Free and Premium Paloalto Networks PSE-Strata Dumps Questions Answers

In the first step of the Palo Alto Networks Five-Step Zero Trust Methodology, "Define the protect surface," an organization identifies its critical data, applications, assets, and services (DAAS). This step is crucial because it determines what needs to be protected within the Zero Trust framework. By clearly defining the protect surface, organizations can focus their security efforts on the most critical areas.

To run Cortex XDR effectively, the following three mandatory components are required:

NGFW with PANOS 8.0.5 or Later: The Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) running PANOS 8.0.5 or later is necessary to provide advanced security features and integration with Cortex XDR.

Cortex Data Lake: This component is essential for storing and analyzing large volumes of data, providing the necessary infrastructure for Cortex XDR to perform threat detection and response.

Traps: Traps (now part of Cortex XDR Endpoint Protection) is essential for endpoint protection, helping to prevent, detect, and respond to threats on endpoints.

These components work together to provide comprehensive threat detection and response capabilities within the Cortex XDR framework.

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)​.

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).

When there are different Master Keys on Panorama and managed firewalls, the push operation of configurations from Panorama to the managed firewalls will succeed provided there is no error within the configuration itself. The Master Key differences do not interfere with the configuration push process as long as the configurations are valid and free of errors.

References: Palo Alto Networks Panorama Administration Guide.

Dynamic user groups (DUGs) provide flexibility in managing user access and security policies.

Tagging Users via Panorama or Web UI (Option B):

Administrators can manually add or remove users from DUGs using the graphical interface provided by Panorama or the firewall’s Web UI.

The three possible verdicts in WildFire Submissions log entries for a submitted sample are:

Benign: The sample is not considered harmful.

Spyware: The sample is identified as spyware, which is software designed to gather information about a person or organization without their knowledge.

Malicious: The sample is considered harmful and has the potential to cause damage or unauthorized access.

Grayware: The sample is not entirely benign nor fully malicious. It may exhibit behaviors that are suspicious or undesirable, such as adware or other unwanted software.

These classifications help in determining the necessary security measures and responses. Phishing, while a threat type, is not a separate WildFire verdict in the context of the WildFire analysis logs.

The CLI command that allows you to view latency, jitter, and packet loss on a virtual SD-WAN interface is:

show sdwan path-monitor stats vif

This command displays the statistics related to the virtual SD-WAN interface, including important metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss. These metrics are crucial for monitoring the performance and quality of the SD-WAN connections to ensure optimal network performance and quick identification of issues.

References:

Palo Alto Networks SD-WAN Configuration Guide

Palo Alto Networks CLI Reference

Deploying Panorama in a High Availability (HA) configuration provides significant advantages, especially for maintaining the management layer and ensuring robust log collection. Here are the key reasons:

Ensure Management Continuity: By deploying a second Panorama appliance in an HA setup, you can ensure continuous management of your firewall environment. In the event that the primary Panorama appliance fails, the secondary appliance can take over, ensuring that there is no interruption in management capabilities. This is crucial for maintaining operational stability and uninterrupted administrative functions​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

Improve Log Collection Redundancy: An HA setup improves the redundancy and reliability of log collection. If the primary Panorama appliance that is collecting logs from various firewalls becomes unavailable, the secondary appliance can continue the log collection process. This ensures that all security events and network activities are recorded without gaps, which is essential for effective monitoring and incident response​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks Knowledge Base)​.

DNS Sinkholing is a powerful feature in network security that offers several advantages:

Forging DNS replies to known malicious domains: This technique redirects malicious domain queries to a designated IP address (sinkhole), effectively preventing the malware from communicating with its command and control servers, thereby neutralizing its threat.

Working upstream from the internal DNS server: DNS Sinkholing can be implemented upstream, meaning it intercepts and manipulates DNS queries before they reach the internal DNS server. This preemptive action helps in blocking threats early in the DNS resolution process, providing an additional security layer​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

The sinkhole IP address provided by DNS Security serves two main benefits:

Client Communication (A): When the client communicates with the sinkhole IP address instead of the malicious IP address, it prevents the client from establishing a connection with the malicious server. This helps in protecting the client from potential harm and disrupts the malicious activity.

Client Identification (D): If the internal DNS server is positioned between the client and the firewall, the sinkhole IP address allows the firewall to identify which clients are attempting to access the malicious domain. This information is critical for administrators to take further action, such as cleaning the infected devices and enhancing security policies.

