PSE-SWFW-Pro-24 Palo Alto Networks SystemsEngineer Professional - Software Firewall Questions and Answers

VM-Series bootstrapping allows for automated initial configuration. Several methods exist for installing licensed content.  

Why A, B, and D are correct:

A. Panorama 10.2 or later to use the content auto push feature:Panorama can push content updates to bootstrapped VM-Series firewalls automatically, streamlining the process. This requires Panorama 10.2 or later.  

B. Complete bootstrapping and either Azure Blob storage or Amazon S3 bucket:You can store the content updates in cloud storage (like S3 or Azure Blob) and configure the VM-Series to retrieve and install them during bootstrapping.

D. Custom-AMI or Azure VM image, with content preloaded:Creating a custom image with the desired content pre-installed is a valid approach. This is particularly useful for consistent deployments.

Why C and E are incorrect:

C. Content-Security-Policy update URL in the init-cfg.txt file:The init-cfg.txt file is used for initial configuration parameters, not for direct content updates. While you can configure the firewall to check for updates after bootstrapping, you don't put the actual content within the init-cfg.txt file.

E. Panorama software licensing plugin:The Panorama software licensing plugin is for managing licenses, not for pushing content updates during bootstrapping.

Palo Alto Networks References:

VM-Series Deployment Guides (AWS, Azure, GCP):These guides detail the bootstrapping process and the various methods for installing content updates.  

Panorama Administrator's Guide:The Panorama documentation describes the content auto-push feature.

These resources confirm that Panorama auto-push, cloud storage, and custom images are valid methods for content installation during bootstrapping.

The default interzone rule in PAN-OS is typically set to "deny." While this is generally secure, theloggingis not enabled by default. In public cloud deployments, enabling logging for the interzone-default rule is crucial for visibility and troubleshooting.

Why C is correct:Overriding theactionof the interzone-default rule is generallynotrecommended (unless you have very specific requirements). The default "deny" action is a core security principle. However, overriding theloggingis essential. By enabling logging, you gain visibility into any traffic that is denied by this default rule, which is vital for security auditing and troubleshooting connectivity issues.

Why A, B, and D are incorrect:

A:The intrazone-default rule allows traffic within the same zone by default. While logging is always good practice, it's less critical than logging denied interzone traffic.

B:The default service for the interzone rule is "any," which is appropriate given the default action is "deny." Changing the service doesn't inherently improve security in the context of a default deny rule.

D:Similar to B, changing the service on the intrazone rule is not the primary security concern in cloud deployments.

Palo Alto Networks References:

While there isn't one specific document stating "always enable logging on the interzone-default rule in the cloud," this is a best practice emphasized in various Palo Alto Networks resources related to cloud security and VM-Series deployments.

Look for guidance in:

VM-Series Deployment Guides for your cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP):These guides often contain security best practices, including recommendations for logging.

Best Practice Assessment (BPA) checks:The BPA tool often flags missing logging on interzone rules as a finding.

Live Online training for VM-Series and Cloud Security:Palo Alto Networks training courses frequently emphasize the importance of logging for visibility and troubleshooting in cloud environments.

The core principle is that in cloud environments, network visibility is paramount. Logging denied traffic is a critical component of that visibility.

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 tomanageCloud NGFW, thedeploymentitself 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.

Let's analyze each option based on Palo Alto Networks documentation and best practices:

A. VMs on VMware ESXi hypervisors can be segregated from one another on the network by the VM-Series NGFW by IP addressing and Layer 3 gateways.This isTRUE. The VM-Series firewall can act as a Layer 3 gateway, enabling inter-VLAN routing and enforcing security policies between different VM networks based on IP addresses and subnets. This allows for granular control over traffic flow between VMs.

Cloud-native load balancing with Palo Alto Networks firewalls in public clouds involvesunderstanding the distinct approaches for VM-Series and Cloud NGFW:

A. Cloud NGFW’s distributed architecture model requires deployment of a single centralized firewall and will force all traffic to the firewall across pre-built VPN tunnels:This is incorrect. Cloud NGFW uses a distributed architecture where traffic is steered to the nearest Cloud NGFW instance, often using Gateway Load Balancers (GWLBs) or similar services. It does not rely on a single centralized firewall or force all traffic through VPN tunnels.

B. VM-Series firewall deployments in the public cloud will require the deployment of a cloud-native load balancer if high availability (HA) or redundancy is needed:This is correct. VM-Series firewalls, when deployed for HA or redundancy, require a cloud-native load balancer (e.g., AWS ALB/NLB/GWLB, Azure Load Balancer) to distribute traffic across the active firewall instances. This ensures that if one firewall fails, traffic is automatically directed to a healthy instance.

