Palo Alto Networks PSE-Strata-Pro-24 Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Hardware Firewall Exam Practice Test

Answer : A, B, E

Panorama is Palo Alto Networks' centralized management solution for managing multiple firewalls. It supports multiple deployment options to suit different infrastructure needs. The valid deployment options are as follows:

Why 'As a virtual machine (ESXi, Hyper-V, KVM)' (Correct Answer A)?

Panorama can be deployed as a virtual machine on hypervisors like VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and KVM. This is a common option for organizations that already utilize virtualized infrastructure.

Why 'With a cloud service provider (AWS, Azure, GCP)' (Correct Answer B)?

Panorama is available for deployment in the public cloud on platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. This allows organizations to centrally manage firewalls deployed in cloud environments.

Why 'As a dedicated hardware appliance (M-100, M-200, M-500, M-600)' (Correct Answer E)?

Panorama is available as a dedicated hardware appliance with different models (M-100, M-200, M-500, M-600) to cater to various performance and scalability requirements. This is ideal for organizations that prefer physical appliances.

Why not 'As a container (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift)' (Option C)?

Panorama is not currently supported as a containerized deployment. Containers are more commonly used for lightweight and ephemeral services, whereas Panorama requires a robust and persistent deployment model.

Why not 'On a Raspberry Pi (Model 4, Model 400, Model 5)' (Option D)?

Panorama cannot be deployed on low-powered hardware like Raspberry Pi. The system requirements for Panorama far exceed the capabilities of Raspberry Pi hardware.

Answer : A, C

Populating user-to-IP mappings is a critical function for enabling user-based policy enforcement in Palo Alto Networks firewalls. The following two methods are valid ways to populate these mappings:

Why 'XML API' (Correct Answer A)?

The XML API allows external systems to programmatically send user-to-IP mapping information to the firewall. This is a highly flexible method, particularly when user information is available from an external system that integrates via the API. This method is commonly used in environments where the mapping data is maintained in a centralized database or monitoring system.

Why 'User-ID' (Correct Answer C)?

User-ID is a core feature of Palo Alto Networks firewalls that allows for the dynamic identification of users and their corresponding IP addresses. User-ID agents can pull this data from various sources, such as Active Directory, Syslog servers, and more. This is one of the most common and reliable methods to maintain user-to-IP mappings.

Why not 'Captive portal' (Option B)?

Captive portal is a mechanism for authenticating users when they access the network. While it can indirectly contribute to user-to-IP mapping, it is not a direct method to populate these mappings. Instead, it prompts users to authenticate, after which User-ID handles the mapping.

Why not 'SCP log ingestion' (Option D)?

SCP (Secure Copy Protocol) is a file transfer protocol and does not have any functionality related to populating user-to-IP mappings. Log ingestion via SCP is not a valid way to map users to IP addresses.

Answer : B

The most effective way to reduce the risk of exploitation by newly announced vulnerabilities is through Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP). ATP uses inline deep learning to identify and block exploitation attempts, even for zero-day vulnerabilities, in real time.

Why 'Advanced Threat Prevention's command injection and SQL injection functions use inline deep learning against zero-day threats' (Correct Answer B)?

Advanced Threat Prevention leverages deep learning models directly in the data path, which allows it to analyze traffic in real time and detect patterns of exploitation, including newly discovered vulnerabilities being actively exploited in the wild. It specifically targets advanced tactics like:

Command injection.

SQL injection.

Memory-based exploits.

Protocol evasion techniques.

This functionality lowers the risk of exploitation by actively blocking attack attempts based on their behavior, even when a signature is not yet available. This approach makes ATP the most valuable solution for addressing new and actively exploited vulnerabilities.

Why not 'Advanced URL Filtering uses machine learning (ML) to learn which malicious URLs are being utilized by the attackers, then block the resulting traffic' (Option A)?

While Advanced URL Filtering is highly effective at blocking access to malicious websites, it does not provide the inline analysis necessary to prevent direct exploitation of vulnerabilities. Exploitation often happens within the application or protocol layer, which Advanced URL Filtering does not inspect.

Why not 'Single Pass Architecture and parallel processing ensure traffic is efficiently scanned against any enabled Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) subscription' (Option C)?

Single Pass Architecture improves performance by ensuring all enabled services (like Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, etc.) process traffic efficiently. However, it is not a feature that directly addresses vulnerability exploitation or zero-day attack detection.

Why not 'WildFire loads custom OS images to ensure that the sandboxing catches any activity that would affect the customer's environment' (Option D)?

WildFire is a sandboxing solution designed to detect malicious files and executables. While it is useful for analyzing malware, it does not provide inline protection against exploitation of newly announced vulnerabilities, especially those targeting network protocols or applications.

Answer : B

Protecting web servers from advanced threats like SQL injection, command injection, XSS attacks, and IIS exploits requires a solution capable of deep packet inspection, behavioral analysis, and inline prevention of zero-day attacks. The most effective solution here is Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP) combined with PAN-OS 11.x.

Why 'Advanced Threat Prevention and PAN-OS 11.x' (Correct Answer B)?

Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP) enhances traditional threat prevention by using inline deep learning models to detect and block advanced zero-day threats, including SQL injection, command injection, and XSS attacks. With PAN-OS 11.x, ATP extends its detection capabilities to detect unknown exploits without relying on signature-based methods. This functionality is critical for protecting web servers in scenarios where a dedicated WAF is unavailable.

ATP provides the following benefits:

Inline prevention of zero-day threats using deep learning models.

Real-time detection of attacks like SQL injection and XSS.

Enhanced protection for web server platforms like IIS.

Full integration with the Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW).

