PCCSE Prisma Certified Cloud Security Engineer Question and Answers

The "overly permissive service access" compliance check is specifically designed to evaluate and ensure that cloud services are not granted more permissions than necessary, which could lead to potential security risks. Among the listed options, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is known for its extensive service offerings and the complexity of its Identity and Access Management (IAM) configurations. Prisma Cloud, a comprehensive cloud security platform by Palo Alto Networks, provides extensive support for AWS, including checks for overly permissive service access. This ensures that AWS environments adhere to the principle of least privilege, reducing the attack surface by limiting access to the minimum necessary to perform required tasks. Prisma Cloud's capabilities in AWS environments are detailed in various resources, including documentation and guides provided by Palo Alto Networks, which highlight its effectiveness in identifying and mitigating risks associated with excessive permissions in AWS services.

In the Prisma Cloud Web-Application and API Security (WAAS) rules, protections against OWASP-recognized vulnerabilities like Local file inclusion, SQL injection, and Shellshock are included. Local file inclusion involves unauthorized access to files on the server, potentially leading to sensitive information disclosure. SQL injection targets data-driven applications by inserting malicious SQL statements into an entry field, while Shellshock exploits vulnerabilities in Bash, a widely used Unix shell, to execute arbitrary commands. These protections are part of Prisma Cloud's comprehensive approach to securing web applications and APIs against common and severe vulnerabilities.

https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/images/prisma/owasp-top-10-protection-2.png?imwidth=3840 OWASP Top-10 Coverage - Protection against most critical security risks to web applications, including injection flaws, broken authentication, broken access control, security misconfigurations, etc.

In the case of identifying a cryptominer attack through container audits, the options that could have generated this audit include B. High CPU usage over time for the container is detected, which is a common indicator of cryptomining activity as it consumes significant computational resources, C. Common cryptominer process name was found, which directly indicates the presence of cryptomining based on known malicious processes, and E. Common cryptominer port usage was found, suggesting cryptomining activity based on network behavior typical of such attacks.

The Prisma Cloud Compute Edition is identified as B. Downloadable, self-hosted software. This option indicates that Prisma Cloud Compute Edition is a solution that organizations can deploy within their own infrastructure, providing them with control over the installation, configuration, and management of the security platform.

In Prisma Cloud, policies set under "Defend > Vulnerability > Images > Deployed" are specifically designed to apply at runtime, i.e., when a container is instantiated from an image. This ensures that any image, regardless of its point of origin or creation time, is evaluated against the defined vulnerability policies at the time it is deployed as a container in the environment. This runtime enforcement is crucial for catching vulnerabilities that may not have been present or detected during the image build phase, providing an additional layer of security for running applications​​.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/22-12/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/vulnerability_management/vuln_management_rules

Retrieving Prisma Cloud Console images involves accessing a specific registry provided by Palo Alto Networks and authenticating using basic authentication with 'docker login'. Once authenticated, the user can pull the Prisma Cloud Console images using the 'docker pull' command. This process is part of the initial setup for deploying Prisma Cloud Console in an environment, allowing users to obtain the necessary images to run the Console, which serves as the central management interface for Prisma Cloud. The detailed steps, including the specific registry URL and authentication method, are typically provided in the Prisma Cloud documentation, ensuring that users have the information needed to successfully retrieve and deploy Console images.

The attempted bytes count in Prisma Cloud's context refers to the amount of traffic that is either denied by security group or firewall rules, or the traffic that was reset by a host or virtual machine (VM) that received the packet and responded with a RST (Reset) packet (A). This metric is crucial for understanding the nature of blocked or interrupted traffic within the cloud environment, helping administrators identify potential security threats or misconfigurations that may be preventing legitimate traffic. It encompasses both the traffic actively blocked by security controls and the traffic that the receiving entity deemed invalid or unwanted, thus providing a comprehensive view of the network's defensive posture.

View users who enabled console access with both access keys and passwords: config from cloud.resource where api.name = 'aws-iam-get-credential-report' AND json.rule = access_key_1_active is true or access_key_2_active is true and password_enabled is true https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma- cloud/prisma-cloud-rql-reference/rql-reference/config-query/config-query-examples

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/continuous_integration/set_policy_ci_plugins

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/configure-external-integrations-on-prisma-cloud#id24911ff9-c9ec-4503-bb3a-6cfce792a70d

When the Console is unreachable during upgrades, Defenders continue to alert and enforce using the policies and settings most recently cached before the upgrade (option D). This behavior ensures that security enforcement remains active and consistent, even when the central management console is temporarily unavailable. The cached policies enable Defenders to maintain the security posture based on the last known configuration, ensuring continuous protection against threats and compliance with established security policies. This approach reflects Prisma Cloud's design principle of ensuring uninterrupted security enforcement, thereby safeguarding the environment against potential vulnerabilities during maintenance periods.

