PCNSE Palo Alto Networks Certified Security Engineer (PCNSE) PAN-OS 11.0 Questions and Answers

Regardless of whether you generate Forward Trust certificates from your Enterprise Root CA or use a self-signed certificate generated on the firewall, generate a separate subordinate Forward Trust CA certificate for each firewall. The flexibility of using separate subordinate CAs enables you to revoke one certificate when you decommission a device (or device pair) without affecting the rest of the deployment and reduces the impact in any situation in which you need to revoke a certificate. Separate Forward Trust CAs on each firewall also helps troubleshoot issues because the CA error message the user sees includes information about the firewall the traffic is traversing. If you use the same Forward Trust CA on every firewall, you lose the granularity of that information.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-admin/decryption/configure-ssl-forward-proxy

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-cli-quick-start/use-the-cli/use-secure-copy-to-import-and-export-files/export-and-import-a-complete-log-database-logdb

The timer that determines the frequency between packets sent to verify that the HA functionality on the other HA firewall is operational is the Hello Interval. The Hello Interval is the interval in milliseconds between hello packets that are sent to check the HA status of the peer firewall. The default value for the Hello Interval is 8000 ms for all platforms, and the range is 8000-60000 ms. If the firewall does not receive a hello packet from its peer within the specified interval, it will declare the peer as failed and initiate a failover12. References: HA Timers, Layer 3 High Availability with Optimal Failover Times Best Practices

When implementing an application override in a Palo Alto Networks firewall, the primary goal is to explicitly define how specific traffic is identified and processed by the firewall, bypassing the regular App-ID process. This is particularly useful for traffic that might be misidentified by App-ID or for applications that require special handling for performance reasons.

To successfully implement application override, the following items must be configured:

B. Application override policy rule:

This is a specialized policy rule that you create to specify the criteria for the traffic you want to override. In this rule, you define the source and destination zones, addresses, and ports. Instead of relying on the App-ID engine to identify the application, the firewall uses the criteria defined in the application override policy to classify the traffic.

C. Security policy rule:

After defining an application override policy, you must also configure a security policy rule to allow the overridden traffic through the firewall. This rule specifies the action (allow, deny, drop, etc.) for the traffic that matches the application override policy. It's essential to ensure that the security policy rule matches the traffic defined in the application override policy to ensure that the intended traffic is allowed through the firewall.

For detailed guidance on configuring application override and the necessary security policies, refer to the official Palo Alto Networks documentation. This resource provides step-by-step instructions and best practices for effectively managing traffic using application overrides.

To enable the firewall team to view and select from a list of usernames and user groups directly within Panorama policies for new security rule creation, User-ID group mapping should be configured in Panorama under User Identification. This feature allows Panorama to collect user and group information from various sources (like Active Directory) and use this information to create policies. By setting up User-ID group mapping, administrators can leverage user identity as criteria in security rules, enabling more granular access control and policy enforcement based on user or group membership, thereby enhancing the overall security posture.

The template stack should consist of four templates arranged according to the diagram. The template values that will be configured on the firewall if each template has an SSL/TLS Service profile configured named Management will be the values in Chicago. This is because the SSL/TLS Service profile is configured in the Chicago template, which is the highest priority template in the stack. The firewall will inherit the settings from the highest priority template that has the setting configured, and ignore the settings from the lower priority templates that have the same setting configured. Therefore, the values in Datacenter, efwOlab.chi, and Global Settings will not be applied to the firewall. References:

[Manage Templates and Template Stacks]

[Template Stack Configuration]

[Template Stack Priority]

The cause of the unsecured website warnings is that the forward trust certificate has not been signed by the self-signed root CA certificate. The forward trust certificate is used by the firewall to generate a copy of the server certificate for outbound SSL decryption (SSL Forward Proxy). The firewall signs the copy with the forward trust certificate and presents it to the client. The client then verifies the signature using the public key of the CA that issued the forward trust certificate. If the client does not trust the CA, it will display a warning message. Therefore, the forward trust certificate must be signed by a CA that is trusted by the client. In this case, the administrator has installed the self-signed root CA certificate in all client systems, so this CA should be used to sign the forward trust certificate. However, as shown in the screenshot, the forward trust certificate has a different issuer than the self-signed root CA certificate, which means it has not been signed by it. This causes the client to reject the signature and show a warning message. To fix this issue, the administrator should generate a new forward trust certificate and sign it with the self-signed root CA certificate12. References: Keys and Certificates for Decryption Policies, How to Configure SSL Decryption

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/kCSArticleDetail?id=kA10g000000PMiD

The image shows an IKE Gateway configuration where Site B is set to IKEv1 only mode, and passive mode is not enabled. For dynamic peering to work when Site A is using a DHCP assigned address:

Passive mode on Site A needs to be disabled. In passive mode, the firewall will not initiate the IKE negotiation and will only respond to negotiation requests from the peer. Since Site A has a dynamic IP, it must be able to initiate the connection to Site B, which has a static IP.