References:

Palo Alto Networks, DNS Security and Sinkhole Configuration documentation.

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)​.

When access to a business site is blocked by URL Filtering inline machine learning (ML) and it is identified as a false positive, the appropriate way to resolve this is to create a custom URL category and add the site to the exceptions list of the inline ML profile. This ensures that the specific URL is no longer subjected to the filtering rules applied by the inline ML, thereby allowing access to the site.

Creating a custom URL category and adding it to the exceptions of the inline ML profile ensures that the legitimate business site is accessible without completely disabling the URL Filtering inline ML feature, which would reduce overall security effectiveness.

References:

Palo Alto Networks, URL Filtering Administration Guide.

When configuring the NGFW to act as a decryption broker for multiple transparent bridge security chains, the following items are required:

A unique Transparent Bridge Decryption Forwarding Profile to a single Decryption policy rule (B): Each decryption policy rule must be associated with a unique Transparent Bridge Decryption Forwarding Profile. This ensures that decrypted traffic is forwarded appropriately to the specific security chain.

A unique Decryption policy rule is required per security chain (C): You need to create a separate decryption policy rule for each security chain. This allows you to distribute the decrypted traffic among multiple security chains based on policy criteria.

These configurations enable the firewall to effectively manage and distribute the load across multiple security chains, ensuring optimal performance and security​ (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.

GlobalProtect is the Palo Alto Networks security component designed to extend next-generation firewall (NGFW) policies to remote users. It provides comprehensive security by ensuring that all network traffic from remote devices is inspected and secured, just as if the users were on the corporate network. This helps maintain consistent security policies and protections regardless of user location.

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 Best Practice Assessment (BPA) tool by Palo Alto Networks identifies tasks related to improving device management access. This includes evaluating the current state of management access configurations and providing recommendations to enhance security, such as implementing multi-factor authentication, using secure management interfaces, and restricting access based on roles.

References: Palo Alto Networks Best Practice Assessment tool documentation.

In an HA (High Availability) pair running in Active/Passive mode, the dataplanes communicate over the HA3 interface. This interface is used for the synchronization of session information and other runtime data between the active and passive firewalls, ensuring stateful failover and seamless transition in case of a failure.

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.

The customer currently lacks visibility into the Layer 7 application traffic on port 53, which is typically used for DNS. Palo Alto Networks' App-ID technology can identify applications traversing the network irrespective of the port, protocol, or encryption (SSL or SSH). By using App-ID, the customer can gain visibility into the specific applications being used, even if they are running over standard ports such as 53. This capability not only identifies the applications but also allows for granular control over them, enabling the customer to block unsanctioned applications if necessary.

Palo Alto Networks NGFW provides several mechanisms for user mapping, which helps in identifying and applying policies based on user identity rather than just IP addresses.

Captive Portal: This method redirects users to a portal where they must authenticate before accessing the network. It captures user credentials and maps them to their IP addresses.

Domain server monitoring: This involves monitoring Active Directory (AD) domain controllers to map users to their respective IP addresses based on login events.

Client probing: This mechanism involves directly querying devices on the network to determine the logged-in user. It's useful for mapping IP addresses to usernames dynamically.

The Security Lifecycle Review (SLR) is a pre-sales tool used by Palo Alto Networks that involves an in-depth interview, typically lasting around 4 hours, to assess a customer's current security posture. The SLR provides a comprehensive review of the security measures in place, identifies potential gaps, and offers recommendations for improvements. This tool helps organizations understand their security environment and make informed decisions about enhancing their security infrastructure.

References: Palo Alto Networks SLR documentation.

Logs from various products can be sent to the Cortex Data Lake, which serves as a centralized logging and data repository:

PA-3260 firewall: This next-generation firewall (NGFW) is capable of forwarding comprehensive logs, including threat, traffic, and user activity data, to the Cortex Data Lake for centralized analysis and response.

Prisma Access: This cloud-delivered security service ensures secure access to applications and data from anywhere. It integrates with Cortex Data Lake to provide consistent security across all users, irrespective of their location, by logging security events and user activities​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

The firewall provides several types of reports to monitor network security. These include:

PDF Summary Reports: These reports provide a comprehensive summary of the network's security status and events, formatted in a user-friendly PDF format.