C. Cloud NGFW in AWS or Azure has load balancing built into the underlying solution and does not require the deployment of a separate load balancer:This is also correct. Cloud NGFW integrates with cloud-native load balancing services (e.g., Gateway Load Balancer in AWS) as part of its architecture. This provides automatic scaling and high availability without requiring you to manage a separate load balancer.

D. VM-Series firewall load balancing is automated and is handled by the internal mechanics of the NGFW software without the need for a load balancer:This is incorrect. VM-Series firewalls do not have built-in load balancing capabilities for HA. A cloud-native load balancer is essential for distributing traffic and ensuring redundancy.

References:

Cloud NGFW documentation:Look for sections on architecture, traffic steering, and integration with cloud-native load balancing services (like AWS Gateway Load Balancer).

VM-Series deployment guides for each cloud provider:These guides explain how to deploy VM-Series firewalls for HA using cloud-native load balancers.

These resources confirm that VM-Series requires external load balancers for HA, while Cloud NGFW has load balancing integrated into its design.

Dynamic Address Groups (DAGs) use tags to dynamically populate their membership.  

Why A, B, and C are correct:

A. Static tags are part of the configuration on the firewall, while dynamic tags are part of the runtime configuration:Static tags are configured directly on objects. Dynamic tags are applied based on runtime conditions (e.g., by the VMMonitoring agent or User-ID agent).  

B. Dynamic Address Groups that are referenced in Security policies must be committed on the firewall:Like any configuration change that affects security policy, changes to DAGs (including tag associations) must be committed to take effect.

C. To dynamically register tags, use either the XML API or the VM Monitoring agent on the firewall or on the User-ID agent:These are the mechanisms for dynamically applying tags based on events or conditions.

Why D and E are incorrect:

D. IP-Tag registrations to Dynamic Address Groups must be committed on the firewall after each change:While changes to theconfigurationof a DAG (like adding a new tag filter) require a commit, theregistrationof IP addresses with tags does not. The DAG membership updates dynamically as tags are applied and removed.

E. Dynamic Address Groups use tags as filtering criteria to determine their members, and filters do not use logical operators:DAG filtersdosupport logical operators (AND, OR) to create more complex membership criteria.

Palo Alto Networks References:

PAN-OS Administrator's Guide:The section on Dynamic Address Groups provides details on how they work, including the use of tags as filters and the mechanisms for dynamic tag registration.  

VM Monitoring and User-ID Agent Documentation:These documents explain how these components can be used to dynamically apply tags.

The documentation confirms the correct statements regarding static vs. dynamic tags, the need to commit DAG changes, and the methods for dynamic tag registration. It also clarifies that DAG filtersdouse logical operators and that IP-tag registrations themselves don't require commits.

Palo Alto Networks provides various reference architectures for deploying VM-Series firewalls in different cloud environments. Let's examine the options:

A. Cloud NGFW for AWS: Combined Model:While Cloud NGFWisan offering, the term "Combined Model" isn't a standard, documented reference architecture name. Cloud NGFW for AWS focuses on simplified deployment and management but doesn't use this specific terminology for its deployment models.

B. AWS VM-Series: Isolated Transit Gateway:This is aVALIDdeployment model. It involves deploying VM-Series firewalls in an isolated VPC connected to AWS Transit Gateway. This provides centralized security inspection for traffic flowing between different VPCs and on-premises networks connected to the Transit Gateway.

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 aVALIDdeployment 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.

Tags provide a flexible way to categorize and manage objects.

Why A, D, and E are correct:Tags can be applied to:

A:Address groups

D:Address objects

E:Service groups

Why B and C are incorrect:Tags cannot be applied to:

B:Dynamic NAT objects

C:External dynamic lists. While you can use tags in external dynamic lists to filter the entries, you cannot directly tag the list itself.

Palo Alto Networks References:The PAN-OS administrator's guide provides details on using tags and specifies the objects to which they can be applied

To minimize downtime when increasing throughput on a flexible-license VM-Series firewall running on ESXi, the following steps should be taken:

Increase the vCPU within the deployment profile:This is the first step. By increasing the vCPU allocation in the licensing profile, you prepare the license system for the change. This doesnotrequire a VM reboot.

Retrieve or fetch license keys on the VM-Series NGFW:After adjusting the licensing profile, the firewall needs to retrieve the updated license information to reflect the new vCPU allocation. This can be done via the web UI or CLI and usually doesnotrequire a reboot.

