PSE-Strata Palo Alto Networks System Engineer Professional - Strata Question and Answers

When customers have high bandwidth requirements for Service Connections and need to onboard multiple Service Connections to the same Prisma Access location servicing a single datacenter, there are specific limitations to consider:

A. Network segments in the datacenter need to be advertised to only one Service Connection to prevent routing issues and ensure that traffic is properly managed and routed without conflicts.

B. The customer edge device must support policy-based routing with symmetric return functionality. This requirement ensures that traffic is routed back through the same path it came from, maintaining session integrity and preventing asymmetric routing issues, which can lead to packet loss and connection instability.

For securing a headquarters environment where users access various web resources, Advanced URL Filtering (AURLF) is recommended.

Advanced URL Filtering (AURLF):

Provides real-time protection against malicious websites and phishing attacks by analyzing URLs and blocking access to dangerous sites.

Ensures users at the headquarters are protected from web-based threats.

The smallest Panorama solution that can be used to manage up to 2500 Palo Alto Networks Next Generation firewalls is the M-200 appliance.

The M-200 is designed for medium-sized organizations and provides the necessary performance and scalability to manage a large number of firewalls efficiently.

The M-600 is a more powerful appliance but is not the smallest option.

The M-100 has been superseded by the M-200 and does not support as many devices.

The Panorama VM-Series can manage a large number of devices but is not typically considered the "smallest" solution due to its virtual nature and varying performance based on the underlying hardware.

When HTTP header logging is enabled on a URL Filtering profile in Palo Alto Networks firewalls, the attribute-value that can be logged includes:

X-Forwarded-For (A): This HTTP header is commonly used to identify the originating IP address of a client connecting to a web server through an HTTP proxy or load balancer. Logging this header allows administrators to track the source IP addresses of clients accessing resources through proxies, providing better visibility into user activity.

References:

Palo Alto Networks, URL Filtering Profiles Documentation.

HTTP Header Field Definitions (RFC 7239).

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) significantly enhances security by requiring multiple forms of verification to access accounts, reducing the risk of abuse from stolen credentials. URL Filtering Profiles block access to malicious or high-risk websites that might be used to harvest credentials or facilitate phishing attacks. SSL decryption rules allow security systems to inspect encrypted traffic, ensuring that malicious content is not being hidden within encrypted sessions, thereby preventing the use of stolen credentials on secure sites. These measures collectively help in reducing the risk of credential theft and misuse.

References:

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines on authentication

Palo Alto Networks' Best Practices for URL Filtering

SSL Decryption in Network Security (SANS Institute)

WildFire signatures are generated based on the analysis of unknown files submitted to the WildFire cloud. These signatures are updated and pushed to the antivirus database every 24 hours. This frequent update cycle ensures that the firewall can detect and block the latest threats quickly and effectively, minimizing the window of exposure to new malware.

When configuring the NGFW to act as a decryption broker for multiple transparent bridge security chains, the following items are required:

A unique Transparent Bridge Decryption Forwarding Profile to a single Decryption policy rule (B): Each decryption policy rule must be associated with a unique Transparent Bridge Decryption Forwarding Profile. This ensures that decrypted traffic is forwarded appropriately to the specific security chain.

A unique Decryption policy rule is required per security chain (C): You need to create a separate decryption policy rule for each security chain. This allows you to distribute the decrypted traffic among multiple security chains based on policy criteria.

These configurations enable the firewall to effectively manage and distribute the load across multiple security chains, ensuring optimal performance and security​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)

WildFire can analyze various script types to detect and mitigate potential threats.

JScript (Option C):

JScript files can be used in web-based attacks and are commonly analyzed by WildFire.

To run Cortex XDR effectively, the following three mandatory components are required:

NGFW with PANOS 8.0.5 or Later: The Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) running PANOS 8.0.5 or later is necessary to provide advanced security features and integration with Cortex XDR.

Cortex Data Lake: This component is essential for storing and analyzing large volumes of data, providing the necessary infrastructure for Cortex XDR to perform threat detection and response.

Traps: Traps (now part of Cortex XDR Endpoint Protection) is essential for endpoint protection, helping to prevent, detect, and respond to threats on endpoints.

These components work together to provide comprehensive threat detection and response capabilities within the Cortex XDR framework.

The update frequencies for the databases of different subscription services on Palo Alto Networks are as follows:

Anti-virus: Daily updates ensure that the latest virus definitions and malware signatures are available to protect against new threats.

Application: Weekly updates provide the latest application signatures to maintain accurate application identification and control.