Matching the IKE version between Site A and Site B is also necessary for successful IPSec tunnel establishment. Since Site B is set to IKEv1 only mode, Site A also needs to be configured to use IKEv1 to ensure that both sites are using the same version for the IKE negotiation process.

NAT Traversal is used when there are NAT devices between the two endpoints, but there's no indication that this is the case here. Additionally, local identification on Site A is not necessarily related to the issue with dynamic peering not working.

>Threat logs, create a log forwarding profile to define how you want the firewall or Panorama to handle logs. >Configure an HTTP server profile to forward logs to a remote User-ID agent. > Select the log forwarding profile you created then select this server profile as the HTTP server profile https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/11-0/pan-os-admin/policy/use-auto-tagging-to-automate-security-actions

To override a device and network setting applied by a template, you can either configure the setting locally on the firewall or override the setting on the template stack. Configuring the setting locally on the firewall will copy the setting to the local configuration of the device and will no longer be controlled by the template. Overriding the setting on the template stack will apply the setting to all the firewalls that are assigned to the template stack, unless the setting is also overridden locally on a firewall. Changing the setting on the global template will affect all the firewalls that inherit the setting from the template, which is not desirable in this scenario. Configuring a service route for DNS on a different interface will not change the DNS server address, but only the interface that the firewall uses to reach the DNS server. References:

Override a Template Setting

How to override panorama pushed template configuration on the local firewall

Overriding Panorama Template settings

When using the log forwarding built-in action with tagging in Palo Alto Networks firewalls, the primary purpose is to dynamically respond to threats or unwanted traffic identified by the firewall's threat detection mechanisms. The action involves tagging the IP address associated with the unwanted traffic and then using that tag in dynamic security policies to block or manage the traffic.

A. Destination IP addresses of selected unwanted traffic are blocked:

When the tagging action is used, the firewall tags the IP addresses involved in the unwanted traffic (which could be the source or destination IP addresses, but in many configurations, the focus is on the source of the attack). These tags can then be referenced in Dynamic Address Groups (DAGs) within security policies. Consequently, any traffic coming from or going to these tagged IP addresses can be blocked or subjected to specific security rules, effectively mitigating the threat or unwanted behavior.

This approach allows for automated, real-time responses to identified threats, enhancing the security posture by quickly adapting to emerging threats without manual intervention.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-0/pan-os-admin/app-id/disable-the-sip-application-level-gateway-alg

WildFire logs showing a "malicious" verdict with an "allow" action indicate that the initial traffic wasn’t blocked in real-time, likely because the Antivirus profile isn’t configured to act immediately on WildFire verdicts. By default, WildFire submits files for analysis, and signatures may take up to 24 hours to propagate globally unless real-time blocking is enabled. Configuring the Antivirus security profile (Option B) to "block" on malicious WildFire verdicts ensures that threats are blocked within minutes once the verdict is returned (typically 5-15 minutes), leveraging WildFire’s real-time signature updates.

Option A (WildFire analysis profile) defines what files are sent to WildFire but doesn’t control blocking actions. Option C (File Blocking profile) manages file type blocking, not threat verdicts. Option D (file size limits) affects submission eligibility, not blocking behavior. The Antivirus profile is the key to real-time WildFire enforcement, as per Palo Alto Networks documentation.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/panorama/11-0/panorama-admin/manage-firewalls/transition-a-firewall-to-panorama-management/migrate-a-firewall-to-panorama-management Push the configuration bundle from Panorama to the newly added firewall to remove all policy rules and objects from its local configuration. This step is necessary to prevent duplicate rule or object names, which would cause commit errors when you push the device group configuration from Panorama to the firewall in the next step.

