PSE-Strata-Pro-24 Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Hardware Firewall Questions and Answers

Policy Optimizer is a feature designed to help administrators improve the efficiency and effectiveness of security policies on Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs). It focuses on identifying unused or overly permissive policies to streamline and optimize the configuration.

Why "Identify Security policy rules with unused applications" (Correct Answer C)?Policy Optimizer provides visibility into existing security policies and identifies rules that have unused or outdated applications. For example:

It can detect if a rule allows applications that are no longer in use.

It can identify rules with excessive permissions, enabling administrators to refine them for better security and performance.By addressing these issues, Policy Optimizer helps reduce the attack surface and improves the overall manageability of the firewall.

Why not "Recommend best practices on new policy creation" (Option A)?Policy Optimizer focuses on optimizing existing policies, not creating new ones. While best practices can be applied during policy refinement, recommending new policy creation is not its purpose.

Why not "Show unused licenses for Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) subscriptions and firewalls" (Option B)?Policy Optimizer is not related to license management or tracking. Identifying unused licenses is outside the scope of its functionality.

Why not "Act as a migration tool to import policies from third-party vendors" (Option D)?Policy Optimizer does not function as a migration tool. While Palo Alto Networks offers tools for third-party firewall migration, this is separate from the Policy Optimizer feature.

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.

When evaluating Palo Alto Networks products, prospective customers need tools that can help them assess compatibility, performance, and value within their existing architecture. The following tools are the most relevant:

Why "Proof of Concept (POC)" (Correct Answer A)?A Proof of Concept is a hands-on evaluation that allows the customer to deploy and test Palo Alto Networks products directly within their environment. This enables them to assess real-world performance, compatibility, and operational impact.

Why "Security Lifecycle Review (SLR)" (Correct Answer C)?An SLR provides a detailed report of a customer’s network security posture based on data collected during a short evaluation period. It highlights risks, vulnerabilities, and active threats in the customer’s network, demonstrating how Palo Alto Networks solutions can address those risks. SLR is a powerful tool for justifying the value of a product in the customer’s architecture.

Why "Ultimate Test Drive" (Correct Answer D)?The Ultimate Test Drive is a guided hands-on workshop provided by Palo Alto Networks that allows prospective customers to explore product features and capabilities in a controlled environment. It is ideal for customers who want to evaluate products without deploying them in their production network.

Why not "Policy Optimizer" (Option B)?Policy Optimizer is used after a product has been deployed to refine security policies by identifying unused or overly permissive rules. It is not designed for pre-deployment evaluations.

Why not "Expedition" (Option E)?Expedition is a migration tool that assists with the conversion of configurations from third-party firewalls or existing Palo Alto Networks firewalls. It is not a tool for evaluating the suitability of products in the customer’s architecture.

The question asks about the policies where Device-ID, a feature of Palo Alto Networks NGFWs, can be applied. Device-ID enables the firewall to identify and classify devices (e.g., IoT, endpoints) based on attributes like device type, OS, or behavior, enhancing policy enforcement. Let’s evaluate its use across the specified policy types.

Step 1: Understand Device-ID

Device-ID leverages the IoT Security subscription and integrates with the Strata Firewall to provide device visibility and control. It uses data from sources like DHCP, HTTP headers, and machine learning to identify devices and allows policies to reference device objects (e.g., “IP Camera,” “Medical Device”). This feature is available on PA-Series firewalls running PAN-OS 10.0 or later with the appropriate license.

DNS Security (Answer C):

DNS Security is the appropriate subscription for addressing threats over port 53.

DNS tunneling is a common method used for data exfiltration, infiltration, and C2 activities, as it allows malicious traffic to be hidden within legitimate DNS queries.

The DNS Security service applies machine learning models to analyze DNS queries in real-time, block malicious domains, and prevent tunneling activities.

It integrates seamlessly with the NGFW, ensuring advanced protection against DNS-based threats without requiring additional infrastructure.

Why Not Threat Prevention (Answer A):

Threat Prevention is critical for blocking malware, exploits, and vulnerabilities, but it does not specifically address DNS-based tunneling or C2 activities over port 53.

Why Not App-ID and Data Loss Prevention (Answer B):

While App-ID can identify applications, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) helps prevent sensitive data leakage, neither focuses on blocking DNS tunneling or malicious activity over port 53.