Power-off the VM and increase the vCPUs within the hypervisor:Now that the license is prepared, the VM can be powered off, and the vCPUs can be increased within the ESXi hypervisor settings.

Power-on the VM-Series NGFW:After increasing the vCPUs in the hypervisor, power on the VM. The firewall will now use the allocated resources and the updated license.

Confirm the correct tier level and vCPU appear on the NGFW dashboard:Finally, verify in the firewall's web UI or CLI that the correct license tier and vCPU count are reflected.

This order minimizes downtime because the licensing changes are handledbeforethe VM is rebooted.

References:

While not explicitly documented in a single, numbered step list, the concepts are covered in theVM-Series deployment guides and licensing documentation:

VM-Series Deployment Guides:These guides explain how to configure vCPUs and licensing.

Flex Licensing Documentation:This explains how license allocation works with vCPUs.

These resources confirm that adjusting the license profilebeforethe VM reboot is crucial for minimizing downtime.

Palo Alto Networks software firewalls offer key advantages in various cloud environments.

Why A, C, and E are correct:

A:Centralized management through Panorama allows for consistent policy enforcement and simplified operations across all deployments, regardless of location (public, private, or hybrid cloud).

C:Consistent policy enforcement is a core benefit, ensuring that security policies are applied uniformly across all environments, reducing complexity and improving security posture.

E:A simplified consumption and deployment model streamlines operations and reduces the overhead associated with managing multiple security solutions. This is achieved through consistent interfaces and automation capabilities.

Why B and D are incorrect:

B:Palo Alto Networks advocates for a consolidated security platform approach, not managing multiple point products. The goal is to simplify, not complicate, security management.

D:While Palo Alto Networks firewalls integrate with cloud platforms, they don't manage the underlying cloud infrastructure itself. That's the responsibility of thecloud provider.

Palo Alto Networks References:The Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform documentation, as well as materials on Panorama and cloud security, highlight these benefits of centralized management, consistent policy, and simplified operations. For example, the Panorama admin guide details how it can manage firewalls across different deployment models.

Terraform is an Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tool that enables automated deployment and management of infrastructure.

Why A and B are correct:

A. Cloud NGFW:Cloud NGFW can be deployed and managed using Terraform, allowing for automated provisioning and configuration.

B. VM-Series firewall:VM-Series firewalls are commonly deployed and managed with Terraform, enabling automated deployments in public and private clouds.

Why C and D are incorrect:

C. Cortex XSOAR:While Cortex XSOAR can integrate with Terraform (e.g., to automate workflows related to infrastructure changes), XSOAR itself is notdeployedwith Terraform. XSOAR is a Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platform.

D. Prisma Access:While Prisma Access can be integrated with other automation tools, the core Prisma Access service is not deployed using Terraform. Prisma Access is a cloud-delivered security platform.

Palo Alto Networks References:

Terraform Registry:The Terraform Registry contains official Palo Alto Networks providers for VM-Series and Cloud NGFW. These providers allow you to define and manage these resources using Terraform configuration files.

Palo Alto Networks GitHub Repositories:Palo Alto Networks maintains GitHub repositories with Terraform examples and modules for deploying and configuring VM-Series and Cloud NGFW.

Palo Alto Networks Documentation on Cloud NGFW and VM-Series:The official documentation for these products often includes sections on automation and integration with tools like Terraform.

These resources clearly demonstrate that VM-Series and Cloud NGFW are designed to be deployed and managed using Terraform.

Credit-based flexible licensing provides flexibility in deploying and managing Palo Alto Networks software firewalls. Let's analyze the options:

A. Create virtual Panoramas:While Panorama can manage software firewalls, credit-based licensing is primarily focused on the firewalls themselves (VM-Series, CN-Series, Cloud NGFW), not on Panorama. Panorama has its own licensing model.

B. Add Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) subscriptions to CN-Series firewalls:This is aVALIDbenefit. Credit-based licensing allows customers to use credits to enable CDSS subscriptions (like Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, WildFire) on CN-Series firewalls. This provides flexibility in choosing and applying security services as needed.

The VM-Series plugin enables integration between Panorama and VM-Series firewalls.

Why C and D are correct:

C. To use Panorama to configure public cloud VM-Series firewall integrations, the VM-Series firewall plugin must be installed on Panorama: The plugin on Panorama provides the necessary functionality for managing VM-Series deployments in cloud environments.