To collect User-ID information from third-party proxies, Palo Alto Networks supports several methods of integrating user information. Syslog parsing allows the firewall to receive syslog messages from external services, parse them, and extract user information. X-Forwarded-For (XFF) headers, which are used in HTTP requests and proxies, can carry the original IP address of a client connecting through a proxy, and this information can be used by the firewall to map the user IDs.

Syslog is commonly used for integrating third-party devices like proxies with User-ID, and XFF headers are specifically mentioned in the context of integrating user mappings from HTTP traffic. Client probing and Server Monitoring are not the correct methods for pulling data from third-party proxies.

For further details, refer to the Palo Alto Networks documentation on User-ID integration and the "PAN-OS® Administrator’s Guide".

To block users dynamically based on threat log activity, dynamic user groups (DUGs) with tagging provide an automated solution. Option B configures a DUG with a "malicious" tag, a Log Forwarding profile to tag users in the threat log (e.g., via threat intelligence), and a Security policy to block the tagged group. This leverages User-ID and is ideal for user-based blocking.

Option A uses dynamic address groups (DAGs), which block IPs, not users. Option C (security profiles) can block traffic but not dynamically tag/block users without additional configuration. Documentation supports DUGs for this use case.

In a High Availability (HA) setup with Palo Alto Networks firewalls, the synchronization of IPsec tunnel Security Associations (SAs) is an important aspect to ensure seamless failover and continued secure communication. Specifically, for Phase 2 SAs, they are synchronized over the HA2 links. The HA2 link is dedicated to synchronizing sessions, forwarding tables, IPSec SA, ARP tables, and other critical information between the active and passive firewalls in an HA pair. This ensures that the passive unit can immediately take over in case the active unit fails, without the need for re-establishing IPsec tunnels, thereby maintaining secure communications without interruption. It's important to note that Phase 1 SAs, which are responsible for establishing the secure tunnel itself, are not synchronized between the HA pair, as these need to be re-established upon failover to ensure secure key exchange.

For SSL Forward Proxy, the firewall generates certificates signed by its CA (here, Untrusted-CA), causing warnings if not trusted by clients. Importing Well-Known-Intermediate-CA and Well-Known-Root-CA into the Default Trusted Certificate Authorities (Option C) and marking them as trusted allows the firewall to issue certificates within this chain, eliminating warnings for sites like important-website.com (Requirement 1). Other untrusted CAs remain untrusted, triggering warnings (Requirement 2).

Option A (install on clients) is impractical and bypasses firewall control. Option B (Forward Untrust) affects all untrusted sites, violating Requirement 2. Option D (Device Certificates) is for firewall auth, not proxy trust. Documentation supports this method.

Wireshark (Option C) is a packet capture tool that provides detailed application traffic patterns (e.g., ports, protocols, payloads), essential for defining custom application signatures in PAN-OS.

Option A (Policy Optimizer) analyzes existing rules, not raw traffic. Option B (Data Filtering Log) shows data patterns, not app behavior. Option D (Expedition) is for migration, not signature creation. Documentation recommends packet captures for this task.

A Panorama upgrade can fail if expired certificates (Option D) prevent secure communication with update servers or managed devices. Certificates (e.g., device certificates) must be valid for the upgrade process to proceed.

Option A (GlobalProtect) is unrelated to Panorama upgrades. Option B (outdated plugins) may cause compatibility issues post-upgrade, not install failure. Option C (management-only mode) doesn’t block upgrades. Documentation lists certificate expiration as a common issue.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-admin/certificate-management/configure-an-ssltls-service-profile

Advanced WildFire analyzes both the webpage linked by the URL and any files (like PE files) that are downloaded as a result of clicking that link. This includes checking the linked webpage for malicious content and sending any downloaded files for further analysis to determine their behavior and potential malicious intent.

The PCNSA Study Guide outlines that WildFire inspects and analyzes both content downloaded and webpages involved when integrated into the organization's security profile​. This dual-layered approach ensures comprehensive protection against threats from both the webpage and its payloads.

Step-by-Step Explanation

Link Clicked and File Download Triggered:

When the user clicks the link, their action initiates the download of a file, in this case, a Portable Executable (PE) file.

URL Inspection by WildFire:

The URL is immediately inspected for potential threats. This involves analyzing the webpage associated with the link to detect:

Known malicious indicators.

Suspicious elements like embedded scripts, links, or calls to external resources.

