Paloalto Networks PSE-SWFW-Pro-24 - Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall

Cloud NGFW for AWS supports two primary deployment models:

A. Hierarchical: This is not a standard deployment model for Cloud NGFW for AWS. Hierarchical typically refers to a parent-child relationship in management, which isn't the core focus of the Cloud NGFW's deployment models.

B. Centralized: This is a VALID deployment model. In a centralized deployment, the Cloud NGFW is deployed in a central VPC (often a Transit Gateway VPC) and inspects traffic flowing between different VPCs and on-premises networks. This provides a single point of control for security policies.

Cloud NGFW for Azure and AWS can be deployed using various methods.

Why A, B, and E are correct:

A. Azure CLI or Azure Terraform Provider: Cloud NGFW for Azure can be deployed and managed using Azure's command-line interface (CLI) or through Infrastructure-as-Code tools like Terraform. Cloud NGFW for AWS can be deployed and managed using AWS CloudFormation or Terraform.

B. Azure Portal: Cloud NGFW for Azure can be deployed directly through the Azure portal's graphical interface.

E. Palo Alto Networks Ansible playbooks: Palo Alto Networks provides Ansible playbooks for automating the deployment and configuration of Cloud NGFW in both Azure and AWS.

Why C and D are incorrect:

C. AWS Firewall Manager: AWS Firewall Manager is an AWS service for managing AWS WAF, AWS Shield, and VPC security groups. It is not used to deploy Cloud NGFW.

D. Panorama AWS and Azure plugins: While Panorama is used to manage Cloud NGFW, the deployment itself is handled through native cloud tools (Azure portal, CLI, Terraform) or Ansible.

Palo Alto Networks References:

Cloud NGFW for Azure and AWS Documentation: This documentation provides deployment instructions using various methods, including the Azure portal, Azure CLI, Terraform, and Ansible.

Palo Alto Networks GitHub Repositories: Palo Alto Networks provides Ansible playbooks and Terraform modules for Cloud NGFW deployments.

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Step-by-Step Explanation:The customer’s requirements involve securing AWS workloads with Palo Alto Networks NGFWs, maintaining consistency with their existing Panorama management for on-premises firewalls, and minimizing management complexity and risk exposure. The Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall documentation provides guidance on deploying NGFWs in AWS, focusing on compatibility with existing management tools.

Cloud NGFWs and Panorama (Option B): Cloud NGFW for AWS is a cloud-native firewall service that integrates with Panorama for centralized management, ensuring consistency with the customer’s existing on-premises firewall management. Panorama provides unified policy enforcement, logging, and monitoring for both on-premises firewalls and Cloud NGFW instances in AWS, avoiding additional management complexity. The documentation highlights this as the ideal solution for customers leveraging Panorama, minimizing risk by maintaining a single management platform while providing advanced threat prevention and application visibility for AWS workloads.

Options A (Software NGFW credits and Strata Cloud Manager [SCM]), C (Cloud NGFWs and Strata Cloud Manager [SCM]), and D (Software NGFW credits and Panorama) are incorrect. SCM (Options A, C) is a cloud-delivered management solution but does not integrate as seamlessly with on-premises firewalls managed by Panorama, introducing complexity for the customer. Software NGFW credits (Options A, D) alone do not specify a deployment option; they are a licensing model, not a firewall type, and do not address management needs directly. Option D omits the specific firewall type (Cloud NGFW) needed for AWS, making it incomplete for meeting the customer’s requirements.

References: Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall, Section: Multi-Cloud Deployment, Panorama Management Documentation, Cloud NGFW for AWS Deployment Guide.

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Step-by-Step Explanation:Automating the deployment of VM-Series firewalls in public cloud service provider (CSP) environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP requires tools that support Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and integration with cloud APIs. The Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall documentation outlines tools for automation, focusing on scalability and integration with DevOps workflows.

Terraform Automated Config agent (Option B): Terraform is an IaC tool that automates the provisioning and configuration of infrastructure, including VM-Series firewalls in public clouds. The “Terraform Automated Config agent” refers to using Terraform scripts or modules (available in the Palo Alto Networks GitHub repository) to deploy VM-Series firewalls, configure networking, apply policies, and integrate with cloud-native services (e.g., AWS VPC, Azure VNet, GCP VPC). The documentation highlights Terraform as a primary tool for automating VM-Series deployments, enabling repeatable and scalable deployments across CSPs, aligning with modern DevOps practices.

Options A (Panorama), C (Public Cloud Manager [PCM] tenant), and D (Docker Swarm) are incorrect. Panorama (Option A) is a management platform, not an automation tool for initial deployment; it manages configurations and policies post-deployment but does not automate the provisioning of VMs in public clouds. Public Cloud Manager (PCM) is not a recognized Palo Alto Networks tool in this context; Strata Cloud Manager (SCM) or Panorama are used, but PCM is not referenced for VM-Series automation. Docker Swarm (Option D) is a container orchestration platform, not suited for deploying VM-Series firewalls, which are virtual machines, not containers (CN-Series uses Kubernetes, not Docker Swarm, for containerized deployments).

References: Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall, Section: VM-Series Deployment Automation, Terraform Integration Documentation, GitHub Repository for Palo Alto Networks.

