Paloalto Networks PSE-Strata-Pro-24 - Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Hardware Firewall

Prisma Access (Answer A):

Strata Cloud Manager (SCM) and Panorama provide centralized visibility and management forPrisma Access, Palo Alto Networks’ cloud-delivered security platform for remote users and branch offices.

NGFW (Answer D):

Both SCM and Panorama are used to manage and monitorPalo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls(NGFWs) deployed in on-premise, hybrid, or multi-cloud environments.

Prisma SD-WAN (Answer E):

SCM and Panorama integrate withPrisma SD-WANto manage branch connectivity and security, ensuring seamless operation in an SD-WAN environment.

Why Not B:

Prisma Cloudis a distinct platform designed for cloud-native security and is not directly managed through Strata Cloud Manager or Panorama.

Why Not C:

Cortex XSIAM(Extended Security Intelligence and Automation Management) is part of the Cortex platform and is not managed by SCM or Panorama.

References from Palo Alto Networks Documentation:

Strata Cloud Manager Overview

Panorama Features and Benefits

SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) is a cloud-based solution that combines networking and security capabilities to address modern enterprise needs. However, there are scenarios where an on-premises solution is more appropriate.

A. High growth phase with existing and planned mergers, and with acquisitions being integrated.

This scenario typically favors a SASE solution since it provides flexible, scalable, and centralized security that is ideal for integrating newly acquired businesses.

B. Most employees and applications in close physical proximity in a geographic region.

This scenario supports the choice of an on-premises solution. When employees and applications are concentrated in a single geographic region, traditional on-premises firewalls and centralized security appliances provide cost-effective and efficient protection without the need for distributed, cloud-based infrastructure.

C. Hybrid work and cloud adoption at various locations that have different requirements per site.

This scenario aligns with a SASE solution. Hybrid work and varying site requirements are better addressed by SASE’s ability to provide consistent security policies regardless of location.

D. The need to enable business to securely expand its geographical footprint.

Expanding into new geographic areas benefits from the scalability and flexibility of a SASE solution, which can deliver consistent security globally without requiring physical appliances at each location.

Key Takeaways:

On-premises solutions are ideal for geographically concentrated networks with minimal cloud adoption.

SASE is better suited for hybrid work, cloud adoption, and distributed networks.

References:

Palo Alto Networks SASE Overview

On-Premises vs. SASE Deployment Guide

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.

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.

Aperimeter firewallis traditionally deployed at the boundary of a network to protect it from external threats. It provides a variety of protections, including blocking unauthorized access, inspecting traffic flows, and safeguarding sensitive resources. Here is how the options apply:

Option A (Correct):Perimeter firewalls providenetwork layer protectionby filtering and inspecting traffic entering or leaving the network at the outer edge. This is one of their primary roles.

Option B:Power utilization is not a functional or architectural aspect of a firewall and is irrelevant when describing the purpose of a perimeter firewall.

Option C:Securing east-west traffic is more aligned withdata center firewalls, which monitor lateral (east-west) movement of traffic within a virtualized or segmented environment. A perimeter firewall focuses on north-south traffic instead.

Option D (Correct):A perimeter firewall primarily securesnorth-south traffic, which refers to traffic entering and leaving the network. It ensures that inbound and outbound traffic adheres to security policies.

Option E (Correct):Perimeter firewalls play a critical role inguarding against external attacks, such as DDoS attacks, malicious IP traffic, and other unauthorized access attempts.

References:

Palo Alto Networks Firewall Deployment Use Cases: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com

Security Reference Architecture for North-South Traffic Control.

The customer’s CIO highlights two key pain points: (1) the operations team lacks expertise to efficiently manage PAN-OS upgrades and support interactions, diverting focus from valuable tasks, and (2) the company lacked tools to monitor NGFW capacity, leading to a rushed upgrade. The goal is to recommend long-term solutions leveraging Palo Alto Networks’ offerings for Strata Hardware Firewalls. Options B and D—training and AIOps Premium within Strata Cloud Manager (SCM)—address these issues by enhancing team capability and providing proactive management tools. Below is a detailed explanation, verified against official documentation.

Step 1: Analyzing the Customer’s Challenges

Expertise Gap: The CIO notes that identifying issues and engaging support requires expertise the operations team doesn’t fully have or can’t prioritize. Upgrading PAN-OS on Strata NGFWs involves tasks like version compatibility checks, pre-upgrade validation, and troubleshooting, which demand familiarity with PAN-OS tools and processes.

Capacity Visibility: The rushed upgrade stemmed from not knowing the NGFWs were nearing capacity (e.g., CPU, memory, session limits), indicating a lack of monitoring or predictive analytics.

Long-term solutions must address both operational efficiency and proactive capacity management, aligning with Palo Alto Networks’ ecosystem for Strata firewalls.