Forwarding the PE File for Analysis:

The PE file downloaded as a result of clicking the link is sent to the WildFire cloud or on-premises appliance for detailed behavior-based analysis.

Dynamic and Static Analysis:

Static Analysis: WildFire examines the PE file's attributes without executing it, looking for:

Suspicious code patterns.

Known malicious signatures.

Anomalous PE header details (e.g., timestamp irregularities, unexpected sections).

Dynamic Analysis: The file is executed in a controlled virtual environment to observe:

Behavioral anomalies, like privilege escalation attempts.

Network communication, such as connections to Command and Control (C2) servers.

File system modifications or registry changes indicative of malicious intent.

Threat Verdict:

Based on its findings, WildFire classifies the URL and PE file into one of the following categories:

Benign.

Grayware.

Malware.

Phishing.

Automated Response:

If either the webpage or the PE file is deemed malicious, the firewall takes predefined actions:

Blocking access to the webpage.

Quarantining or blocking the downloaded file.

Generating a detailed alert or log entry for administrators.

Signature Update:

WildFire automatically creates a signature for the detected threat and distributes it globally. This ensures that other systems in the WildFire network are protected against the same threat.

Advanced WildFire Configuration and Behavior

Forwarding File Types:

The WildFire analysis profile must be configured to forward relevant file types. In this case:

PE files are commonly forwarded by default since they are a known vector for malware.

Administrators can define custom forwarding rules based on file type and traffic.

Integration with the Security Profile:

WildFire integrates with other security profiles (e.g., Antivirus, Anti-Spyware, URL Filtering).

URL Filtering ensures that the link itself is categorized and blocked if malicious.

WildFire's output informs and updates the threat prevention database dynamically.

Why the Answer is B?

WildFire performs dual analysis:

The linked webpage is checked for malicious scripts or phishing attempts.

The PE file downloaded is analyzed for malware through both static and dynamic methods.

This layered analysis ensures robust protection against modern threats, which often combine malicious webpages with harmful payloads.

Document References:

PCNSA Study Guide: Domain 4, Section 4.1.5 ("WildFire Analysis") explains the WildFire analysis process in detail, emphasizing its role in inspecting files and URLs for malicious behavior​.

Palo Alto Networks WildFire Admin Guide:

This guide details file forwarding configurations, supported file types, and the global signature distribution process.

PAN-OS Admin Guide:

Sections on Security Profiles and URL Filtering elaborate on how WildFire integrates with other threat prevention mechanisms.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/9-1/pan-os-admin/firewall-administration/manage-firewall-administrators/administrative-authentication#:~:text=The%20administrative%20accounts%20are%20defined,attributes%20on%20the%20SAML%20server.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-admin/policy/use-address-object-to-represent-ip-addresses/address-objects

When a firewall’s local configuration overrides a Panorama template, Panorama detects this discrepancy and marks the template as out of sync (Option A) in the UI (e.g., under Templates > Device status). This alerts administrators to resolve the conflict.

Option B (only Panorama reverts) is false; local commits can revert. Option C (not visible) is incorrect; sync status is visible. Option D (update template) doesn’t occur automatically. Documentation explains this sync behavior.

Based on PAN-OS 11.0 documentation, the forwarding configuration for specific log types in Device > Log Settings involves selecting log types for system-level logs, which include HIP Match and Configuration logs.

Explanation for Each Option

A. Threat

Threat logs record detected security threats such as malware, viruses, and vulnerabilities.

Forwarding of Threat logs is not configured in Device > Log Settings. Instead, Threat logs are forwarded using Log Forwarding Profiles applied to Security Policies.

Verdict: Incorrect.

B. HIP Match

HIP Match logs capture information about endpoint compliance reported by GlobalProtect clients.

These logs can be configured for forwarding in Device > Log Settings for monitoring and compliance purposes.

Verdict: Correct.

C. Traffic

Traffic logs provide details about allowed or denied network traffic.

Forwarding of Traffic logs is configured using Log Forwarding Profiles applied to Security Policies, not in Device > Log Settings.

Verdict: Incorrect.

D. Configuration

Configuration logs track administrative changes to the firewall, such as updates to policies, settings, and objects.

These logs can be forwarded from Device > Log Settings for auditing purposes.

Verdict: Correct.