The correct RQL query to view users who have sufficient permissions to create security groups within Azure AD and create applications is option D. This query is specifically designed to assess policies within Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) by checking the authorization policy settings related to user default role permissions. The query targets the azure-active-directory-authorization-policy API to fetch configurations (config from cloud.resource) and then filters those configurations based on the JSON rules that dictate whether users are allowed to create security groups (defaultUserRolePermissions.allowedToCreateSecurityGroups is true) and applications (defaultUserRolePermissions.allowedToCreateApps is true). This query provides a comprehensive check by ensuring both conditions are met, which is necessary for users to have the combined capabilities of creating security groups and applications within Azure AD.

In the context of Prisma Cloud and cloud security principles, the RQL (Resource Query Language) is utilized for querying the configuration state of resources within cloud environments to ensure compliance with security policies. The RQL syntax in option D precisely aligns with the requirements for identifying users with specific permissions, leveraging Prisma Cloud's capability to provide visibility and control over cloud resources, as emphasized in various resources like the "Prisma Cloud Visibility and Control Qualification Guide" and the "Guide to Cloud Security Posture Management Tools." These documents highlight the importance of continuous monitoring and validation of cloud resource configurations to maintain a secure and compliant cloud environment, which is effectively achieved through targeted RQL queries like the one in option D.

References:

• "Prisma Cloud Visibility and Control Qualification Guide" discusses the importance of visibility and compliance in cloud environments, which is directly applicable to the use of RQL for querying resource configurations.
• "Guide to Cloud Security Posture Management Tools" emphasizes the need for comprehensive visibility and governance across cloud environments, further supporting the rationale behind the specific RQL query used to assess user permissions in Azure AD.

In the context of associating Prisma Cloud policies with compliance frameworks, the most appropriate option is "Custom compliance." Prisma Cloud provides a comprehensive set of security and compliance policies that can be applied to cloud environments. While predefined policies cover a wide range of compliance standards and best practices, every organization has unique requirements and may follow specific compliance frameworks that are not directly included in the predefined policies. Custom compliance allows organizations to define their own compliance frameworks and associate specific Prisma Cloud policies with these custom frameworks. This flexibility ensures that organizations can maintain compliance with their specific regulatory and industry standards, tailoring the Prisma Cloud policies to meet their unique compliance needs. Custom compliance frameworks can be created within Prisma Cloud to include a collection of policies that address the specific controls and requirements of the organization's chosen compliance standards, providing a tailored approach to cloud security and compliance.

https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/blogs/what-is-changing-for-ci-cd-plugins/ba-p/461676

Prisma Cloud has announced changes to its CI/CD plugins due to the acquisition of Bridgecrew1. The existing IaC functionality in Prisma Cloud will be replaced by a Prisma “cloud code security” (CCS) module that delivers Bridgecrew integration in Prisma Cloud1. As part of this change, several CI/CD plugins that Prisma Cloud currently uses will either be replaced or modified1.

According to the information from the link, both Checkov and CircleCI are listed as integrations that will switch to the Prisma “cloud code security” (CCS) module1. Checkov is an open-source command-line interface (CLI) utility that includes more than 750 predefined policies and supports custom policies1. CircleCI is a continuous integration and continuous delivery platform1.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/runtime_defense/runtime_defense_containers

By default Prisma Cloud listens on: 8083 HTTPS management port for access to Console. 8084 WSS port for Defender to Console communication.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/19-11/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/install/install_kubernetes

When automated remediation is enabled in Prisma Cloud, it is designed to address all applicable open alerts, regardless of when they were generated. The system automatically applies remediation actions to resolve the identified security issues or compliance violations that triggered the alerts. Once the remediation actions are successfully completed, the system updates the status of the affected alerts to "resolved," indicating that the security issues have been addressed. This feature helps streamline the remediation process, reducing the manual effort required by security teams and ensuring that security issues are promptly resolved to maintain the integrity and security of the cloud environment.