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Step-by-Step Explanation:Cloud NGFW for AWS is a cloud-native firewall service designed to provide scalable and flexible security in Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments. The Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall documentation describes the deployment models supported by Cloud NGFW to meet various architectural needs in public clouds.

Distributed (Option B): In a distributed deployment model, Cloud NGFW instances are deployed across multiple Availability Zones (AZs) or Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) in AWS. This model ensures scalability, high availability, and localized traffic inspection, reducing latency and improving performance. The documentation highlights distributed deployment as a key feature for large-scale AWS environments, leveraging AWS’s auto-scaling and load-balancing capabilities.

Centralized (Option D): In a centralized deployment model, a single Cloud NGFW instance or a cluster of instances serves as a central point for inspecting traffic across multiple VPCs or regions in AWS. This model simplifies management and policy enforcement but may introduce latency for distributed workloads. The documentation notes that centralized deployment is suitable for smaller environments or specific use cases requiring unified control, integrated with AWS Transit Gateway or VPC peering.

Options A (Hierarchical) and C (Linear) are incorrect. Hierarchical deployment is not a supported model for Cloud NGFW in AWS, as it implies a multi-tiered structure not aligned with the cloud-native architecture of Cloud NGFW. Linear deployment is not a recognized model in the documentation for Cloud NGFW, which focuses on distributed and centralized approaches to meet AWS scalability and security needs.

References: Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall, Section: Cloud NGFW for AWS Deployment, AWS Integration Guide, Distributed and Centralized Architecture Documentation.

Dynamic Address Groups provide dynamic membership based on tags:

A. Its update requires "Commit" to enforce membership mapping: Dynamic Address Groups update their membership automatically based on tag changes. A commit is not required for the group membership to reflect tag changes. The commit is required to apply the security policy using the dynamic address group.

B. It allows creation and enforcement of consistent Security policy across multiple cloud environments: This is a key benefit. Tags and Dynamic Address Groups can be used to create consistent security policies across different cloud environments, simplifying multi-cloud management.

C. Tags cannot be defined statically on the firewall: Tags can be defined statically on the firewall, as well as dynamically through integrations with cloud providers or other systems.

D. It uses tags as filtering criteria to determine IP address mapping to a group: This is the core functionality of Dynamic Address Groups. They use tags to dynamically determine which IP addresses should be included in the group.

E. Its maximum number of registered IP addresses is dependent on the firewall platform: The capacity of Dynamic Address Groups is limited by the hardware/virtual resource capacity of the firewall.

References:

The Palo Alto Networks firewall administrator's guide provides detailed information on Dynamic Address Groups, including how they use tags and their limitations.

Advanced CDSS subscriptions offer enhanced threat prevention capabilities:

A. To improve firewall throughput by inspecting hashes of advanced packet headers: While some security features use hashing, this is not the primary advantage of advanced CDSS.

B. To download and install new threat-related signature databases in real-time: Both standard and advanced CDSS subscriptions receive regular threat updates.

C. To use cloud-scale machine learning inline for detection of highly evasive and zero-day threats: This is a key differentiator of advanced CDSS. It leverages cloud-based machine learning to detect sophisticated threats that traditional signature-based methods might miss.

D. To use external dynamic lists for blocking known malicious threat sources and destinations: Both standard and advanced CDSS can use external dynamic lists.

References:

Information about the specific features of advanced CDSS, such as inline machine learning, can be found on the Palo Alto Networks website and in datasheets comparing different CDSS subscription levels.

Firewall flex credits have specific characteristics.

Why A, C, and D are correct:

A: For flex credits, the number of licensed cores must match the number of provisioned CPU cores. This is a key requirement for accurate credit consumption.

C: Deployment profiles are either fixed (predefined resources) or flexible (using credits).

D: All firewalls within a deployment profile share the same Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) subscriptions.

Why B and E are incorrect:

B: Flex credits are the mechanism used to deploy Cloud NGFW instances in AWS and Azure, not a separate allocation.

E: Deployment profiles are for VM-Series firewalls. CN-Series firewalls have their own licensing and deployment models.  

Palo Alto Networks References: The official Palo Alto Networks documentation on VM-Series licensing, flex credits, and deployment profiles contains this information.

Panorama plugins extend its functionality.

Why B, C, and E are correct:

B. Supports other Palo Alto Networks products and configurations with NGFWs: Plugins enable Panorama to manage and integrate with other Palo Alto Networks products (e.g., VM-Series, Prisma Access) and specific configurations.

C. May be installed on Panorama from the Palo Alto Networks customer support portal: Plugins are downloaded from the support portal and installed on Panorama.

E. Expands capabilities of hardware and software NGFWs: Plugins add new features and functionalities to the managed firewalls through Panorama.

Why A and D are incorrect:

A. Limited to one plugin installation on Panorama: Panorama supports the installation of multiple plugins to extend its functionality in various ways.

D. Complies with third-party product/platform integration and configuration with NGFWs: While some plugins might facilitate integration with third-party tools, the primary focus of Panorama plugins is on Palo Alto Networks products and features. Direct third-party product integration is not a core function of plugins.

Palo Alto Networks References: The Panorama Administrator's Guide contains information about plugin management, installation, and their purpose in extending Panorama's capabilities.