Threats: Daily updates deliver the most current threat signatures to enhance the firewall's ability to detect and prevent emerging threats.

WildFire: Updates every 5 minutes ensure that the latest malware analysis results and protections are quickly disseminated to protect against new and evolving threats.

These update intervals are designed to provide comprehensive and up-to-date protection against a wide range of security threats.

References:

Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention Documentation

Palo Alto Networks WildFire Subscription Service Guide

For detecting actionable events on the network and processing related threat events, the Automated Correlation Engine (ACE) in PAN-OS is highly suitable.

Automated Correlation Engine (ACE):

ACE analyzes firewall logs to detect patterns and sequences of events that may indicate a compromised host.

It automatically processes related threat events, pinpointing areas of risk and providing actionable insights.

To support MineMeld indicators on PAN-OS External Dynamic Lists (EDLs), you must configure the Prototype setting. The prototype defines the type of node and its configuration in MineMeld, which is essential for generating the correct feed format that the firewall can consume. This allows the EDL to dynamically pull in threat intelligence data from MineMeld and apply it to security policies​ (LIVEcommunity | Palo Alto Networks)​​ (LIVEcommunity | Palo Alto Networks)​.

To provide access for 5500 mobile users and 10 remote locations (100Mbps each) for one year with Base Support and minimal logging, the following Bill of Materials (BOM) should be selected:

5500x PAN-GPCS-USER-C-BAS-1YR: This covers the license for 5500 mobile users for one year.

1000x PAN-GPCS-NET-B-BAS-1YR: This covers the network license for 10 remote locations.

1x PAN-LGS-1TB-1YR: This provides minimal logging capability.

1x PAN-PRA-25: This includes the Prisma Access license.

1x PAN-SVC-BAS-PRA-25: This includes the Base Support service for Prisma Access.

These components ensure that the customer has the necessary licenses and support to meet their requirements.

A WildFire subscription is required for forwarding advanced file types from the firewall to the WildFire cloud for analysis. This includes various file formats that may not be natively supported by basic firewall capabilities. Additionally, using the WildFire API to submit website links for analysis also requires a subscription. These activities leverage WildFire's advanced threat detection capabilities to analyze and detect potential threats in files and URLs, providing enhanced security for the network.

Prisma SaaS and VM-300 firewalls can send logs to the Cortex Data Lake (now called Strata Logging Service). Prisma SaaS logs user activity and data access within SaaS applications and forwards these logs to the Strata Logging Service for centralized analysis and monitoring. Similarly, VM-300 firewalls deployed in AWS can send various types of logs, including traffic and threat logs, to the Strata Logging Service through Panorama or directly​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

Palo Alto Networks Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) offers significant business value by automating and simplifying the process of adding new firewalls to the network, specifically the Panorama management server.

Automation and Simplification:

ZTP automates the initial configuration and deployment of new firewalls, reducing the need for manual intervention.

This leads to faster deployment times and reduces the potential for human error.

To enable Credential Phishing Prevention on a Palo Alto Networks firewall, three key settings must be configured:

Define an SSL Decryption Rulebase: SSL decryption is necessary to inspect encrypted traffic for credential submission attempts. Without decryption, the firewall cannot see the contents of SSL/TLS encrypted traffic.

Enable User-ID: User-ID is needed to associate traffic with specific users, which is crucial for applying user-specific security policies, including credential phishing prevention.

Define URL Filtering Profile: A URL filtering profile is used to identify and block access to phishing websites. This profile can be configured to enforce strict controls over websites that users are allowed to access, thus preventing credential submission to malicious sites.

These configurations ensure that the firewall can effectively monitor and prevent phishing attempts by inspecting traffic, associating it with users, and controlling access to potentially harmful websites.

In an HA (High Availability) pair running in Active/Passive mode, the dataplanes communicate over the HA3 interface. This interface is used for the synchronization of session information and other runtime data between the active and passive firewalls, ensuring stateful failover and seamless transition in case of a failure.

For a price-sensitive customer needing to secure a Windows Virtual Server with a maximum throughput of 100Mbps and requiring up to 45,000 sessions, the VM-200 instance is the appropriate choice. The VM-200 is designed to handle up to 100Mbps of throughput and supports a sufficient number of sessions to meet the customer's requirements, making it a cost-effective and suitable option for this use case​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

WildFire, a cloud-based threat analysis service from Palo Alto Networks, is capable of detecting zero-day malware across several types of traffic, including SMTP, HTTPS, and FTP. By analyzing files transmitted over these protocols, WildFire can identify malicious activities that traditional security measures might miss. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is used for email transmission, HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) secures web traffic, and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used for file transfers. These protocols are commonly exploited by attackers to distribute malware, making WildFire’s ability to monitor and analyze them critical for comprehensive network security.