D. The VM-Series firewall plugin on Panorama is not built in and must be installed to enable communication and manage the environment: The plugin is a separate installation on Panorama.

Why A and B are incorrect:

A. The installed VM-Series firewall plugin on the VM-Series firewall can only be upgraded ordeleted: There is no VM-Series plugin installed on the VM-Series firewall itself. The plugin resides on Panorama.

B. The Panorama plugin must be installed on the VM-Series firewall to enable communication with Panorama: As stated above, the plugin is installed on Panorama, not on the VM-Series firewall. Communication is established through API calls.

Palo Alto Networks References:

Panorama Administrator's Guide: This guide details plugin management and specifically mentions the VM-Series plugin for cloud integrations.

VM-Series Deployment Guides: These guides explain how to connect VM-Series firewalls to Panorama.

‘QUESTION NO: 41Which three statements describe benefits of the memory scaling feature introduced in PAN-OS 10.2? (Choose three.)

A. Increased maximum throughput with additional memoryB. Increased maximum sessions with additional memoryC. Increased maximum number of Dynamic Address Groups with additional memoryD. Increased number of tags per IP address with additional memoryE. Increased maximum security rule count with additional memory

Answer:BCE

Memory scaling in PAN-OS 10.2 and later enhances capacity for certain functions.

Why B, C, and E are correct:

B. Increased maximum sessions with additional memory:More memory allows the firewall to maintain state for a larger number of concurrent sessions.

C. Increased maximum number of Dynamic Address Groups with additional memory:DAGs consume memory, so scaling memory allows for more DAGs.

E. Increased maximum security rule count with additional memory:More memory allows the firewall to store and process a larger number of security rules.

Why A and D are incorrect:

A. Increased maximum throughput with additional memory:Throughput is primarily related to CPU and network interface performance, not memory.

D. Increased number of tags per IP address with additional memory:The number of tags per IP is not directly tied to the memory scaling feature.

Palo Alto Networks References:

PAN-OS Release Notes for 10.2 and later:The release notes for PAN-OS versions introducing memory scaling explain the benefits in detail.

PAN-OS Administrator's Guide:The guide may also contain information about resource limits and the impact of memory scaling.

The release notes specifically mention the increased capacity for sessions, DAGs, and security rules as key benefits of memory scaling.

Cloud NGFW for AWS is a Next-Generation Firewall as a Service. Its key components work together to provide comprehensive network security.

A. Cloud NGFW Resource:This represents the actual deployed firewall instance within your AWS environment. It's the core processing engine that inspects and secures network traffic. The Cloud NGFW resource is deployed in a VPC and associated with subnets, enabling traffic inspection between VPCs, subnets, and to/from the internet.

B. Local or Global Rulestacks:These define the security policies that govern traffic inspection. Rulestacks contain rules that match traffic based on various criteria (e.g., source/destination IP, port, application) and specify the action to take (e.g., allow, deny, inspect). Local Rulestacks are specific to a single Cloud NGFW resource, while Global Rulestacks can be shared across multiple Cloud NGFW resources for consistent policy enforcement.

C. Cloud NGFW Inspector:The Cloud NGFW Inspector is the core component performing the deep packet inspection and applying security policies. It resides within the Cloud NGFW Resource and analyzes network traffic based on the configured rulestacks. It provides advanced threat prevention capabilities, including intrusion prevention (IPS), malware detection, and URL filtering.

D. Amazon S3 bucket:While S3 buckets can be used for logging and storing configuration backups in some firewall deployments, they are not a core component of the Cloud NGFW architecture itself. Cloud NGFW uses its own logging and management infrastructure.

E. Cloud NGFW Tenant:The term "Tenant" is usually associated with multi-tenant architectures where resources are shared among multiple customers. While Palo Alto Networks provides a managed service for Cloud NGFW, the deployment within your AWS account is dedicated and not considered a tenant in the traditional multi-tenant sense. The management of the firewall is done through Panorama or Cloud Management.

References:

While direct, concise documentation specifically listing these three components in this exact format is difficult to pinpoint in a single document, the Palo Alto Networks documentation consistently describes these elements as integral. The concepts are spread across multiple documents and are best understood in context of the overall Cloud NGFW architecture:

Cloud NGFW for AWS Administration Guide:This is the primary resource forunderstanding Cloud NGFW. It details deployment, configuration, and management, covering the roles of the Cloud NGFW resource, rulestacks, and the underlying inspection engine. You can find this documentation on the Palo Alto Networks support portal by searching for "Cloud NGFW for AWS Administration Guide".