Correct Answer

B. HIP Match

D. Configuration

Key Points from PAN-OS 11.0 Documentation

Device > Log Settings is specifically for system-related logs like HIP Match and Configuration.

Logs like Threat and Traffic are handled through Log Forwarding Profiles applied to Security or NAT policies.

Documentation Reference

For further details, refer to the official Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS 11.0 Admin Guide under Device > Log Settings. This section outlines which log types can be forwarded from this menu.

Set the Action to take when matching a packet:

Forward—Directs the packet to the specified Egress Interface.

Forward to VSYS (On a firewall enabled for multiple virtual systems)—Select the virtual system to which to forward the packet.

Discard—Drops the packet.

No PBF—Excludes packets that match the criteria for source, destination, application, or service defined in the rule. Matching packets use the route table instead of PBF; the firewall uses the route table to exclude the matched traffic from the redirected port.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-1/pan-os-admin/policy/policy-based-forwarding/create-a-policy-based-forwarding-rule#ideca3cc65-03d7-449d-b47a-90fabee5293c

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/panorama/9-1/panorama-admin/manage-firewalls/manage-device-groups/manage-the-rule-hierarchy#idfb9e2593-a7f1-4e0d-aab5-a2903d654c99 https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/panorama/9-1/panorama-admin/panorama-overview/centralized-firewall-configuration-and-update-management/device-groups/device-group-policies#id671977ca-1041-4605-8a80-fbc10f3f5d7b

The Test Policy Match tool in PAN-OS allows administrators to simulate traffic against the current security policy set to verify how it will be handled. By inputting source/destination IPs, ports, protocols, and other parameters, it shows which rule matches and whether the traffic is allowed or denied, making it ideal for ensuring unwanted traffic is blocked.

Option A (Managed Devices Health) monitors device status, not policy logic. Option C (Preview Changes) shows configuration diffs, not traffic matching. Option D (Policy Optimizer) helps refine rules but doesn’t test specific traffic scenarios. Test Policy Match is the documented tool for this purpose.

The Device Group and Template Admin role is tailored for managing specific device groups and templates in Panorama, allowing contractors to deploy policies and objects within their assigned scope without broader administrative access. This aligns with compliance by restricting privileges.

Option B (Dynamic Admin) is undefined in PAN-OS; Panorama Admin is too broad. Option C (Read-only Superuser) prevents configuration changes. Option D (Custom Panorama Admin) could work but requires more setup than the predefined role. Documentation recommends this role for such scenarios.

An application override (Option B) bypasses App-ID and content inspection by forcing the firewall to classify traffic as the custom app, skipping deeper analysis. The custom app’s properties (e.g., ports) define the match, and no security profiles are applied.

Option A (no scanning options) still processes App-ID. Option C (no profiles) skips inspection but not App-ID. Option D (disable SRI) only limits server response checks. Documentation confirms overrides for bypassing.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/11-1/pan-os-admin/high-availability/ha-clustering-overview

Device Group Hierarchy

Shared

DATACENTER_DG

DC_FW_DG

REGIONAL_DG

OFFICE_FW_DG

FW-1_DG

Analysis

Considerations:

FW-1 is assigned to the FW-1_DG device group.

FW-2 is assigned to the OFFICE_FW_DG device group.

There are no objects configured in REGIONAL_DG and OFFICE_FW_DG device groups.

The address object Server-1 appears in multiple device groups with different IP addresses. The device groups have a hierarchy, which means objects can be inherited from parent groups unless overridden in the child group.

FW-1_DG:

Server-1 has IP 4.4.4.4, which will be pushed to FW-1 because it is in the FW-1_DG device group.

OFFICE_FW_DG (for FW-2):

Since there are no objects in OFFICE_FW_DG and REGIONAL_DG, FW-2 will inherit from Shared.

In the Shared group, Server-1 has IP 1.1.1.1.

The AIOps Plugin for Panorama enhances security management by proactively validating commits against best practices (Option B). It analyzes policies, provides recommendations (e.g., unused rules, misconfigurations), and advises administrators before pushing changes, improving security posture without automatic enforcement.

Option A (auto-push) overstates its role; it advises, not pushes. Option C (auto-correct) is inaccurate; it suggests, not fixes. Option D (retroactive checks) misaligns with its proactive design. Documentation highlights its advisory function.

