PSE-SWFW-Pro-24 Exam Dumps - Palo Alto Networks SystemsEngineer Professional - Software Firewall

Cloud NGFW for Azure and VM-Series share certain functionalities due to their common PAN-OS foundation.

Why A, C, and D are correct:

A. Panorama management:Both Cloud NGFW for Azure and VM-Series firewalls can be managed by Panorama, providing centralized management and policy enforcement.

C. Transparent inspection of private-to-private east-west traffic that preserves client source IP address:Both platforms support this type of inspection, which is crucial for security and visibility within Azure virtual networks.

D. Inter-VNet inspection through a transit VNet:Both can be deployed in a transit VNet architecture to inspect traffic between different virtual networks.

Why B and E are incorrect:

B. Inter-VNet inspection through Virtual WAN hub:While VM-Series can be integrated with Azure Virtual WAN, Cloud NGFW for Azure is directly integrated and doesn't require a separate transit VNet or hub for basic inter-VNet inspection. It uses Azure's native networking.

E. Use of routing intent policies to apply security policies:Routing intent is specific to Cloud NGFW for Azure's integration with Azure networking and is not a feature of VM-Series. VM-Series uses standard security policies and routing configurations within the VNet.

Palo Alto Networks References:

Cloud NGFW for Azure Documentation:This documentation details the architecture and integration with Azure networking.

VM-Series Deployment Guide for Azure:This guide covers deployment architectures, including transit VNet deployments.

Panorama Administrator's Guide:This guide explains how to manage both platforms using Panorama.

The question asks about Cloud NGFW management tasks performed inherently by the service within AWS and Azure. This means we are looking for tasks that are automated and handled by the Cloud NGFW service itself, not by the customer.

Here's a breakdown of why A, B, and C are correct and why D and E are incorrect, referencing relevant Palo Alto Networks documentation where possible (though specific, publicly accessible documentation on the inner workings of the managed service is limited, the principles are consistent with their general cloud and firewall offerings):

A. Horizontally scaling out to meet increased traffic demand: This is a core feature of cloud-native services. Cloud NGFW is designed to automatically scale its resources (compute, memory, etc.) based on traffic volume. This eliminates the need for manual intervention by the customer to provision or de-provision resources. This aligns with the general principles of cloud elasticity and autoscaling, which are fundamental to cloud-native services like Cloud NGFW. While explicit public documentation detailing the exact scaling mechanism is limited, it's a standard practice for cloud-based services and is implied in the general description of Cloud NGFW as a managed service.

B. Installing new content (applications and threats): Palo Alto Networks maintains the threat intelligence and application databases for Cloud NGFW. This means that updates to these databases, which are crucial for identifying and blocking threats, are automatically pushed to the service by Palo Alto Networks. Customers do not need to manually download or install these updates. This is consistent with how Palo Alto Networks manages its other security services, such as Threat Prevention and WildFire, where content updates are delivered automatically.

C. Installing new PAN-OS software updates: Just like content updates, PAN-OS software updates are also managed by Palo Alto Networks for Cloud NGFW. This ensures that the service is always running the latest and most secure version of the operating system. This removes the operational burden of managing software updates from the customer. This is a key advantage of a managed service.

D. Blocking high-risk S2C threats in accordance with SOC2 compliance: While Cloud NGFW does block threats, including server-to-client (S2C) threats, the management of this blocking is not inherently performed by the service in the context of SOC2 compliance. SOC2 is an auditing framework, and compliance is the customer's responsibility. The service provides the tools to achieve security controls, but demonstrating and maintaining compliance is the customer's task. The service does not inherently manage the compliance process itself.

E. Decrypting high-risk SSL traffic: While Cloud NGFW can decrypt SSL traffic for inspection (SSL Forward Proxy), the question asks about tasks inherently performed by the service. Decryption is a configurable option. Customers choose whether or not to enable SSL decryption. It is not something the service automatically does without explicit configuration. Therefore, it's not an inherent management task performed by the service.