Why Not Advanced Threat Prevention and Advanced URL Filtering (Answer D):

Advanced Threat Prevention and URL Filtering are excellent for broader web and network threats, but DNS tunneling specifically requires the DNS Security subscription, which specializes in DNS-layer threats.

References from Palo Alto Networks Documentation:

DNS Security Subscription Overview

Zero-day malware attacks are sophisticated threats that exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities or malware signatures. To provide protection against such attacks, the appropriate Cloud-Delivered Security Service subscription must be included.

Why "Advanced WildFire" (Correct Answer C)?Advanced WildFire is Palo Alto Networks’ sandboxing solution that identifies and prevents zero-day malware. It uses machine learning, dynamic analysis, and static analysis to detect unknown malware in real time.

Files and executables are analyzed in the cloud-based sandbox, and protections are shared globally within minutes.

Advanced WildFire specifically addresses zero-day threats by dynamically analyzing suspicious files and generating new signatures.

Why not "AI Access Security" (Option A)?AI Access Security is designed to secure SaaS applications by monitoring and enforcing data protection and compliance. While useful for SaaS security, it does not focus on detecting or preventing zero-day malware.

Why not "Advanced Threat Prevention" (Option B)?Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP) focuses on detecting zero-day exploits (e.g., SQL injection, buffer overflows) using inline deep learning but is not specifically designed to analyze and prevent zero-day malware. ATP complements Advanced WildFire, but WildFire is the primary solution for malware detection.

Why not "App-ID" (Option D)?App-ID identifies and controls applications on the network. While it improves visibility and security posture, it does not address zero-day malware detection or prevention.

After a customer has concluded an evaluation of Palo Alto Networks solutions, it is critical to provide a detailed analysis of the results and benefits gained during the evaluation. The following two tools are most appropriate:

Why "Best Practice Assessment (BPA)" (Correct Answer A)?The BPA evaluates the customer's firewall configuration against Palo Alto Networks' recommended best practices. It highlights areas where the configuration could be improved to strengthen security posture. This is an excellent tool to showcase how adopting Palo Alto Networks' best practices aligns with industry standards and improves security performance.

Why "Security Lifecycle Review (SLR)" (Correct Answer B)?The SLR provides insights into the customer's security environment based on data collected during the evaluation. It identifies vulnerabilities, risks, and malicious activities observed in the network and demonstrates how Palo Alto Networks' solutions can address these issues. SLR reports use clear visuals and metrics, making it easier to showcase the benefits of the evaluation.

Why not "Firewall Sizing Guide" (Option C)?The Firewall Sizing Guide is a pre-sales tool used to recommend the appropriate firewall model based on the customer's network size, performance requirements, and other criteria. It is not relevant for showcasing the benefits of an evaluation.

Why not "Golden Images" (Option D)?Golden Images refer to pre-configured templates for deploying firewalls in specific use cases. While useful for operational efficiency, they are not tools for demonstrating the outcomes or benefits of a customer evaluation.

When adopting additional security features over time, remaining aligned with Zero Trust principles requires a focus on constant visibility, control, and adherence to best practices. The following actions are the most relevant:

Why "Apply decryption where possible to inspect and log all new and existing traffic flows" (Correct Answer B)?Zero Trust principles emphasize visibility into all traffic, whether encrypted or unencrypted. Without decryption, encrypted traffic becomes a blind spot, which attackers can exploit. By applying decryption wherever feasible, organizations ensure they can inspect, log, and enforce policies on encrypted traffic, thus adhering to Zero Trust principles.

Why "Use the Best Practice Assessment (BPA) tool to measure progress toward Zero Trust principles" (Correct Answer C)?The BPA tool provides detailed insights into the customer’s security configuration, helping measure alignment with Palo Alto Networks’ Zero Trust best practices. It identifies gaps in security posture and recommends actionable steps to strengthen adherence to Zero Trust principles over time.

Why not "Turn on all licensed Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) subscriptions in blocking mode for all policies" (Option A)?While enabling CDSS subscriptions (like Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, Advanced Threat Prevention) in blocking mode can enhance security, it is not an action specifically tied to maintaining alignment with Zero Trust principles. A more holistic approach, such as decryption and BPA analysis, is critical to achieving Zero Trust.