In Prisma Cloud, Defender debug logs are essential for troubleshooting and understanding the Defender's operational behavior. The logs can be accessed through two primary methods:

A. The first method (B) involves using the Prisma Cloud Console's user interface. By navigating to Manage > Defenders > Manage > Defenders, administrators can select a deployed Defender from the list and access its logs by clicking Actions > Logs. This method provides a convenient way to view logs directly from the Console without the need to access the Defender host directly.

D. The second method (D) involves accessing the logs directly from the file system of the host where the Defender is deployed. The correct path for the Defender logs is /var/lib/twistlock/log/defender.log. This method is useful for situations where direct access to the host is available, and it allows for more in-depth troubleshooting by examining the raw log files.

Options A and C are incorrect because the paths and navigation steps provided do not accurately reflect the structure and functionality of Prisma Cloud's logging system.

The response from Jihe would be correct if this wasn't be run from within the container. In the question, we are running from inside the container, and therefor there is no need to specify an image/tarball. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/tools/twistcli_scan_image Further down in the documentation linked by Jihe, there is a section that shows the proper syntax when running twistcli from within a container. The example there is almost a perfect copy of this question. Spippolo has the correct response.

$ docker run \

-v /PATH/TO/TWISTCLI_DIR:/tools \

-e TW_TOKEN= \

-e TW_CONSOLE= \

--entrypoint="" \

\

/tools/twistcli images scan \

--containerized \

--details \

--address $TW_CONSOLE \

--token $TW_TOKEN \

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/tools/twistcli_scan_images

The correct RQL (Resource Query Language) that detected the vulnerability is:

config from cloud.resource where cloud.type = 'aws' and api.name = 'aws-iam-get-credential-report' AND json.rule = '(access_key_1_active is true and access_key_1_last_rotated != N/A and DateTime. ageInDays (access_key_1_last_rotated) > 90) or (access_key_2_active is true and access_key_2_last_rotated != N/A and _DateTime. ageInDays (access_key_2_last_rotated) > 90)'

This RQL is designed to check the age of the AWS IAM user's access keys to ensure that they are rotated within a recommended period, typically 90 days. If the access keys have not been rotated within this timeframe, it would be considered a security risk or vulnerability, as old keys may potentially be compromised. By enforcing access key rotation, it minimizes the risk of unauthorized access.

The reference for this type of policy check can be seen in cloud security best practices that advocate for regular rotation of access keys to minimize the potential impact of key compromise. CSPM tools like Prisma Cloud include such checks to automate compliance with these best practices.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/upgrade/upgrade_process_saas After the Console has been upgraded, check and upgrade any of the Defenders that have reached the end of their support lifecycle (Defenders are backward compatible for N-2 releases). The Defender release image is built from the UBI8-minimal base image and on upgrade it is a full container image upgrade, which means that the old Defender container is replaced with a new container. Then, upgrade all other Prisma Cloud components, such as the Jenkins plugin.

https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/blogs/what-is-changing-for-ci-cd-plugins/ba-p/461676

Visual Studio Code IntelliJ IDEA https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/blogs/what-is-changing-for-ci-cd-plugins/ba-p/461676

For a runtime audit generated for a host with a message indicating a service attempting to obtain capability by executing a script, the root cause for this runtime audit is most likely related to D. Default rule that alerts on suspicious runtime behavior. This default rule is designed to flag unusual or potentially harmful activities that could indicate a security risk, prompting further investigation.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-policies/anomaly-policies

In Prisma Cloud, when anomalies are detected and the security team chooses to Relearn on a specific image, the existing behavioral model for that image is not deleted. Instead, the system retains the model and enters a new learning period, during which it observes the behavior of the container based on the image. If new behaviors are observed during this period, they are added to the existing model, thereby refining and updating the model to reflect the current operational profile of the container. This approach allows for dynamic adaptation to changes in container behavior while preserving the valuable insights and patterns already established in the model. The Relearn function is part of Prisma Cloud's adaptive capabilities, enabling it to maintain accurate and up-to-date behavioral models that reflect the evolving nature of containerized applications.

After the Console has been upgraded, check and upgrade any of the Defenders that have reached the end of their support lifecycle (Defenders are backward compatible for N-2 releases). The Defender release image is built from the UBI8-minimal base image and on upgrade it is a full container image upgrade, which means that the old Defender container is replaced with a new container. Then, upgrade all other Prisma Cloud components, such as the Jenkins plugin. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/upgrade/upgrade_process_saas

The purpose of Incident Explorer in Prisma Cloud Compute under the "Monitor" section is to provide a comprehensive view of incidents by correlating individual events. This helps identify potential attacks through a sequence of processes, file system, and network events, thereby giving a complete picture of an incident's timeline and impact.

https://docs.prismacloud.io/en/classic/compute-admin-guide/runtime-defense/incident-explorer

The audit trail section of an asset's detail view in Prisma Cloud typically includes a log of configuration changes and alert and vulnerability events associated with the asset. These elements are crucial for tracking the history of modifications to an asset's configuration and the security incidents that have affected it. This information is instrumental in understanding the security posture of the asset over time and in conducting thorough investigations after a security event has been detected.

