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

When an existing customer expands their online business into physical stores and requires Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) at those locations to handle SD-WAN, security, and data protection—while mandating a vendor-validated deployment method—a systems engineer must leverage Palo Alto Networks’ Strata Hardware Firewall capabilities and validated deployment strategies. The Strata portfolio, particularly the PA-Series NGFWs, is designed to secure branch offices with integrated SD-WAN and robust security features. Below is a detailed explanation of why options A and D are the correct actions, grounded in Palo Alto Networks’ documentation and practices as of March 08, 2025.

Step 1: Recommend Professional Services (Option A)

The customer’s requirement for a "vendor-validated deployment method" implies a need for expertise and assurance that the solution meets their specific needs—SD-WAN, security, and data protection—across new physical stores. Palo Alto Networks offers professional services, either directly or through certified partners, to ensure proper deployment of Strata Hardware Firewalls like the PA-400 Series or PA-1400 Series, which are ideal for branch deployments. These services provide end-to-end support, from planning to implementation, aligning with the customer’s mandate for a validated approach.

Professional Services Scope:Palo Alto Networks’ professional services include architecture design, deployment, and optimization for NGFWs and SD-WAN. This ensures that the PA-Series firewalls are configured to handle SD-WAN (e.g., dynamic path selection), security (e.g., Threat Prevention with ML-powered inspection), and data protection (e.g., WildFire for malware analysis and Data Loss Prevention integration).

Vendor Validation:By recommending these services, the engineer ensures a deployment that adheres to Palo Alto Networks’ best practices, meeting the customer’s requirement for a vendor-validated method. This is particularly critical for a customer new to physical store deployments, as it mitigates risks and accelerates time-to-value.

Strata Hardware Relevance:The PA-410, for example, is a desktop NGFW designed for small branch offices, offering SD-WAN and Zero Trust security out of the box. Professional services ensure its correct integration into the customer’s ecosystem.

Create a New Threat Profile (Answer B):

Performance tuning inIntrusion 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 createcustom threat profilesto 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 bycreating 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 configure GlobalProtect to authenticate users from multiple SAML identity providers (IdPs), the correct approach involves creating multiple authentication profiles, one for each IdP. Here's the analysis of each option:

Option A: GlobalProtect with multiple authentication profiles for each SAML IdP

GlobalProtect allows configuring multiple SAML authentication profiles, each corresponding to a specific IdP.

These profiles are associated with the GlobalProtect portal or gateway. When users attempt to authenticate, they can be directed to the appropriate IdP based on their domain or other attributes.

This is the correct approach to enable authentication for users from multiple IdPs.

Option B: Multiple authentication mode Cloud Identity Engine authentication profile for use on the GlobalProtect portals and gateways

The Cloud Identity Engine (CIE) can synchronize identities from multiple directories, but it does not directly support multiple SAML IdPs for a shared GlobalProtect setup.

This option is not applicable.

Option C: Authentication sequence that has multiple authentication profiles using different authentication methods

Authentication sequences allow multiple authentication methods (e.g., LDAP, RADIUS, SAML) to be tried in sequence for the same user, but they are not designed for handling multiple SAML IdPs.

This option is not appropriate for the scenario.

Option D: Multiple Cloud Identity Engine tenants for each business unit

Deploying multiple CIE tenants for each business unit adds unnecessary complexity and is not required for configuring GlobalProtect to authenticate users to multiple SAML IdPs.

This option is not appropriate.

When preparing for a customer meeting, it’s important to understand their specific challenges and align solutions accordingly. The notes suggest that the customer is facing difficulties securing their cloud apps and remote users, which are core areas addressed by Palo Alto Networks’ Zero Trust and SASE solutions. However, jumping directly into a pitch or product demonstration without validating the customer's specific challenges may fail to build trust or fully address their needs.

Option A:Leading with a pre-structured pitch about Zero Trust principles may not resonate with the customer if their challenges are not fully understood first. The team needs to gather insights into the customer's security pain points before presenting a solution.

Option B (Correct):Discovery questionsare a critical step in the sales process, especially when addressing complex topics like Zero Trust. By designing targeted questions about the customer’s challenges with identity, devices, data, and access, the SE can identify specific pain points. These insights can then be used to tailor a Zero Trust strategy that directly addresses the customer’s concerns. This approach ensures the meeting is customer-focused and demonstrates that the SE understands their unique needs.