Why not "Use the Policy Optimizer tool to understand security rules allowing users to bypass decryption" (Option D)?Policy Optimizer is used to optimize existing security rules by identifying unused or overly permissive policies. While useful, it does not directly address alignment with Zero Trust principles or help enforce decryption.

North-south traffic refers to the flow of data in and out of a network, typically between internal resources and the internet. To secure this type of traffic, Palo Alto Networks recommends specific CDSS subscriptions in addition to DNS Security:

A. SaaS Security

SaaS Security is designed for monitoring and securing SaaS application usage but is not essential for handling typical north-south traffic.

B. Advanced WildFire

Advanced WildFire provides cloud-based malware analysis and sandboxing to detect and block zero-day threats. It is a critical component for securing north-south traffic against advanced malware.

C. Enterprise DLP

Enterprise DLP focuses on data loss prevention, primarily for protecting sensitive data. While important, it is not a minimum recommendation for securing north-south traffic.

D. Advanced Threat Prevention

Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP) replaces traditional IPS and provides inline detection and prevention of evasive threats in north-south traffic. It is a crucial recommendation for protecting against sophisticated threats.

E. Advanced URL Filtering

Advanced URL Filtering prevents access to malicious or harmful URLs. It complements DNS Security to provide comprehensive web protection for north-south traffic.

Key Takeaways:

Advanced WildFire, Advanced Threat Prevention, and Advanced URL Filtering are minimum recommendations for NGFWs handling north-south traffic, alongside DNS Security.

SaaS Security and Enterprise DLP, while valuable, are not minimum requirements for this use case.

Create a New Threat Profile (Answer B):

Performance tuning in Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) involves ensuring that only the most relevant and necessary signatures are enabled for the specific environment.

Palo Alto Networks allows you to create custom threat profiles to selectively enable signatures that match the threats most likely to affect the environment. This reduces unnecessary resource usage and ensures optimal performance.

By tailoring the signature set, organizations can focus on real threats without impacting overall throughput and latency.

Why Not A:

Leaving all signatures turned on is not a best practice because it may consume excessive resources, increasing processing time and degrading firewall performance, especially in high-throughput environments.

Why Not C:

While working with TAC for debugging may help identify specific performance bottlenecks, it is not a recommended approach for routine performance tuning. Instead, proactive configuration changes, such as creating tailored threat profiles, should be made.

Why Not D:

Disabling irrelevant threat signatures can improve performance, but this task is effectively accomplished by creating a new threat profile. Manually disabling signatures one by one is not scalable or efficient.

References from Palo Alto Networks Documentation:

Threat Prevention Best Practices

Custom Threat Profile Configuration

To secure and protect your traffic using CDSS, Cloud NGFW for AWS provides Palo Alto Networks protections such as:

App-ID. Based on patented Layer 7 traffic classification technology, the App-ID service allows you to see the applications on your network, learn how they work, observe their behavioral characteristics, and understand their relative risk. Cloud NGFW for AWS identifies applications and application functions via multiple techniques, including application signatures, decryption, protocol decoding, and heuristics. These capabilities determine the exact identity of applications traversing your network, including those attempting to evade detection by masquerading as legitimate traffic by hopping ports or using encryption.

Threat Prevention. The Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention service protects your network by providing multiple layers of prevention to confront each phase of an attack. In addition to essential intrusion prevention service (IPS) capabilities, Threat Prevention possesses the unique ability to detect and block threats on any ports—rather than simply invoking signatures based on a limited set of predefined ports.

Advanced URL Filtering. This critical service built into Cloud NGFW for AWS stops unknown web-based attacks in real-time to prevent patient zero with the industry’s only ML-powered Advanced URL Filtering. Advanced URL Filtering combines the renowned Palo Alto Networks malicious URL database with the industry’s first real-time web protection engine so organizations can automatically and instantly detect and prevent new malicious and targeted web-based threats.

DNS. DNS Security gives you real-time protection, applying industry-first protections to disrupt attacks that use DNS. Tight integration with a Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) gives you automated protections, prevents attackers from bypassing security measures, and eliminates the need for independent tools or changes to DNS routing. DNS Security gives your organization a critical new control point to stop attacks.