In summary, horizontal scaling, content updates, and PAN-OS updates are all handled automatically by the Cloud NGFW service, making A, B, and C the correct answers. D and E involve customer configuration or compliance considerations, not inherent management tasks performed by the service itself.

The question is about offline registration of a software NGFW (specifically VM-Series) when there's no internet connectivity.

A. Authcode and serial number of the VM-Series firewall:This is the correct answer. For offline registration, you need to generate an authorization code (authcode) from the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal. This authcode is tied to the serial number of the VM-Series firewall. You provide both the authcode and the serial number to complete the offline registration process on the firewall itself.

Why other options are incorrect:

B. Hypervisor installation ID and software version:While the hypervisor and software version are relevant for the overall deployment, they are not the specific pieces of information requiredin the customer support portalfor generating the authcode needed for offline registration.

C. Number of data plane and management plane interfaces:The number of interfaces is a configuration detail on the firewall itself and not information provided during the offline registration process in the support portal.

D. CPUID and UUID of the VM-Series firewall:While UUID is important for VM identification, it is not used for generating the authcode for offline registration. The CPUID is also not relevant in this context. The authcode is specifically linked to the serial number.

Let's analyze each option based on Palo Alto Networks documentation and best practices:

A. VMs on VMware ESXi hypervisors can be segregated from one another on the network by the VM-Series NGFW by IP addressing and Layer 3 gateways.This isTRUE. The VM-Series firewall can act as a Layer 3 gateway, enabling inter-VLAN routing and enforcing security policies between different VM networks based on IP addresses and subnets. This allows for granular control over traffic flow between VMs.

VM-Series bootstrapping allows for automated initial configuration. Several methods exist for installing licensed content.  

Why A, B, and D are correct:

A. Panorama 10.2 or later to use the content auto push feature:Panorama can push content updates to bootstrapped VM-Series firewalls automatically, streamlining the process. This requires Panorama 10.2 or later.  

B. Complete bootstrapping and either Azure Blob storage or Amazon S3 bucket:You can store the content updates in cloud storage (like S3 or Azure Blob) and configure the VM-Series to retrieve and install them during bootstrapping.

D. Custom-AMI or Azure VM image, with content preloaded:Creating a custom image with the desired content pre-installed is a valid approach. This is particularly useful for consistent deployments.

Why C and E are incorrect:

C. Content-Security-Policy update URL in the init-cfg.txt file:The init-cfg.txt file is used for initial configuration parameters, not for direct content updates. While you can configure the firewall to check for updates after bootstrapping, you don't put the actual content within the init-cfg.txt file.

E. Panorama software licensing plugin:The Panorama software licensing plugin is for managing licenses, not for pushing content updates during bootstrapping.

Palo Alto Networks References:

VM-Series Deployment Guides (AWS, Azure, GCP):These guides detail the bootstrapping process and the various methods for installing content updates.  

Panorama Administrator's Guide:The Panorama documentation describes the content auto-push feature.

These resources confirm that Panorama auto-push, cloud storage, and custom images are valid methods for content installation during bootstrapping.

Cloud-native load balancing with Palo Alto Networks firewalls in public clouds involvesunderstanding the distinct approaches for VM-Series and Cloud NGFW:

A. Cloud NGFW’s distributed architecture model requires deployment of a single centralized firewall and will force all traffic to the firewall across pre-built VPN tunnels:This is incorrect. Cloud NGFW uses a distributed architecture where traffic is steered to the nearest Cloud NGFW instance, often using Gateway Load Balancers (GWLBs) or similar services. It does not rely on a single centralized firewall or force all traffic through VPN tunnels.

B. VM-Series firewall deployments in the public cloud will require the deployment of a cloud-native load balancer if high availability (HA) or redundancy is needed:This is correct. VM-Series firewalls, when deployed for HA or redundancy, require a cloud-native load balancer (e.g., AWS ALB/NLB/GWLB, Azure Load Balancer) to distribute traffic across the active firewall instances. This ensures that if one firewall fails, traffic is automatically directed to a healthy instance.