Option C:While a product demonstration of GlobalProtect, Prisma Access, and SaaS security is valuable, it should come after discovery. Presenting products prematurely may seem like a generic sales pitch and could fail to address the customer’s actual challenges.

Option D:Prisma SASEis an excellent solution for addressing cloud security and remote user challenges, but recommending it without first understanding the customer’s specific needs may undermine trust. This step should follow after discovery and validation of the customer’s pain points.

Examples of Discovery Questions:

What are your primary security challenges with remote users and cloud applications?

Are you currently able to enforce consistent security policies across your hybrid environment?

How do you handle identity verification and access control for remote users?

What level of visibility do you have into traffic to and from your cloud applications?

References:

Palo Alto Networks Zero Trust Overview: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/zero-trust

Best Practices for Customer Discovery: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/sales-playbooks

To demonstrate compliance with Zero Trust principles, a systems engineer can leverage the rich reporting and logging capabilities of Palo Alto Networks firewalls. The focus should be on creating reports that align with the customer's Zero Trust strategy, providing detailed insights into policy enforcement, user activity, and application usage.

Option A:Scheduling a pre-built PDF report does not offer the flexibility to align the report with the customer’s specific Zero Trust plan. While useful for automated reporting, this option is too generic for demonstrating Zero Trust compliance.

Option B (Correct):Custom reportsin the "Monitor > Manage Custom Reports" tab allow the customer to build tailored reports that align with their Zero Trust plan. These reports can include granular details such as application usage, user activity, policy enforcement logs, and segmentation compliance. This approach ensures the customer can present evidence directly related to their Zero Trust implementation.

Option C:Using a third-party tool is unnecessary as Palo Alto Networks NGFWs already have built-in capabilities to log, report, and demonstrate policy enforcement. This option adds complexity and may not fully leverage the native capabilities of the NGFW.

Option D:TheApplication Command Center (ACC)is useful for visualizing traffic and historical data but is not a reporting tool. While it can complement custom reports, it is not a substitute for generating Zero Trust-specific compliance reports.

References:

Managing Reports in PAN-OS: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com

Zero Trust Monitoring and Reporting Best Practices: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/zero-trust

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 isDNS 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.

5G Security (Answer A):

In this scenario, the mining company operates on a private mobile network, likely powered by5G technologyto ensure low latency and high bandwidth for controlling robots and vehicles.

Palo Alto Networks5G Securityis specifically designed to protect private mobile networks. It prevents exploitation of vulnerabilities in the 5G infrastructure and ensures the control signals sent to the machines arenot compromisedby attackers.

Key features include network slicing protection, signaling plane security, and secure user plane communications.

IoT Security (Answer C):

The mining operation depends on machines and remote-controlled vehicles, which are IoT devices.

Palo Alto NetworksIoT Securityprovides:

Full device visibilityto detect all IoT devices (such as robots, remote vehicles, or sensors).

Behavioral analysisto create risk profiles and identify anomalies in themachines' operations.

This ensures a secure environment for IoT devices, reducing the risk of a device being exploited.

Why Not Cloud NGFW (Answer B):

WhileCloud NGFWis critical for protecting cloud-based applications, the specific concern here isprotecting control signals and IoT devicesrather than external access into the cloud service.

The private mobile network and IoT device protection requirements make5G SecurityandIoT Securitymore relevant.

Why Not Advanced CDSS Bundle (Answer D):

The Advanced CDSS bundle (Advanced Threat Prevention, Advanced WildFire, Advanced URL Filtering) is essential for securing web traffic and detecting threats, but it does not address thespecific challenges of securing private mobile networksandIoT devices.

While these services can supplement the design, they are not theprimary focusin this use case.

References from Palo Alto Networks Documentation:

5G Security for Private Mobile Networks

IoT Security Solution Brief

Cloud NGFW Overview

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, helpingmeasure 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.

Step 1: Understanding User-to-IP Mappings

User-to-IP mappings are the foundation of User-ID, a core feature of Strata Hardware Firewalls (e.g., PA-400 Series, PA-5400 Series). These mappings link a user’s identity (e.g., username) to their device’s IP address, enabling policy enforcement based on user identity rather than just IP. Palo Alto Networks supports multiple methods to populate these mappings, depending on thenetwork environment and authentication mechanisms.

Purpose:Allows the firewall to apply user-based policies, monitor user activity, and generate user-specific logs.