WildFire. Palo Alto Networks Advanced WildFire® is the industry’s largest cloud-based malware prevention engine that protects organizations from highly evasive threats using patented machine learning detection engines, enabling automated protections across network, cloud, and endpoints. Advanced WildFire analyzes every unknown file for malicious intent and then distributes prevention in record time—60 times faster than the nearest competitor—to reduce the risk of patient zero.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cloud-ngfw-aws/administration/protect/cloud-delivered-security-services

The customer’s question focuses on how Palo Alto Networks Strata Hardware Firewalls maintain throughput performance as more Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) subscriptions—such as Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, WildFire, DNS Security, and others—are enabled. Unlike traditional firewalls where enabling additional security features often degrades performance, Palo Alto Networks leverages its unique architecture to minimize this impact. The systems engineer (SE) should explain two key concepts—Parallel Processing and Single Pass Architecture—which are foundational to the firewall’s ability to sustain throughput. Below is a detailed explanation, verified against Palo Alto Networks documentation.

Step 1: Understanding Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) and Performance Concerns

CDSS subscriptions enhance the Strata Hardware Firewall’s capabilities by integrating cloud-based threat intelligence and advanced security features into PAN-OS. Examples include:

Threat Prevention: Blocks exploits, malware, and command-and-control traffic.

WildFire: Analyzes unknown files in the cloud for malware detection.

URL Filtering: Categorizes and controls web traffic.

Traditionally, enabling such services on other firewalls increases processing overhead, as each feature requires separate packet scans or additional hardware resources, leading to latency and throughput loss. Palo Alto Networks claims consistent performance due to its innovative design, rooted in the Single Pass Parallel Processing (SP3) architecture.

DNS-based threats, such as DNS tunneling, phishing, or malware command-and-control (C2) activities, are commonly used by attackers to exfiltrate data or establish malicious communications. Palo Alto Networks firewalls provide several mechanisms to address these threats, and the correct method is DNS sinkholing.

Why "DNS sinkholing" (Correct Answer D)?DNS sinkholing redirects DNS queries for malicious domains to an internal or non-routable IP address, effectively preventing communication with malicious domains. When a user or endpoint tries to connect to a malicious domain, the sinkhole DNS entry ensures the traffic is blocked or routed to a controlled destination.

DNS sinkholing is especially effective for blocking malware trying to contact its C2 server or preventing data exfiltration.

Why not "DNS proxy" (Option A)?A DNS proxy is used to forward DNS queries from endpoints to an upstream DNS server. While it can be part of a network's DNS setup, it does not actively stop DNS-based threats.

Why not "Buffer overflow protection" (Option B)?Buffer overflow protection is a method used to prevent memory-related attacks, such as exploiting software vulnerabilities. It is unrelated to DNS-based threat prevention.

Why not "DNS tunneling" (Option C)?DNS tunneling is itself a type of DNS-based threat where attackers encode malicious traffic within DNS queries and responses. This option refers to the threat itself, not the method to stop it.

To address the MSSP’s requirement for logically separated BGP peering setups while efficiently managing standard routing rules and updates, Palo Alto Networks offers the Advanced Routing Engine introduced in PAN-OS 11.0. The Advanced Routing Engine enhances routing capabilities, including support for logical routers, which is critical in this scenario.

Why A is Correct

Logical routers enable the MSSP to create isolated BGP peering configurations for each customer.

The Advanced Routing Engine allows the MSSP to share standard routing profiles (such as filters, policies, or maps) across logical routers, simplifying the deployment and maintenance of routing configurations.

This approach ensures scalability, as each logical router can handle the unique needs of a customer while leveraging shared routing rules.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect

B: While using APIs to automate deployment is beneficial, it does not solve the need for logically separated BGP peering setups. Logical routers provide this separation natively.

C: While virtual routers in PAN-OS can separate BGP peering setups, they do not support the efficient sharing of standard routing rules and profiles across multiple routers.

D: Virtual systems (vsys) are used to segregate administrative domains, not routing configurations. Vsys is not the appropriate solution for managing BGP peering setups across multiple customers.

Key Takeaways:

PAN-OS Advanced Routing Engine with logical routers simplifies BGP peering management for MSSPs.

Logical routers provide the separation required for customer environments while enabling shared configuration profiles.