To help a customer understand how Palo Alto Networks can bring value when adopting a Zero Trust architecture, the systems engineer must focus on understanding the customer's specific needs and explaining how the Zero Trust strategy aligns with their business goals. Here’s the detailed analysis of each option:

Option A: Ask the customer about their internal business flows, such as how their users interact with applications and data across the infrastructure

Understanding the customer's internal workflows and how their users interact with applications and data is a critical first step in Zero Trust. This information allows the systems engineer to identify potential security gaps and suggest tailored solutions.

This is correct.

Option B: Explain how Palo Alto Networks can place virtual NGFWs across the customer's network to ensure assets and traffic are seen and controlled

While placing NGFWs across the customer's network may be part of the implementation, this approach focuses on the product rather than the customer's strategy. Zero Trust is more about policies and architecture than specific product placement.

This is incorrect.

Option C: Use the Zero Trust Roadshow package to demonstrate to the customer how robust Palo Alto Networks capabilities are in meeting Zero Trust

While demonstrating capabilities is valuable during the later stages of engagement, the initial focus should be on understanding the customer's business requirements rather than showcasing products.

This is incorrect.

Option D: Ask the customer about their approach to Zero Trust, explaining that it is astrategy more than it is something they purchase

Zero Trust is not a product but a strategy that requires a shift in mindset. By discussing their approach, the systems engineer can identify whether the customer understands Zero Trust principles and guide them accordingly.

This is correct.

References:

Palo Alto Networks documentation on Zero Trust

Zero Trust Architecture Principles inNIST 800-207

Palo Alto Networks AIOps for NGFW is a cloud-delivered service that leverages telemetry data and machine learning (ML) to provide proactive operational insights, best practice recommendations, and issue prevention.

Why "It is offered in two license tiers: a free version and a premium version" (Correct Answer B)?AIOps for NGFW is available in two tiers:

Free Tier:Provides basic operational insights and best practices at no additional cost.

Premium Tier:Offers advanced capabilities, such as AI-driven forecasts, proactive issue prevention, and enhanced ML-based recommendations.

Why "It uses telemetry data to forecast, preempt, or identify issues, and it uses machine learning (ML) to adjust and enhance the process" (Correct Answer C)?AIOps uses telemetry data from NGFWs to analyze operational trends, forecast potential problems, and recommend solutions before issues arise. ML continuously refines these insights by learning from real-world data, enhancing accuracy and effectiveness over time.

Why not "It is offered in two license tiers: a commercial edition and an enterprise edition" (Option A)?This is incorrect because the licensing model for AIOps is based on "free" and "premium" tiers, not "commercial" and "enterprise" editions.

Why not "It forwards log data to Advanced WildFire to anticipate, prevent, or identify issues, and it uses machine learning (ML) to refine and adapt to the process" (Option D)?AIOps does not rely on Advanced WildFire for its operation. Instead, it uses telemetry data directly from the NGFWs to perform operational and security analysis.

When high traffic from Palo Alto Networks NGFWs to Active Directory servers causes performance issues, optimizing the way NGFWs gather user-to-IP mappings is critical. Palo Alto Networks offers multiple ways to collect user identity information, andCloud Identity Engineprovides a solution that reduces the load on AD servers while still ensuring efficient and accurate mapping.

Option A (Correct):Cloud Identity Engineallows NGFWs to gather user-to-IP mappings directly from Active Directory authentication logs or other identity sources without placing heavy traffic on the AD servers. By leveraging this feature, the NGFW can offload authentication-related tasks and efficiently identify users without overloading AD servers. This solution is scalable and minimizes the overhead typically caused by frequent User-ID queries to AD servers.

Option B:UsingGlobalProtect Windows SSOto gather user information can add complexity and is not the most efficient solution for this problem. It requires all users to install GlobalProtect agents, which may not be feasible in all environments and can introduce operational challenges.

Option C:Data redistributioninvolves redistributing user-to-IP mappings from one NGFW (hub) to other NGFWs (spokes). While this can reduce the number of queries sent to AD servers, it assumes the mappings are already being collected from AD servers by the hub, which means the performance issue on the AD servers would persist.

Option D:UsingGlobalProtect agentsto gather user information is a valid method for environments where GlobalProtect is already deployed, but it is not the most efficient or straightforward solution for the given problem. It also introduces dependencies on agent deployment, configuration, and management.

How to Implement Cloud Identity Engine for User-ID Mapping:

EnableCloud Identity Enginefrom the Palo Alto Networks console.

Integrate the Cloud Identity Engine with the AD servers to allow it to retrieve authentication logs directly.

Configure the NGFWs to use the Cloud Identity Engine for User-ID mappings instead of querying the AD servers directly.

Monitor performance to ensure the AD servers are no longer overloaded, and mappings are being retrieved efficiently.

References:

Cloud Identity Engine Overview: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cloud-identity

User-ID Best Practices: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com