Outbound notifications in Prisma Cloud refer to the integration with external systems or services for the purpose of alerting or incident management.

• Option D: PagerDuty is an example of an outbound notification within Prisma Cloud. PagerDuty is a popular incident response and alerting service that teams use to manage, track, and respond to incidents in real-time. Prisma Cloud's integration with PagerDuty allows organizations to automatically forward alerts from Prisma Cloud to PagerDuty, enabling streamlined incident management and response workflows.

References:

• Prisma Cloud Integration Documentation: Provides instructions for integrating Prisma Cloud with various external services, including PagerDuty, to enhance alerting and incident management capabilities.
• Incident Management Best Practices: Discusses strategies for effective incident management, highlighting the role of integrations with external alerting services like PagerDuty in improving response times and incident resolution.

In the SecOps dashboard of a cloud security platform like Prisma Cloud, filters such as Time range and Account Groups are essential for narrowing down the data or security alerts based on specific time periods or organizational structures. The Time range filter allows users to view incidents or compliance data for a particular timeframe, facilitating trend analysis and focusing on recent events. The Account Groups filter enables the segregation of data based on different cloud accounts or organizational units, making it easier for security teams to manage and prioritize security tasks according to the business structure or cloud architecture.

Under Web-Application and API Security (WAAS) bot protection in Prisma Cloud, unknown bots are categorized based on their behavior and characteristics. Web scrapers and HTTP libraries fall into the category of unknown bots. Web scrapers are automated scripts or programs that extract data from websites, often without permission, while HTTP libraries are tools used for making HTTP requests. Both can be used benignly but may also be employed in malicious activities, hence their classification as unknown bots requiring further analysis.

The data security dashboard in Prisma Cloud provides a comprehensive overview of the security posture related to cloud data storage. However, certain information types, such as the identity of the bucket owner and the actual content within an object, are not typically displayed on such dashboards. This is because the dashboard focuses more on aggregated data profiles, exposure levels, and compliance-related information rather than individual ownership details or the specific content of objects, which may require separate detailed analysis or are managed through different security mechanisms.

The question focuses on valid host compliance policies within a cloud environment. Among the given options, the most relevant to host compliance is ensuring compliant Docker daemon configuration. Docker daemon configurations are critical for securing the host environment where containers are run. A compliant Docker daemon configuration involves setting security-related options to ensure the Docker engine operates securely. This can include configurations related to TLS for secure communication, logging levels, authorization plugins, and user namespace remapping for isolation.

Ensuring functions are not overly permissive (Option A) and ensuring images are created with a non-root user (Option C) are more directly related to the security best practices for serverless functions and container images, respectively, rather than host-specific compliance checks. Ensuring host devices are not directly exposed to containers (Option B) is also important for security, but it falls under the broader category of container runtime security rather than host-specific compliance.

Thus, the most valid host compliance policy from the given options is to ensure a compliant Docker daemon configuration, as it directly impacts the security posture of the host environment in a containerized infrastructure. This aligns with best practices for securing Docker environments and is a common recommendation in container security guidelines, including those from Docker and cybersecurity frameworks.

References:

• Docker Documentation: Security configuration and best practices for Docker engine: https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/
• CIS Docker Benchmark: Providing consensus-based best practices for securing Docker environments: https://www.cisecurity.org/benchmark/docker/

In WAAS Access control for file uploads, Prisma Cloud supports various file types out-of-the-box to ensure secure and controlled file upload functionality. The supported file types include Text, Images, and Documents. These categories cover a wide range of commonly used file formats, allowing organizations to manage and restrict file uploads based on the content type. This feature helps in preventing malicious file uploads and ensures that only approved file types are uploaded to applications and services.

The image provided showcases a filtered compliance view, which is displaying only certain checks with varying severities and descriptions related to container and image compliance. Since the compliance rule was configured to enable all checks but only a subset of entries is visible, it implies that the current view is filtered to show specific entries. To obtain a comprehensive view of all checks, including those that have passed, the rule options must be adjusted. By selecting the option to list both failed and passed checks, one can gain complete visibility over the compliance status of the container, ensuring that no aspect of the compliance has been overlooked and that all necessary information is available for review.