The Advanced Routing Engine in Palo Alto Networks firewalls enhances the capabilities of routing functionalities, allowing for more complex and robust routing configurations. To enable the Advanced Routing Engine on a Palo Alto Networks firewall, an administrator needs to navigate to the Network tab, select Virtual Routers, and then access the settings for the specific virtual router they wish to configure. Within the Router Settings under the General tab, there's an option to enable Advanced Routing features. After enabling this option, the administrator must commit the changes and perform a system reboot for the changes to take effect. This process allows the firewall to utilize advanced routing protocols and features, enhancing its ability to manage and route traffic more efficiently across different network segments.

The firewall can use three multi-factor authentication methods to authenticate access to the firewall: SMS, user certificate, and one-time password. These methods can be used in combination with other authentication factors, such as username and password, to provide stronger security for accessing the firewall web interface or CLI. The firewall can integrate with various MFA vendors that support these methods through RADIUS or SAML protocols5. Voice and fingerprint are not supported by the firewall as MFA methods. References: MFA Vendor Support, PCNSE Study Guide (page 48)

An authentication portal is a feature that can be used to identify guests and BYOD users, instruct them how to download and install the CA certificate, and clearly notify them that their traffic will be decrypted. An authentication portal is a web page that the firewall displays to users who need to authenticate before accessing the network or the internet. The authentication portal can be customized to include a welcome message, a login prompt, a disclaimer, a certificate download link, and a logout button. The authentication portal can also be configured to use different authentication methods, such as local database, RADIUS, LDAP, Kerberos, or SAML1. By using an authentication portal, the firewall can redirect BYOD users to a web page where they can learn about the decryption policy, download and install the CA certificate, and agree to the terms of use before accessing the network or the internet2.

An SSL decryption profile is not a feature that can be used to identify guests and BYOD users, instruct them how to download and install the CA certificate, and clearly notify them that their traffic will be decrypted. An SSL decryption profile is a set of options that define how the firewall handles SSL/TLS traffic that it decrypts. An SSL decryption profile can include settings such as certificate verification, unsupported protocol handling, session caching, session resumption, algorithm selection, etc3. An SSL decryption profile does not provide any user identification or notification functions.

An SSL decryption policy is not a feature that can be used to identify guests and BYOD users, instruct them how to download and install the CA certificate, and clearly notify them that their traffic will be decrypted. An SSL decryption policy is a set of rules that determine which traffic the firewall decrypts based on various criteria, such as source and destination zones, addresses, users, applications, services, etc. An SSL decryption policy can also specify which type of decryption to apply to the traffic, such as SSL Forward Proxy, SSL Inbound Inspection, or SSH Proxy4. An SSL decryption policy does not provide any user identification or notification functions.

Comfort pages are not a feature that can be used to identify guests and BYOD users, instruct them how to download and install the CA certificate, and clearly notify them that their traffic will be decrypted. Comfort pages are web pages that the firewall displays to users when it blocks or fails to decrypt certain traffic due to security policy or technical reasons. Comfort pages can include information such as the reason for blocking or failing to decrypt the traffic, the URL of the original site, the firewall serial number, etc5. Comfort pages do not provide any user identification or notification functions before decrypting the traffic.

 Configure an Authentication Portal, Redirect Users Through an Authentication Portal, SSL Decryption Profile, Decryption Policy, Comfort Pages

Using Policy Optimizer to migrate to application-based rules, adding the container application (Option D) ensures future-proofing. Container apps (e.g., "web-browsing") include child apps (e.g., specific web services) as signatures evolve, maintaining rule accuracy without over-matching unrelated traffic.

Option A (custom app with ports) reverts to port-based logic, losing App-ID benefits. Option B (application filter) risks overbroad matching (e.g., by category). Option C (specific apps) lacks flexibility for new child apps. Documentation supports container apps for this purpose.

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA10g000000ClGJCA0

SSL/TLS profile is only the TLS versions, not ciphers. Decryption Profile is for SSL Inbound and Forward Proxy applications, not mgmt of the PANW Firewall. There's also KB articles to strengthen SSH, but I couldn't find any for HTTPS, on the mgmt interface: https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA14u0000004OOQCA2 &lang=en_US%E2%80%A9

For log forwarding in PAN-OS, traffic and threat logs require a Log Forwarding profile attached to Security rules (Option B) to send logs to external systems (e.g., syslog, Panorama). Without this, logs are stored locally but not forwarded, a critical design consideration.