Deploying Panorama in a High Availability (HA) configuration provides significant advantages, especially for maintaining the management layer and ensuring robust log collection. Here are the key reasons:

Ensure Management Continuity: By deploying a second Panorama appliance in an HA setup, you can ensure continuous management of your firewall environment. In the event that the primary Panorama appliance fails, the secondary appliance can take over, ensuring that there is no interruption in management capabilities. This is crucial for maintaining operational stability and uninterrupted administrative functions​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

Improve Log Collection Redundancy: An HA setup improves the redundancy and reliability of log collection. If the primary Panorama appliance that is collecting logs from various firewalls becomes unavailable, the secondary appliance can continue the log collection process. This ensures that all security events and network activities are recorded without gaps, which is essential for effective monitoring and incident response​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks Knowledge Base)​.

The signature-based Threat Prevention features of the firewall that are informed by intelligence from the Threat Intelligence Cloud include Vulnerability Protection, Anti-Spyware, and Anti-Virus. The Threat Intelligence Cloud collects data from a variety of sources, including global threat intelligence networks, and analyzes this data to identify new threats. This intelligence is then used to update the signatures for these features, allowing the firewall to detect and prevent known threats effectively.

Vulnerability Protection: Uses updated signatures to detect and block exploit attempts against known vulnerabilities.

Anti-Spyware: Detects and prevents spyware based on signatures and threat intelligence.

Anti-Virus: Blocks known malware based on updated virus signatures.

These features are continuously updated with new intelligence, ensuring the firewall can defend against the latest threats.

References: Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention documentation, Threat Intelligence Cloud overview.

During a security event, the Traps agent (part of Cortex XDR) performs several actions beyond just preventing the activity:

Collects forensic information about the event: The Traps agent gathers detailed information regarding the event, which helps in understanding the nature and source of the threat.

Communicates the status of the endpoint to the ESM (Endpoint Security Manager): This communication ensures that the ESM is aware of the current state of the endpoint, helping in centralized management and response.

Notifies the user about the event: The agent informs the user about the occurrence of a security event, which can help in immediate local response and awareness.

References:

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Documentation

Palo Alto Networks Traps Agent User Guide

In PAN-OS 9, the WF-500 appliance added support for new file types, including ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) and 7-Zip files. This expansion enables broader malware detection capabilities by analyzing additional file formats commonly used in various operating systems and compression utilities​ (LIVEcommunity | Palo Alto Networks)​​ (LIVEcommunity | Palo Alto Networks)​.

The SP3 (Single Pass Parallel Processing) architecture of Palo Alto Networks' Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) is designed to address high-throughput and low-latency requirements while providing comprehensive security features. This architecture allows the firewall to process network traffic in a single pass for all security functions, which significantly enhances performance by reducing latency and ensuring high throughput. By highlighting SP3, you can assure potential customers that the NGFW can handle their performance needs while delivering robust security.

Expedition is a tool provided by Palo Alto Networks to help streamline the migration and optimization of security policies. Two key presales selling advantages of using Expedition are:

Streamline & Migrate to Layer7 Policies Using Policy Optimizer: Policy Optimizer helps in converting traditional Layer 3/4 policies into more granular Layer 7 application-based policies. This migration ensures more precise control and better security by focusing on the actual applications rather than just IP addresses and ports.

Reduce Effort to Implement Policies Based on App-ID and User-ID: Expedition facilitates the implementation of security policies based on Palo Alto Networks' App-ID and User-ID technologies. This reduces the complexity and effort required to manage security policies, as policies can be applied based on specific applications and user identities, leading to more effective and efficient security management.

The Eval Systems, Security Lifecycle Reviews, and Prevention Posture Assessment tools serve several purposes:

When you're delivering a security strategy: These tools help in presenting a comprehensive security strategy to clients by highlighting the effectiveness and benefits of using Palo Alto Networks' solutions.

When clients want to see the power of the platform: They provide an opportunity for clients to witness the capabilities and impact of the Palo Alto Networks platform in real-world scenarios.

Assess the state of NGFW feature adoption: These tools help in evaluating how well the Next-Generation Firewall features have been adopted and utilized within the client's network, identifying areas for improvement and optimization.