The alert "AWS S3 buckets are accessible to public" is generated due to the configuration of the S3 bucket, which has been set in a way that allows public access. The policy definition provided checks for various conditions that would make an S3 bucket publicly accessible, such as grants to 'AllUsers', the absence of a 'publicAccessBlockConfiguration', or specific configurations that do not restrict public access. Therefore, the alert is triggered by the configuration settings of the S3 bucket that violate the policy's criteria for public accessibility.

Prisma Cloud integrates with various secret managers to manage sensitive information such as passwords, tokens, and keys. However, it cannot integrate with IBM Secret Manager. The other options, Azure Key Vault, HashiCorp Vault, and AWS Secret Manager, are supported for integration with Prisma Cloud, providing secure storage and handling of secrets.

When setting up Single Sign-On (SSO) in Prisma Cloud on the Identity Provider (IdP) side, it is essential to configure the Assertion Consumer Service (ACS) URL and the Service Provider (SP) Entity ID. The ACS URL is the endpoint to which the IdP will send the SAML assertion, and the SP Entity ID is a unique identifier for the service provider that often resembles a URL but does not necessarily point to a location. These elements are crucial for establishing the trust relationship between the IdP and the service provider, enabling secure user authentication and authorization.

The correct section of the Console that the administrator should use to review findings such as "User namespace is enabled", "An LDAP server is enabled", and "SSH root is enabled" is "Compliance".

The "Compliance" section in CSPM tools like Prisma Cloud provides an overview of the current compliance posture against various regulatory standards and best practices. It can help identify configurations that do not adhere to best practices or that may violate compliance requirements, such as enabling the user namespace, which could be a security risk, or having an LDAP server and SSH root enabled, which may not comply with certain security standards.

Reference to the use of the "Compliance" section can be found in CSPM documentation, where it details how compliance checks are used to assess the security and configuration of cloud resources against established benchmarks and standards, allowing organizations to maintain compliance and improve their security posture.

When enabling Registry Scanning in Prisma Cloud for a registry that stores Windows images, it's important to note that Windows host defenders must be deployed in the environment to scan these images effectively. The Windows host defenders are specialized versions of the Prisma Cloud Defender that are designed to run on Windows operating systems. They provide the necessary functionality to scan Windows container images stored in registries, identifying vulnerabilities and ensuring the images comply with security policies before they are deployed. This requirement underscores the importance of having the appropriate Defender deployments that match the operating systems of the images being scanned.

"The list of AWS policy types and identities that are used to calculate the net effective permissions are as follows:

AWS IAM role

AWS IAM policy

AWS IAM group

AWS service control policies (SCPs)

Role trust relationships

Permission boundaries

NotAction

Policies with wild card support

If your cloud environment has additional resource types, Prisma Cloud does not factor them into the net-effective permissions.

In addition, permissions can also be set by a resource-based policy. The following AWS resource-based policies are supported in the net effective permissions calculation:

Lambda function

S3 bucket

SQS queue

SNS topic

ECS task definition

Secret manager

KMS key

Lambda layer version"

In the context of Kubernetes, an admission controller is a piece of code that intercepts requests to the Kubernetes API server before the persistence of the object, but after the request is authenticated and authorized. The admission controller lets you apply complex validation and policy controls to objects before they are created or updated.

The ValidatingWebhookConfiguration is a Kubernetes object that tells the API server to send an admission validation request to a service (the admission webhook) when a request to create, update, or delete a Kubernetes object matches the rules defined in the configuration. The webhook can then approve or deny the request based on custom logic.

The MutatingWebhookConfiguration is similar but is used to modify objects before they are created or updated, which is not the primary function of an admission controller acting in a protective or validating capacity.

DestinationRules are related to Istio service mesh and are not relevant to Kubernetes admission control.

PodSecurityPolicies (PSPs) are a type of admission controller in Kubernetes but they are predefined by Kubernetes and do not require a specific configuration object like ValidatingWebhookConfiguration. PSPs are also deprecated in recent versions of Kubernetes.

Therefore, the correct answer is C. ValidatingWebhookConfiguration, as it is the Kubernetes object used to configure admission webhooks for validating requests, which aligns with the role of Defender acting as an admission controller in Prisma Cloud.