Why not 'Threat Prevention and PAN-OS 11.x' (Option A)?

Threat Prevention relies primarily on signature-based detection for known threats. While it provides basic protection, it lacks the capability to block zero-day attacks using advanced methods like inline deep learning. For zero-day SQL injection and XSS attacks, Threat Prevention alone is insufficient.

Why not 'Threat Prevention, Advanced URL Filtering, and PAN-OS 10.2 (and higher)' (Option C)?

While this combination includes Advanced URL Filtering (useful for blocking malicious URLs associated with exploits), it still relies on Threat Prevention, which is signature-based. This combination does not provide the zero-day protection needed for advanced injection attacks or XSS vulnerabilities.

Why not 'Advanced WildFire and PAN-OS 10.0 (and higher)' (Option D)?

Advanced WildFire is focused on analyzing files and executables in a sandbox environment to identify malware. While it is excellent for identifying malware, it is not designed to provide inline prevention for web-based injection attacks or XSS exploits targeting web servers.

Answer : A

Advanced DNS Security on Palo Alto Networks firewalls is designed to identify and prevent a wide range of DNS-based attacks. Among the listed options, 'High entropy DNS domains' is a specific example of a DNS attack that Advanced DNS Security can detect and block.

Why 'High entropy DNS domains' (Correct Answer A)?

High entropy DNS domains are often used in attacks where randomly generated domain names (e.g., gfh34ksdu.com) are utilized by malware or bots to evade detection. This is a hallmark of Domain Generation Algorithms (DGA)-based attacks. Palo Alto Networks firewalls with Advanced DNS Security use machine learning to detect such domains by analyzing the entropy (randomness) of DNS queries. High entropy values indicate the likelihood of a dynamically generated or malicious domain.

Why not 'Polymorphic DNS' (Option B)?

While polymorphic DNS refers to techniques that dynamically change DNS records to avoid detection, it is not specifically identified as an attack type mitigated by Advanced DNS Security in Palo Alto Networks documentation. The firewall focuses more on the behavior of DNS queries, such as detecting DGA domains or anomalous DNS traffic patterns.

Why not 'CNAME cloaking' (Option C)?

CNAME cloaking involves using CNAME records to redirect DNS queries to malicious or hidden domains. Although Palo Alto firewalls may detect and block malicious DNS redirections, the focus of Advanced DNS Security is primarily on identifying patterns of DNS abuse like DGA domains, tunneling, or high entropy queries.

Why not 'DNS domain rebranding' (Option D)?

DNS domain rebranding involves changing the domain names associated with malicious activity to evade detection. This is typically a tactic used for persistence but is not an example of a DNS attack type specifically addressed by Advanced DNS Security.

Advanced DNS Security focuses on dynamic, real-time identification of suspicious DNS patterns, such as high entropy domains, DNS tunneling, or protocol violations. High entropy DNS domains are directly tied to attack mechanisms like DGAs, making this the correct answer.

Answer : A, C, E

Device-ID is a feature in Palo Alto Networks firewalls that identifies devices based on their unique attributes (e.g., MAC addresses, device type, operating system). Device-ID can be used in several policy types to provide granular control. Here's how it applies to each option:

Option A: Security

Device-ID can be used in Security policies to enforce rules based on the device type or identity. For example, you can create policies that allow or block traffic for specific device types (e.g., IoT devices).

This is correct.

Option B: Decryption

Device-ID cannot be used in decryption policies. Decryption policies are based on traffic types, certificates, and other SSL/TLS attributes, not device attributes.

This is incorrect.

Option C: Policy-based forwarding (PBF)

Device-ID can be used in PBF policies to control the forwarding of traffic based on the identified device. For example, you can route traffic from certain device types through specific ISPs or VPN tunnels.

This is correct.

Option D: SD-WAN

SD-WAN policies use metrics such as path quality (e.g., latency, jitter) and application information for traffic steering. Device-ID is not a criterion used in SD-WAN policies.

This is incorrect.

Option E: Quality of Service (QoS)

Device-ID can be used in QoS policies to apply traffic shaping or bandwidth control for specific devices. For example, you can prioritize or limit bandwidth for traffic originating from IoT devices or specific endpoints.

This is correct.

Palo Alto Networks documentation on Device-ID

Answer : A

To configure GlobalProtect to authenticate users from multiple SAML identity providers (IdPs), the correct approach involves creating multiple authentication profiles, one for each IdP. Here's the analysis of each option:

Option A: GlobalProtect with multiple authentication profiles for each SAML IdP

GlobalProtect allows configuring multiple SAML authentication profiles, each corresponding to a specific IdP.

These profiles are associated with the GlobalProtect portal or gateway. When users attempt to authenticate, they can be directed to the appropriate IdP based on their domain or other attributes.

This is the correct approach to enable authentication for users from multiple IdPs.

Option B: Multiple authentication mode Cloud Identity Engine authentication profile for use on the GlobalProtect portals and gateways

The Cloud Identity Engine (CIE) can synchronize identities from multiple directories, but it does not directly support multiple SAML IdPs for a shared GlobalProtect setup.

This option is not applicable.

Option C: Authentication sequence that has multiple authentication profiles using different authentication methods

Authentication sequences allow multiple authentication methods (e.g., LDAP, RADIUS, SAML) to be tried in sequence for the same user, but they are not designed for handling multiple SAML IdPs.

This option is not appropriate for the scenario.

Option D: Multiple Cloud Identity Engine tenants for each business unit

Deploying multiple CIE tenants for each business unit adds unnecessary complexity and is not required for configuring GlobalProtect to authenticate users to multiple SAML IdPs.

This option is not appropriate.