SSE-Engineer Palo Alto Networks Security Service Edge Engineer Questions and Answers

When multitenancy is enabled in Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama), a key characteristic is the isolation of resources between tenants. Palo Alto Networks documentation emphasizes that each tenant operates within its own logically separate Prisma Access environment. This includes dedicated compute instances, ensuring that the performance and security of one tenant are not impacted by the activities of another.

Let's analyze why the other options are incorrect based on official documentation:

A. Service connection licenses will be assigned only to the first tenant, and these service connections can be shared with the other tenants. This statement is incorrect. In a multitenant Prisma Access deployment, licenses are typically managed and allocated per tenant. While the underlying infrastructure might be shared by Palo Alto Networks, the logical resources and often the licensing are segmented for each tenant. Sharing service connections across completely separate tenants would violate the principle of tenant isolation.  

B. A single tenant cannot consist solely of mobile users or solely of remote networks. This statement is incorrect. Prisma Access multitenancy allows for flexibility in how tenants are configured. A tenant can be designed to exclusively serve mobile users, exclusively connect remote networks, or a combination of both, depending on the organizational structure and requirements.  

D. There is flexibility to manage different tenants using separate Panoramas, which allows for better organization and management of the multiple tenants. While it is possible to have multiple Panorama instances managing different parts of a large infrastructure, when discussing multitenancy within a single Prisma Access instance (as implied by the question "enabling multitenancy in Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama))", all configured tenants are managed by that single Panorama instance. Managing different tenants with separate Panoramas is a different architectural consideration, not a defining characteristic of enabling multitenancy within one Prisma Access deployment managed by a specific Panorama.

Therefore, the defining characteristic of Prisma Access multitenancy (Managed by Panorama) is the allocation of dedicated Prisma Access instances and compute resources for each tenant, ensuring logical separation and resource isolation

SaaS Security Inline allows engineers to customize the risk scores assigned to different SaaS applications based on various factors. By manipulating these risk scores, you can influence how these applications are treated within Security policies.

To limit the use of unsanctioned SaaS applications:

Lower the risk score of sanctioned applications:This makes them less likely to trigger policies designed to restrict high-risk activities.

Increase the risk score of unsanctioned applications:This elevates their perceived risk, making them more likely to be caught by Security policies configured to block or limit access based on risk score thresholds.

Then, you would create Security policies that take action (e.g., block access, restrict features) based on these adjusted risk scores. For example, a policy could be configured to block access to any SaaS application with a risk score above a certain threshold, which would primarily target the unsanctioned applications with their inflated scores.

Let's analyze why the other options are incorrect based on official documentation:

B. Increase the risk score for all SaaS applications to automatically block unwanted applications.Increasing the risk score forallSaaS applications, including sanctioned ones, would lead to unintended blocking and disruption of legitimate business activities. Risk score customization is intended for differentiation, not a blanket increase.

C. Build an application filter using unsanctioned SaaS as the category.While creating an application filter based on the "unsanctioned SaaS" category is a valid way to identify these applications, it directly filters based on the category itself, not the risk score. Risk score customization provides a more nuanced approach where you can define thresholds and potentially allow some low-risk activities within unsanctioned applications while blocking higher-risk ones.

D. Build an application filter using unsanctioned SaaS as the characteristic.Similar to option C, using "unsanctioned SaaS" as a characteristic in an application filter allows you to directly target these applications. However, it doesn't leverage the risk score customization feature to control access based on a graduated level of risk.

Therefore, the most effective way to use risk score customization to limit unsanctioned SaaS application usage is by lowering the risk scores of sanctioned applications and increasing the risk scores of unsanctioned ones, and then building Security policies that act upon these adjusted risk scores.

After configuringdomain-based split tunnelingforzoom.us, the expected behavior can be confirmed by checking therouting table on the client machine. If split tunneling is correctly configured, the traffic forzoom.usshould be routedoutsidethe GlobalProtect VPN tunnel, while other traffic follows the tunnel path. Reviewing the routing table ensures thatonly the intended traffic is excluded from the tunnel, confirming that the split tunnel configuration is working as expected.

ForGlobalProtect with pre-logon, certificates must beinstalled in the Machine Certificate Storeto ensure that authentication occursbefore user login. This allows the GlobalProtect client to establish aVPN connection before the user logs in, enabling access to corporate resources such as domain controllers and authentication services. Usingmachine certificatesensures secure authentication and eliminates dependency on user credentials at the pre-logon stage.

InPrisma Access, security policies are evaluated based on theirconfiguration scope. If the engineer configured aSecurity policyunder theRemote Networks scope, but traffic from the branch locations is instead matching aSecurity policy under the Prisma Access configuration scope, the intended policy will not take effect. This happens becausePrisma Access evaluates security rules based on the highest-level applicable configuration first, which can override more specific Remote Networks policies.