References from the provided documents:

• The documents uploaded do not contain specific details about Kubernetes objects or Prisma Cloud's integration with Kubernetes. However, this explanation aligns with general Kubernetes practices and Prisma Cloud's capabilities in securing Kubernetes environments.

Prisma Cloud Code Security is designed to integrate security into the DevOps process by scanning infrastructure as code (IaC) templates and configurations for potential security issues. This proactive approach allows developers and security teams to address misconfigurations and vulnerabilities in the code itself, before they are deployed into the cloud environment and become more challenging to resolve. By identifying and rectifying these issues early in the development lifecycle, organizations can reduce the risk of alerts and incidents arising from misconfigurations in their cloud infrastructure, leading to a more secure and compliant cloud environment.

Saved Searches has list of search queries saved by any Prisma Cloud administrator.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-administrators/prisma-cloud-admin-permissions

According to the official Palo Alto Networks documentation, saved searches in a cloud account are managed by administrators. This aligns with the principle that administrative privileges are typically required to manage access to saved searches and other similar resources within cloud platforms. Administrators have the capability to control who can access various resources, ensuring that only authorized users can view or modify saved searches. This is a common security measure to prevent unauthorized access and potential data breaches.

In Prisma Cloud, Defenders play a crucial role in securing cloud environments by monitoring and protecting workloads. The communication between Defenders and the Prisma Cloud Console occurs in real-time, allowing for immediate detection of threats, vulnerabilities, and compliance issues. This real-time communication is essential for maintaining an up-to-date security posture and promptly responding to potential security incidents. The real-time nature of Defender-Console communication ensures that security teams have the latest information and can take swift actions to mitigate risks.

For a custom config Resource Query Language (RQL) in Prisma Cloud, two essential attributes are "json.rule" and "api.name." The "json.rule" attribute allows users to specify the JSON structure that defines the criteria or conditions of the query, essentially dictating what the query is looking for within the cloud environment. The "api.name" attribute identifies the specific API endpoint that the query will target, providing context and scope for the query. Together, these attributes enable users to craft precise and targeted queries that can assess the configuration and security posture of cloud resources, aiding in compliance checks, security assessments, and other governance tasks.

The correct command to scan the nginx:latest image for vulnerabilities and compliance issues using the Prisma Cloud twistcli tool is shown in Option D. This command uses twistcli images scan with specified parameters for the console address, username, and password, and it outputs the results to a file named scan-results.json. This allows for the scanning results to be saved and reviewed in a structured format, which aids in further analysis and tracking of vulnerabilities and compliance issues.

In Prisma Cloud, the Defender type responsible for performing registry scanning is the Container Defender. Registry scanning is crucial for ensuring that container images stored in registries are free from vulnerabilities and compliance issues before they are deployed. Container Defenders scan images within container registries, identifying security risks and ensuring that only secure container images are used in deployment, thereby maintaining the integrity and security of containerized applications.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-alerts/prisma-cloud-alert-resolution-reasons

In Prisma Cloud, POLICY_UPDATED is a valid reason for the dismissal of an alert. This reason indicates that an alert can be dismissed if the policy that triggered the alert has been updated. When a policy is updated to no longer apply to certain resources or conditions, any open alerts that were generated based on the previous version of the policy may be dismissed as they are no longer relevant.

The other options, such as SNOOZED_AUTO_CLOSE, ALERT_RULE_ADDED, and USER_DELETED, are not standard reasons for the dismissal of an alert in Prisma Cloud. SNOOZED_AUTO_CLOSE refers to the temporary suspension of an alert, ALERT_RULE_ADDED is related to the creation of a new alert rule, and USER_DELETED would pertain to the removal of a user account, not directly to alert dismissal.

The Cloud Security Assessment report is a PDF report that summarizes the risks from open alerts in the monitored cloud accounts for a specific cloud type. The report includes an executive summary and a list of policy violations, including a page with details for each policy that includes the description and the compliance standards that are associated with it, the number of resources that passed and failed the check within the specified time period. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-alerts/generate-reports-on-prisma-cloud-alerts

The report that includes an executive summary along with a list of policy violations and detailed pages for each policy is the "Cloud Security Assessment" report. This type of report is designed to provide organizations with a comprehensive overview of their cloud security posture, highlighting both compliance with security policies and areas needing attention.