Botnet Reports: Focus on identifying and detailing botnet activities within the network, helping administrators take action against compromised devices.

User or Group Activity Reports: These reports track the activities of specific users or groups, providing insights into user behavior and potential security risks.

These reports help in understanding and managing the security posture of the network effectively.

References: 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.

Palo Alto Networks updates Command-and-Control (C2) signatures frequently to ensure the latest threats are detected and blocked. The recommended schedule for updating C2 signatures is once a day. This daily update ensures that the firewall has the most current threat intelligence, providing robust protection against C2 traffic.

The command show mlav cloud-status is used to verify that the machine learning-based antivirus (MLAV) for portable executable (PE) files is functioning correctly within the Palo Alto Networks WildFire environment. This command provides the status of the machine learning model updates and their integration with the antivirus profile. If the model is working properly, this command will return information indicating that the MLAV service is active and synchronized with the cloud-based threat intelligence. This ensures that the firewall is effectively leveraging machine learning to identify and block malicious PE files.

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.

Decryption Broker on a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) provides two primary benefits:

Offloading SSL decryption: The NGFW decrypts traffic once and then forwards it to multiple security devices for inspection, avoiding the need to decrypt and re-encrypt traffic multiple times, thus improving efficiency.

Reducing third-party devices: By handling SSL decryption within the NGFW, the need for separate, dedicated SSL decryption devices is eliminated, reducing the complexity and number of devices required for network security.

These features streamline traffic analysis and enforcement while maintaining robust security.

References: Palo Alto Networks Decryption Broker documentation.

Palo Alto Networks Single Pass Parallel Processing (SP3) architecture is designed to handle traffic efficiently and securely. The key aspect of SP3 is:

Single Pass Processing (C): This means that all traffic is processed in a single pass through the firewall, regardless of the number of security features enabled. There is no additional performance impact for each feature because the firewall processes all security functions (such as threat prevention, URL filtering, and application control) simultaneously in a single pass. This architecture ensures high performance and low latency while maintaining robust security.

References:

Palo Alto Networks, Single Pass Parallel Processing (SP3) Whitepaper.

Palo Alto Networks, Firewall Performance and Architecture Documentation.

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.

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)​.

In Panorama, templates are used to define common base configurations that can be applied across multiple firewalls. The following tabs are crucial for this purpose:

Network Tab: This tab is used to define network configurations, including interface settings, routing, and other network-related parameters that need to be consistent across multiple firewalls​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

Device Tab: This tab allows administrators to set up device-specific configurations such as system settings, logging, and other administrative settings that form the base configuration for the firewalls​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

For large-scale deployments of Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) with multiple Panorama Management Servers, the Panorama Interconnect plugin is essential. This plugin enables the interconnection and management of multiple Panorama instances, allowing for centralized policy management and configuration across a distributed network environment. It ensures scalability and efficient management in large deployments.

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.

Palo Alto Networks' platform addresses concerns regarding SSL decryption by offering the ability to define a list of websites or URL categories that can be excluded from decryption. This feature allows organizations to comply with privacy and regulatory requirements while still gaining visibility into encrypted traffic where necessary. By creating exceptions for specific websites or URL categories, organizations can strike a balance between security needs and privacy concerns. This method ensures that sensitive data remains confidential while still allowing the firewall to inspect other traffic for threats.

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.

Decryption port mirroring is supported on all hardware-based and VM-Series firewalls, with specific exceptions.

Decryption port mirroring: This feature allows the firewall to forward decrypted traffic to a traffic analysis tool, providing visibility into encrypted traffic. It is supported on all hardware-based and VM-Series firewalls, except for deployments on VMware NSX, Citrix SDX, or public cloud hypervisors.

To support asymmetric routing with redundancy in a legacy environment using Palo Alto Networks firewalls, the following two features must be enabled:

Policy-based forwarding (PBF): This feature allows you to direct traffic to a specific interface or next-hop IP address, bypassing the normal routing table. PBF is crucial for managing asymmetric routing scenarios where inbound and outbound traffic might take different paths.

HA active/active: High Availability (HA) active/active configuration enables two firewalls to simultaneously manage traffic, providing redundancy and failover capabilities. This setup is essential for maintaining network availability and performance in environments with asymmetric routing, as it ensures that both firewalls can actively handle traffic.

References:

Palo Alto Networks High Availability (HA) Guide

Palo Alto Networks Policy-Based Forwarding Documentation