To meet the customer’s requirements, two separate Prisma Access instances should be deployed:

Instance 1should includemobile users, remote networks, and private accessfor internal connectivity. This ensures that mobile users can access the internet, data centers, and remote branch locations while enforcing security policies.

Instance 2should be configured withremote networks and private application accessfor B2B connections. This instance will restrict access to only the required internally developed applications using non-standard ports, ensuring that partners cannot access other corporate resources.

By usingspecific configuration scopes for different connection types, the security team can manage access to mobile users and branch locations, while the network team can manage B2B partner connections. This ensuresproper segmentation of management responsibilitieswhile maintaining security and compliance.

In anExplicit Proxy deploymentwhereno agentcan be used on the endpoint,SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language)is the supported authentication method formobile users.SAMLallows authentication via anIdentity Provider (IdP)without requiring an agent on the endpoint, making it ideal for web-based authentication incloud and remote access environments. It enablesSingle Sign-On (SSO)and secure authentication without direct integration withLDAP or Kerberos, which typically require an agent or local network presence.

For complete data visibility inPrisma Access (Managed by Panorama),log forwarding profilesmust be applied toall security policiesto ensure that traffic logs are correctly sent toStrata Logging Service. If log forwarding is missing or misconfigured, some traffic data may not appear in theApplication Command Center (ACC), leading to incomplete insights. Verifying and correctly assigning log forwarding ensures that all relevant network activity is captured and available for analysis.

After successfully creating aSAML authentication type and authentication profileinCloud Identity Engine, the next step is toconfigure a corresponding SAML authentication profile in Strata Cloud Managerand link it to theCloud Identity Engine profile. This ensures thatPrisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager)can authenticate mobile users using the configured SAML identity provider (IdP), enabling seamless user authentication and access control.

TheCloud Dynamic User Groupcapability inCloud Identity Engineenables the creation ofSecurity policiesthat useEntra ID (formerly Azure AD) attributesfor user identification. This allows PrismaAccess to dynamically applyuser-based security rulesbased onreal-time Entra ID attributes, ensuring that access policies adapt to user changes such asgroup membership, device compliance, or role updates.

When a large branch office experiences a high volume of employees logging in within a short time frame, the following apply:

Maximum pending TCP DNS requests is 64– This means that Prisma Access can queue up to 64 pending DNS requests over TCP before dropping additional requests. If more requests are received simultaneously, some may fail or experience delays.

Maximum number of TCP DNS retries is 3– If a DNS request fails over TCP, Prisma Access will attempt to retry the request up to three times before failing over to another method or returning an error.

Palo Alto Networks best practices and the behavior of Strata Cloud Manager (SCM) dictate thatpredefined or default objects, including profile groups like "Default Prisma Profile," cannot be directly modified.These default objects serve as baseline configurations and are often locked to prevent accidental or unintended changes that could impact the overall security posture.

The intern's experience of the options being greyed out when selecting "Default Prisma Profile" is a direct indication of this immutability of default objects.

Therefore, the correct action is to:

Create a new Profile Group:The intern should create a new profile group within the appropriate configuration scope (likely GlobalProtect, given the task).

Configure the new Profile Group:In this new profile group, the intern can select the desired Anti-Spyware Profile (which might be an existing custom profile or a new one they create).

Modify Security Rules:The security rules currently using the "Default Prisma Profile" in the GlobalProtect folder need to be modified to use this newly created profile group.

Let's analyze why the other options are incorrect based on official documentation:

A. Request edit access for the GlobalProtect scope.While having the correct scope permissions is necessary for makinganychanges within GlobalProtect, it will not override the inherent immutability of default objects like "Default Prisma Profile." Edit access will allow the intern to create new objects and modify rules, but not directly edit the default profile group.

B. Change the configuration scope to Prisma Access and modify the profile group.The image shows that "Default Prisma Profile" has a "Location" of "Prisma Access." However, even within the Prisma Access scope, default profile groups are generally not directly editable. The issue is not the scope but the fact that it's a default object.

D. Modify the existing anti-spyware profile, because best-practice profiles cannot be removed from a group.The question is about changing theprofile group, not the individual Anti-Spyware Profile. While "best-practice" profiles might be part of default groups, the core issue is the inability to modify thedefault groupitself. Creating a new group allows the intern to choose which Anti-Spyware Profile to include.

In summary, the fundamental principle in Palo Alto Networks management is that default objects are typically read-only to ensure a consistent and predictable baseline. To make changes, you need to create custom objects.