applications. Dynamic Address Group is an object that represents a group of IP addresses based on criteria such as tags, regions, interfaces, or user-defined attributes. Dynamic Address Group allows Security policies to adapt dynamically to changes in the network topology or workload characteristics without requiring manual updates. When VM-Series firewalls are setup as part of an NSX deployment, they can leverage the NSX tags assigned to virtual machines (VMs) or containers by the NSX manager or controller to populate Dynamic Address Groups and update Security policies accordingly. Boundary automation, Hypervisor integration, and Bootstrapping are not PAN-OS features that allow for automated updates to address objects when VM-Series firewalls are setup as part of an NSX deployment, but they are related concepts that can be used for other purposes. Reference:Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Dynamic Address Groups Overview], [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on VMware NSX]

Answer : D

Dynamic address group is the component that allows the flexibility to add network resources but does not require making changes to existing policies and rules. Dynamic address group is an object that represents a group of IP addresses based on criteria such as tags, regions, interfaces, or user-defined attributes. Dynamic address group allows Security policies to adapt dynamically to changes in the network topology or workload characteristics without requiring manual updates. Content-ID, External dynamic list, and App-ID are not components that allow the flexibility to add network resources but do not require making changes to existing policies and rules, but they are related features that can enhance security and visibility. Reference:Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Dynamic Address Groups Overview], [Content-ID Overview], [External Dynamic Lists Overview], [App-ID Overview]