References:

Palo Alto Networks Security Lifecycle Review Guide

Palo Alto Networks Prevention Posture Assessment Documentation

Palo Alto Networks' Threat Intelligence Cloud sources malware sample data from various significant inputs:

Next-generation firewalls deployed with WildFire Analysis Security Profiles: These firewalls are equipped with WildFire Analysis Security Profiles, which analyze unknown files and email links to detect zero-day threats and malware. This provides a rich source of real-time threat data.

WF-500 configured as private clouds for privacy concerns: The WF-500 appliance is used by organizations that prefer to maintain privacy and have stringent data control requirements. It serves as a private cloud for malware analysis, adding another layer of data collection.

Third-party data feeds: Partnerships with organizations like ProofPoint and the Cyber Threat Alliance enable Palo Alto Networks to integrate additional threat intelligence feeds. These third-party collaborations expand the breadth and depth of threat data available for analysis and defense​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

GlobalProtect is the Palo Alto Networks security component designed to extend next-generation firewall (NGFW) policies to remote users. It provides comprehensive security by ensuring that all network traffic from remote devices is inspected and secured, just as if the users were on the corporate network. This helps maintain consistent security policies and protections regardless of user location.

The core values of the Palo Alto Network Security Operating Platform revolve around:

Prevention of cyber attacks: This is achieved through a multi-layered approach combining advanced threat intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral analytics to proactively block known and unknown threats across the network, cloud, and endpoints.

Safe enablement of all applications: The platform is designed to provide comprehensive visibility and control over all applications within an organization. This ensures that applications can be securely accessed and used without compromising on security, facilitating business operations and productivity​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.

The Security Lifecycle Review (SLR) is a pre-sales tool used by Palo Alto Networks that involves an in-depth interview, typically lasting around 4 hours, to assess a customer's current security posture. The SLR provides a comprehensive review of the security measures in place, identifies potential gaps, and offers recommendations for improvements. This tool helps organizations understand their security environment and make informed decisions about enhancing their security infrastructure.

References: Palo Alto Networks SLR documentation.

With a WildFire subscription, email links contained in SMTP and POP3 messages can be submitted for WildFire analysis if they are either HTTP or HTTPS links. WildFire is a cloud-based threat analysis service that dynamically analyzes these links to detect malicious content. By submitting HTTP and HTTPS links, the system can effectively identify and block threats before they reach the end user, enhancing overall email security.

For large-scale deployments of Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) with multiple Panorama Management Servers, the Panorama Interconnect plugin is essential. This plugin enables the interconnection and management of multiple Panorama instances, allowing for centralized policy management and configuration across a distributed network environment. It ensures scalability and efficient management in large deployments.

When beginning to understand the Zero Trust protect surface using the Palo Alto Networks Zero Trust reference architecture, the following two steps are crucial:

Validate User Identities through Authentication (A): This step involves ensuring that all users are authenticated properly. By verifying the identities of users attempting to access the network, organizations can ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive resources. This is a fundamental principle of Zero Trust, which operates on the premise of "never trust, always verify."

Categorize Data and Applications by Levels of Sensitivity (C): This involves identifying and classifying data and applications based on their sensitivity and importance to the organization. By understanding what needs to be protected and the level of sensitivity, security policies can be tailored to provide appropriate levels of protection. This helps in prioritizing security measures based on the criticality of the data and applications.

References:

Palo Alto Networks, Zero Trust Architecture Documentation.

NIST Zero Trust Architecture (NIST SP 800-207).

The metric health baseline for devices is typically calculated by taking the average performance of a specific metric over a period (such as seven days) and then adding the standard deviation to account for variability. This helps in identifying deviations from normal performance, which can indicate potential issues or anomalies in device behavior.

References:

Network Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics (NPMD) methodologies

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) standards for performance baselines

Cortex XDR licensing is based on the number of nodes and endpoints providing logs. This model ensures that organizations are charged according to the volume of endpoints and devices that are integrated with the Cortex XDR platform for comprehensive detection and response capabilities. By basing the licensing on endpoints and nodes, Cortex XDR offers a scalable and flexible solution that can adapt to the specific needs and growth of an organization's network infrastructure.

References:

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Licensing Guide

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Datasheet

To receive weekly dynamic updates to the correlation objects on the firewall and Panorama, the required licenses are:

Threat Prevention on the firewall (B): This license enables the firewall to receive and apply the latest threat signatures and updates.

Support on Panorama (B): This license ensures that Panorama can receive the necessary updates to maintain up-to-date correlation objects and manage the security infrastructure effectively.

These licenses together ensure that both the firewall and Panorama are equipped with the latest security intelligence to protect against emerging threats​ (Palo Alto Networks)​​ (Palo Alto Networks)​.