C. Cloud NGFW in AWS or Azure has load balancing built into the underlying solution and does not require the deployment of a separate load balancer:This is also correct. Cloud NGFW integrates with cloud-native load balancing services (e.g., Gateway Load Balancer in AWS) as part of its architecture. This provides automatic scaling and high availability without requiring you to manage a separate load balancer.

D. VM-Series firewall load balancing is automated and is handled by the internal mechanics of the NGFW software without the need for a load balancer:This is incorrect. VM-Series firewalls do not have built-in load balancing capabilities for HA. A cloud-native load balancer is essential for distributing traffic and ensuring redundancy.

References:

Cloud NGFW documentation:Look for sections on architecture, traffic steering, and integration with cloud-native load balancing services (like AWS Gateway Load Balancer).

VM-Series deployment guides for each cloud provider:These guides explain how to deploy VM-Series firewalls for HA using cloud-native load balancers.

These resources confirm that VM-Series requires external load balancers for HA, while Cloud NGFW has load balancing integrated into its design.

The question focuses on how VM licenses are created when a company has purchased software NGFW credits and wants to deploy VM-Series firewalls in AWS.

D. Access the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal and create a software NGFW credits deployment profile.This is the correct answer. The process starts in the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal. You create a deployment profile that specifies the number and type of VM-Series licenses you want to deploy. This profile is then used to activate the licenses on the actual VM-Series instances in AWS.

Why other options are incorrect:

A. Access the AWS Marketplace and use the software NGFW credits to purchase the VMs.Youdodeploy the VM-Series instances from the AWS Marketplace (or through other deployment methods like CloudFormation templates), but you don't "purchase" the licenses there. The credits are managed separately through the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal. The Marketplace deployment is for theVM instance itself, not the license.

B. Access the Palo Alto Networks Application Hub and create a new VM profile.The Application Hub is not directly involved in the license creation process. It's more focused on application-level security and content updates.

C. Access the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal and request the creation of a new software NGFW serial number.You don't request individual serial numbers for each VM. The deployment profile manages the allocation of licenses from your pool of credits. While each VMwill havea serial number once deployed, you don't request them individually during this stage. The deployment profile ties the licenses to thedeployment, not individual serial numbers ahead of deployment.

Palo Alto Networks References:

The Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal documentation and the VM-Series Deployment Guide are the primary references. Search the support portal (live.paloaltonetworks.com) for "software NGFW credits," "deployment profile," or "VM-Series licensing."

The documentation will describe the following general process:

Purchase software NGFW credits.

Log in to the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal.

Create a deployment profile, specifying the number and type of VM-Series licenses (e.g., VM-Series for AWS, VM-Series for Azure, etc.) you want to allocate from your credits.

Deploy the VM-Series instances in your cloud environment (e.g., from the AWS Marketplace).

Activate the licenses on the VM-Series instances using the deployment profile.

This process confirms that creating a deployment profile in the customer support portal is the correct way to manage and allocate software NGFW licenses.

The init-cfg.txt file configures the management interface during bootstrapping.

Why B is correct:The init-cfg.txt file is the primary configuration file used during the bootstrap process. It contains settings for the management interface (IP address, netmask, gateway, DNS), as well as other initial configurations.

Why A, C, and D are incorrect:

A. init-mgmt-cfg.txt:This file does not exist in the standard bootstrap process.

C. init-cfg.bat:This is a batch file, not a configuration file. Batch files are sometimes used to automate the deployment process, but the actual configuration is in init-cfg.txt.

D. bootstrap.bat:Similar to C, this is a batch file, not the configuration file itself.

Palo Alto Networks References:VM-Series deployment guides provide detailed instructions on the bootstrapping process and the contents of the init-cfg.txt file.