The external ID plays a crucial role when onboarding a new Amazon Web Services (AWS) account in Prisma Cloud. It serves as a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) that establishes a trust relationship between the Prisma Cloud account and the AWS account. This trust relationship is essential for allowing Prisma Cloud to securely extract data and perform security monitoring and compliance checks within the AWS environment. The use of an external ID ensures that Prisma Cloud can access the necessary information from the AWS account without compromising the security of the AWS account's credentials, adhering to the principle of least privilege and enhancing the overall security posture.

The Run policies monitor resources and check for potential issues once these cloud resources are deployed Build policies enable you to check for security misconfigurations in the IaC templates and ensure that these issues do not make their way into production. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-policies/create-a-policy

• B. Build policies: These are designed to identify insecure configurations in your Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates, such as AWS CloudFormation, HashiCorp Terraform, and Kubernetes App manifests. The goal of build policies is to detect security issues early in the development process, before the actual resources are deployed in runtime environments. This helps ensure that security issues are identified and remediated before they can affect production1.
• D. Run policies: These policies are focused on monitoring the deployed cloud resources and checking for potential issues during their operation. Run policies are essential for ongoing security and compliance in the production environment, as they provide visibility into the actual state of resources and their activities1.

Run and Network policies (A) are indeed part of the configuration policy set, but they do not highlight the difference between build and run policies. Similarly, while Run policies do monitor network activities ©, this statement does not contrast them with Build policies.

The twistcli tool, part of Prisma Cloud's suite of security tools, supports various platforms for security scanning and configuration. The correct platforms supported by twistcli include:

• A. Linux: twistcli is widely used on Linux platforms for scanning container images, host vulnerabilities, and more, making it a correct choice.
• B. Windows: twistcli supports Windows, allowing users to perform security scans and checks on Windows-based systems, making it a correct choice.
• D. MacOS: twistcli is also compatible with MacOS, enabling security operations on Apple's operating system, making it a correct choice. Option C (Android) and E (Solaris) are not supported platforms for the twistcli tool, according to the available documentation on Prisma Cloud.

1) Select Policies 2) Select the policy rule to edit, on 3 Compliance Standards click + and associate the policy with the compliance standard (https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-compliance/create-a-custom-compliance-standard )

Using the Prisma Cloud API, users can fetch various attributes of policies, including the policy label (Option A) and policy mode (Option C). The policy label helps in categorizing and organizing policies, while the policy mode determines how the policy is enforced (e.g., alert, enforce). The policy signature (Option B) is not a standard attribute exposed via the API for fetching, as it relates more to the internal identification and handling of policies. The policy violation (Option D) is an outcome or event resulting from a policy breach, not an attribute of the policy itself that can be fetched via the API.

Web-Application and API Security (WAAS) is a feature within Prisma Cloud that focuses on protecting web applications and APIs from various threats and vulnerabilities. The primary protocols it provides protection for are HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and TLS (Transport Layer Security). HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web, and TLS is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide communications security over a computer network. While SSH (Secure Shell) is a protocol for secure remote login and other secure network services, and Tomcat Web Connector via AJP (Apache JServ Protocol) is used for Tomcat server communication, they are not the primary focus of WAAS protection.

https://docs.prismacloud.io/en/classic/cspm-admin-guide/prisma-cloud-iam-security/context-used-to-calculate-effective-permissions

Both Console’s API and web interfaces, served on port 8083 (HTTPS), require authentication over a different channel with different credentials (e.g. username and password, access key, and so on), none of which Defender holds. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/22-06/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/technology_overviews/defender_architecture

Managing Defender upgrades in a Prisma Cloud environment requires careful planning, especially in scenarios where not all Defenders can be upgraded simultaneously due to maintenance window constraints.

• Option C: Upgrade a subset of the Defenders by clicking the individual Actions > Upgrade button in the row that corresponds to the Defender that should be upgraded during the maintenance window is the recommended approach in this situation. This option allows administrators to manually select specific Defenders for upgrade within the available maintenance window, providing control over the upgrade process and ensuring that upgrades are aligned with operational requirements and maintenance schedules.

References:

• Prisma Cloud Defender Management Documentation: Details the procedures for managing and upgrading Prisma Cloud Defenders, including manual upgrade processes for individual Defenders.
• Best Practices for Managing Defender Upgrades: Offers guidelines on effectively planning and executing Defender upgrades, emphasizing the importance of aligning upgrade activities with maintenance windows to minimize disruption to the development environment.

In Prisma Cloud, the "Monitor > Compliance" menu is the centralized location where administrators can verify the status of custom compliance checks, along with predefined compliance standards and frameworks. This section provides a comprehensive view of the organization's compliance posture, displaying whether specific compliance checks are passing or failing. It allows for detailed insights into compliance status across cloud environments, helping administrators identify areas of non-compliance, understand the reasons behind compliance failures, and take corrective actions to address any identified issues.