Strata Context:On a PA-5445, User-ID integrates with App-ID and security subscriptions to enforce granular access control.

When high traffic from Palo Alto Networks NGFWs to Active Directory servers causes performance issues, optimizing the way NGFWs gather user-to-IP mappings is critical. Palo Alto Networks offers multiple ways to collect user identity information, andCloud Identity Engineprovides a solution that reduces the load on AD servers while still ensuring efficient and accurate mapping.

Option A (Correct):Cloud Identity Engineallows NGFWs to gather user-to-IP mappings directly from Active Directory authentication logs or other identity sources without placing heavy traffic on the AD servers. By leveraging this feature, the NGFW can offload authentication-related tasks and efficiently identify users without overloading AD servers. This solution is scalable and minimizes the overhead typically caused by frequent User-ID queries to AD servers.

Option B:UsingGlobalProtect Windows SSOto gather user information can add complexity and is not the most efficient solution for this problem. It requires all users to install GlobalProtect agents, which may not be feasible in all environments and can introduce operational challenges.

Option C:Data redistributioninvolves redistributing user-to-IP mappings from one NGFW (hub) to other NGFWs (spokes). While this can reduce the number of queries sent to AD servers, it assumes the mappings are already being collected from AD servers by the hub, which means the performance issue on the AD servers would persist.

Option D:UsingGlobalProtect agentsto gather user information is a valid method for environments where GlobalProtect is already deployed, but it is not the most efficient or straightforward solution for the given problem. It also introduces dependencies on agent deployment, configuration, and management.

How to Implement Cloud Identity Engine for User-ID Mapping:

EnableCloud Identity Enginefrom the Palo Alto Networks console.

Integrate the Cloud Identity Engine with the AD servers to allow it to retrieve authentication logs directly.

Configure the NGFWs to use the Cloud Identity Engine for User-ID mappings instead of querying the AD servers directly.

Monitor performance to ensure the AD servers are no longer overloaded, and mappings are being retrieved efficiently.

References:

Cloud Identity Engine Overview: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cloud-identity

User-ID Best Practices: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com

North-south traffic refers to the flow of data in and out of a network, typically between internalresources 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.

References:

Palo Alto Networks NGFW Best Practices

Cloud-Delivered Security Services

User-ID is a feature in PAN-OS that maps IP addresses to usernames by integrating with various directory services (e.g., Active Directory). User-ID can be implemented through agents provided by Palo Alto Networks. Here’s how each option applies:

Option A: Integrated agent

The integrated User-ID agent is built into PAN-OS and does not require an external agent installation. It is configured directly on the firewall and integrates with directory services to retrieve user information.

This is correct.

Option B: GlobalProtect agent

GlobalProtect is Palo Alto Networks' VPN solution and does not function as a User-ID agent. While it can be used to authenticate users and provide visibility, it is not categorized as a User-ID agent.

This is incorrect.

Option C: Windows-based agent

The Windows-based User-ID agent is a standalone agent installed on a Windows server. It collects user mapping information from directory services and sends it to the firewall.

This is correct.

Option D: Cloud Identity Engine (CIE)

The Cloud Identity Engine provides identity services in a cloud-native manner but is not a User-ID agent. It synchronizes with identity providers like Azure AD and Okta.

This is incorrect.

References:

Palo Alto Networks documentation on User-ID

Knowledge Base article on User-ID Agent Options

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.

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 thathave 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 optimizingexisting 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.

Prisma Access (Answer A):

Strata Cloud Manager (SCM) and Panorama provide centralized visibility and management forPrisma Access, Palo Alto Networks’ cloud-delivered security platform for remote users and branch offices.

NGFW (Answer D):

Both SCM and Panorama are used to manage and monitorPalo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls(NGFWs) deployed in on-premise, hybrid, or multi-cloud environments.

Prisma SD-WAN (Answer E):

SCM and Panorama integrate withPrisma SD-WANto manage branch connectivity and security, ensuring seamless operation in an SD-WAN environment.

Why Not B:

Prisma Cloudis a distinct platform designed for cloud-native security and is not directly managed through Strata Cloud Manager or Panorama.

Why Not C:

Cortex XSIAM(Extended Security Intelligence and Automation Management) is part of the Cortex platform and is not managed by SCM or Panorama.

References from Palo Alto Networks Documentation:

Strata Cloud Manager Overview

Panorama Features and Benefits