PSE-Strata-Pro-24 Exam Dumps - Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Hardware Firewall

Advanced WildFire is Palo Alto Networks' cloud-based malware analysis and prevention solution. It determines whether files are malicious by executing them in a sandbox environment and observing their behavior. To address the customer's concern about the file categorization, the systems engineer must provide evidence of the file's behavior. Here’s the analysis of each option:

Option A: Review the threat logs for information to provide to the customer

Threat logs can provide a summary of events and verdicts for malicious files, but they do not include the detailed behavior analysis needed to convince the customer.

While reviewing the logs is helpful as a preliminary step, it does not provide the level of proof the customer needs.

This option is not sufficient on its own.

Option B: Use the WildFire Analysis Report in the log to show the customer the malicious actions the file took when it was detonated

WildFire generates an analysis report that includes details about the file's behavior during detonation in the sandbox, such as network activity, file modifications, process executions, and any indicators of compromise (IoCs).

This report provides concrete evidence to demonstrate why the file was flagged as malicious. It is the most accurate way to assure the customer that WildFire's decision was based on observed malicious actions.

This is the best option.

Option C: Open a TAG ticket for the customer and allow support engineers to determine the appropriate action

While opening a support ticket is a valid action for further analysis or appeal, it isnot a direct way to assure the customer of the current WildFire verdict.

This option does not directly address the customer’s request for immediate proof.

This option is not ideal.

Option D: Do nothing because the customer will realize Advanced WildFire is right

This approach is dismissive of the customer's concerns and does not provide any evidence to support WildFire's decision.

This option is inappropriate.

References:

Palo Alto Networks documentation on WildFire

WildFire Analysis Reports

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

The customer’s CIO highlights two key pain points: (1) the operations team lacks expertise to efficiently manage PAN-OS upgrades and support interactions, diverting focus from valuable tasks, and (2) the company lacked tools to monitor NGFW capacity, leading to a rushed upgrade. The goal is to recommend long-term solutions leveraging Palo Alto Networks’ offerings for Strata Hardware Firewalls. Options B and D—training and AIOps Premium within Strata Cloud Manager (SCM)—address these issues by enhancing team capability and providing proactive management tools. Below is a detailed explanation, verified against official documentation.

Step 1: Analyzing the Customer’s Challenges

Expertise Gap: The CIO notes that identifying issues and engaging support requires expertise the operations team doesn’t fully have or can’t prioritize. Upgrading PAN-OS on Strata NGFWs involves tasks like version compatibility checks, pre-upgrade validation, and troubleshooting, which demand familiarity with PAN-OS tools and processes.

Capacity Visibility: The rushed upgrade stemmed from not knowing the NGFWs were nearing capacity (e.g., CPU, memory, session limits), indicating a lack of monitoring or predictive analytics.

Long-term solutions must address both operational efficiency and proactive capacity management, aligning with Palo Alto Networks’ ecosystem for Strata firewalls.

Step 1: Understand the Best Practice Assessment (BPA)

Purpose: The BPA assesses NGFW (e.g., PA-Series) and Panorama configurations against best practices, including Center for Internet Security (CIS) Critical Security Controls, to enhance security and feature adoption.

Process: Requires a Tech Support File (TSF) upload or telemetry data from onboarded devices to generate the report.

Evolution: Historically available via the Customer Support Portal, the BPA has transitioned to newer platforms like AIOps and Strata Cloud Manager.

References: "BPA measures security posture against best practices" (paloaltonetworks.com, Best Practice Assessment Overview).

Step 2: Evaluate Each Option

Option A: PANW Partner Portal

Description: The Palo Alto Networks Partner Portal is a platform for partners (e.g., resellers, distributors) to access tools, resources, and customer-related services.

BPA Capability:

Historically, partners could generate BPAs on behalf of customers via the Customer Success Portal (accessible through Partner Portal integration), but this was not a direct customer-facing feature.

As of July 17, 2023, the BPA generation capability in the Customer Support Portal and related partner tools was disabled, shifting focus to AIOps and Strata Cloud Manager.

Partners can assist customers with BPA generation but cannot directly generate reports for customer review in the Partner Portal itself; customers must access reports via their own interfaces (e.g., AIOps).

Verification:

"BPA transitioned to AIOps; Customer Support Portal access disabled after July 17, 2023" (live.paloaltonetworks.com, BPA Transition Announcement, 07-10-2023).

No current documentation supports direct BPA generation in the Partner Portal for customer review.