Prisma Cloud supports integration with various Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) as part of its DevOps Security offerings, including Visual Studio Code (Option B) and IntelliJ (Option D). These integrations allow developers to scan their Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates and application code for vulnerabilities and compliance issues directly within their preferred development environments, promoting a "shift left" security approach. BitBucket (Option A) and CircleCI (Option C) are more commonly associated with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines rather than being IDEs.

By default, Prisma Cloud's vulnerability policy is configured to alert on all detected vulnerabilities across containers and images, without filtering based on the severity of the vulnerabilities. This default setting ensures that administrators are made aware of all potential security issues, providing them with comprehensive visibility into the security posture of their environment. Administrators can then assess and prioritize these vulnerabilities based on their context, severity, and impact on the organization's assets​​.

1. Post /Login 2. Get /report 3. Get report/id/download

To reduce the number of alerts generated by the "Unusual protocol activity (Internal)" network anomaly without entirely disabling the policy, setting the Alert Disposition to Conservative (option B) is the most effective strategy. This configuration adjusts the sensitivity of the anomaly detection, reducing the likelihood of false positives and minimizing alert fatigue without compromising the ability to detect genuine security threats. By adopting a more conservative approach to anomaly detection, the administrator can ensure that only the most significant and potentially harmful activities trigger alerts, thus maintaining a balance between security vigilance and operational efficiency.

In Azure, to enable Prisma Cloud to calculate net effective permissions across Management Groups, the necessary permission is "Microsoft.Management/managementGroups/descendants/read." This permission grants Prisma Cloud the ability to read the management group hierarchy and the related details, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the effective permissions applied across different levels of the management group structure. By having this level of access, Prisma Cloud can accurately assess and report on the permissions assigned to various resources and identities within the Azure environment, facilitating better security and compliance management.

Log into Console. / Go to Manage > Alerts > Logging. / Configure Prisma Cloud to send audit event records to syslog, stdout and Prometheus.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/audit/logging

To ingest all Console and Defender logs into Splunk within Prisma Cloud Compute, the most effective method is to enable the syslog option in the Console. This configuration allows the direct export of logs in a format compatible with Splunk, facilitating real-time log analysis and monitoring. This setup supports continuous security monitoring and advanced threat detection capabilities by utilizing Splunk's extensive data processing and visualization tools.

In Prisma Cloud, assigning an administrative user to an account group is a way to implement the principle of least privilege by restricting the user's access to a specific subset of resources and data. Account groups are logical collections of cloud accounts, and by associating an administrative user with a particular account group, their access is limited to only those resources and data associated with the cloud accounts within that group. This mechanism ensures that users have access only to the information and resources necessary for their role or tasks, enhancing security by minimizing the potential for unauthorized access or actions within the cloud environment.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/vulnerability_management/vuln_management_rules

Configuring vulnerability policies within Prisma Cloud involves several options that cater to different aspects of vulnerability management and policy enforcement. Options A, C, and D are valid configurations for vulnerability policies:

A. Individual actions based on package type allow for tailored responses to vulnerabilities found in specific types of software packages, enabling more granular control over the remediation process.

C. Applying policies only when a vendor fix is available helps prioritize the remediation of vulnerabilities for which a patch or update has been released by the software vendor, ensuring efficient use of resources in addressing the most actionable security issues.

D. Setting individual grace periods for each severity level allows organizations to define different time frames for addressing vulnerabilities based on their severity, enabling a prioritized and risk-based approach to vulnerability management.

These configurations support a comprehensive vulnerability management strategy by allowing customization and prioritization based on the nature of the vulnerability, the availability of fixes, and the risk level associated with each vulnerability.

Configuring Single Sign-On (SSO) in Prisma Cloud requires the Identity Provider Issuer (Option B) and Certificate (Option C). The Identity Provider Issuer is a unique identifier for the SSO identity provider and is used by Prisma Cloud to establish trust and validate SSO responses. The Certificate, typically an X.509 certificate, is used to sign SSO assertions and ensure the security of the SSO communication. The Prisma Cloud Access SAML URL (Option A) is provided by Prisma Cloud to configure the SSO on the identity provider's side, not the other way around. The Identity Provider Logout URL (Option D) is used for single logout configurations but is not a required field for basic SSO configuration in Prisma Cloud.