Conclusion: Not a customer-accessible location for generating BPAs.Not Applicable.

Option B: Customer Support Portal

Description: The Customer Support Portal (support.paloaltonetworks.com) provides customers with tools, case management, and historically, BPA generation.

BPA Capability:

Prior to July 17, 2023, customers could upload a TSF under "Tools > Best Practice Assessment" to generate a BPA report (HTML, XLSX, PDF formats).

Post-July 17, 2023, this functionality was deprecated in favor of AIOps and Strata Cloud Manager. Historical BPA data was maintained until December 31, 2023, but new report generation ceased.

As of March 08, 2025, the Customer Support Portal no longer supports BPA generation, though it remains a support hub.

Verification:

"TSF uploads for BPA in Customer Support Portal disabled after July 17, 2023" (docs.paloaltonetworks.com/panorama/10-2/panorama-admin/panorama-best-practices).

"Transition to AIOps for BPA generation" (live.paloaltonetworks.com, BPA Transition to AIOps, 07-10-2023).

Conclusion: No longer a valid location for BPA generation as of the current date.Not Applicable.

Option C: AIOps

Description: AIOps for NGFW is an AI-powered operations platform for managing Strata NGFWs and Panorama, offering real-time insights, telemetry-based monitoring, and BPA generation.

BPA Capability:

Supports two BPA generation methods:

On-Demand BPA: Customers upload a TSF (PAN-OS 9.1 or higher) via "Dashboards > On Demand BPA" to generate a report, even without telemetry or onboarding.

Continuous BPA: For onboarded devices with telemetry enabled (PAN-OS 10.0+), AIOps provides ongoing best practice assessments via the Best Practices dashboard.

Available in free and premium tiers; the free tier includes BPA generation.

Reports include detailed findings, remediation steps, and adoption summaries.

Use Case: Ideal for customers managing firewalls with or without full AIOps integration.

Verification:

"Generate on-demand BPA reports by uploading TSFs in AIOps" (docs.paloaltonetworks.com/aiops/aiops-for-ngfw/dashboards/on-demand-bpa).

"AIOps Best Practices dashboard assesses configurations continuously" (live.paloaltonetworks.com, AIOps On-Demand BPA, 10-25-2022).

Conclusion: A current, customer-accessible location for BPA generation.Applicable.

Option D: Strata Cloud Manager (SCM)

Description: Strata Cloud Manager is a unified, AI-powered management interface for NGFWs and SASE, integrating AIOps, digital experience management, and configuration tools.

BPA Capability:

Supports on-demand BPA generation by uploading a TSF under "Dashboards > On Demand BPA," similar to AIOps, for devices not sending telemetry or not fully onboarded.

For onboarded devices, provides real-time best practice checks via the "Best Practices" dashboard, analyzing policies against Palo Alto Networks and CIS standards.

Available in Essentials (free) and Pro (paid) tiers; BPA generation is included in both.

Use Case: Offers a modern, centralized platform for customers to manage and assess security posture.

Verification:

"Run BPA directly from Strata Cloud Manager with TSF upload" (docs.paloaltonetworks.com/strata-cloud-manager/dashboards/on-demand-bpa, 07-24-2024).

"Best Practices dashboard measures posture against guidance" (paloaltonetworks.com, Strata Cloud Manager Overview).

Conclusion: A current, customer-accessible location for BPA generation.Applicable.

Step 3: Select the Two Valid Locations

C (AIOps): Supports both on-demand (TSF upload) and continuous BPA generation, accessible to customers via the Palo Alto Networks hub.

D (Strata Cloud Manager): Provides identical on-demand BPA capabilities and real-timeassessments, designed as a unified management interface.

Why Not A or B?

A (PANW Partner Portal): Partner-focused, not a direct customer tool for BPA generation.

B (Customer Support Portal): Deprecated for BPA generation post-July 17, 2023; no longer valid as of March 08, 2025.

Step 4: Verified References

AIOps BPA: "On-demand BPA in AIOps via TSF upload" (docs.paloaltonetworks.com/aiops/aiops-for-ngfw/dashboards/on-demand-bpa).

Strata Cloud Manager BPA: "Generate BPA reports in SCM" (docs.paloaltonetworks.com/strata-cloud-manager/dashboards/on-demand-bpa).

Customer Support Portal Transition: "BPA moved to AIOps/SCM; CSP access ended July 17, 2023" (live.paloaltonetworks.com, BPA Transition, 07-10-2023).

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.