Option A (enhanced logging) affects app details, not forwarding. Option C (App-ID) is false; App-ID works independently. Option D (Logging and Reporting Settings) is incorrect; profiles are rule-based. Documentation mandates this configuration.

Schedule content updates so that they download-and-install automatically. Then, set a Threshold that determines the amount of time the firewall waits before installing the latest content. In a security-first network, schedule a six to twelve hour threshold. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/8-1/pan-os-admin/threat-prevention/best-practices-for-content-and-threat-content-updates/best-practices-security-first.html#id184AH00F06E

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-1/pan-os-upgrade/software-and-content-updates/best-practices-for-app-and-threat-content-updates/best-practices-security-first

User-ID is a feature that allows the firewall to identify and classify users and groups on the network based on their usernames, IP addresses, and other attributes1. User-ID information can be collected from various sources, such as:

A: Windows User-ID agent: A software agent that runs on a Windows server and collects user information from Active Directory domain controllers, Exchange servers, or eDirectory servers2. The agent then sends the user information to the firewall or Panorama for user mapping2.

B: GlobalProtect: A software agent that runs on the endpoints and provides secure VPN access to the network3. GlobalProtect also collects user information from the endpoints and sends it to the firewall or Panorama for user mapping4.

C: XMLAPI: An application programming interface that allows external systems or scripts to send user information to the firewall or Panorama in XML format. The XMLAPI can be used to integrate with third-party systems, such as identity providers, captive portals, or custom applications.

When using certificate authentication for firewall administration on Palo Alto Networks devices, the method used for authorization is typically the Local database. Certificate authentication ensures that the entity attempting to access the firewall is in possession of a valid certificate. Once the certificate is validated for authentication, the authorization process determines what level of access or permissions the authenticated entity has. This is usually managed locally on the firewall, where administrators can define roles and permissions associated with different users or certificates. Thus, the authorization process, in this case, leverages the Local database to enforce access controls and permissions, aligning with best practices for secure management of network devices.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/globalprotect/9-1/globalprotect-admin/globalprotect-gateways/split-tunnel-traffic-on-globalprotect-gateways/configure-a-split-tunnel-based-on-the-domain-and-application

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/11-0/pan-os-admin/virtual-systems/customize-service-routes-for-a-virtual-system/customize-service-routes-to-services-for-virtual-systems

A: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-1/pan-os-web-interface-help/network/network-virtual-routers/more-runtime-stats-for-a-logical-router#id5628a5e4-e908-457e-a2fd-270a476ab752

D: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-cli-quick-start/cli-cheat-sheets/cli-cheat-sheet-networking

The engineer is configuring a DoS Protection profile to defend specific endpoints and resources against malicious activity. A DoS Protection profile is a feature that enables the firewall to detect and prevent denial-of-service (DoS) attacks that attempt to overwhelm network resources or disrupt services. A DoS Protection profile can provide granular defense against targeted flood attacks for specific critical systems that are accessed by users from the internet, such as web servers, DNS servers, or VPN gateways. A DoS Protection profile can be applied to a security policy rule that matches the traffic to and from the protected systems, and can specify the thresholds and actions for different types of flood attacks, such as SYN, UDP, ICMP, or other IP floods12. References: DoS Protection, PCNSE Study Guide (page 58)

When an administrator needs to evaluate recent policy changes that were committed and pushed to a firewall device group in Panorama, the most direct approach is to use the "Preview Changes" feature.

A. Click Preview Changes under Push Scope:

The "Preview Changes" option is available under the "Push Scope" in Panorama. This feature allows administrators to see a detailed comparison of the changes that are about to be pushed to the managed firewalls or that have been recently pushed. It highlights the differences between the current configuration and the previous one, making it easier to identify exactly what changes were made, including modifications to policies, objects, and other settings.

This is particularly useful for auditing and verifying that the intended changes match the actual changes being deployed, enhancing transparency and reducing the risk of unintended configuration modifications.

This approach provides a clear and concise way to review configuration changes before and after they are applied, ensuring that policy modifications are intentional and accurately reflect the administrator's objectives.

In order to see what is in a template, the device-group needs the template referenced. Even if you add the firewall to both the template and device-group, the device-group will not see what is in the template. The following link has a video that demonstrates that B is the correct answer. https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA10g000000PNfeCAG

To prevent the import from affecting ongoing traffic when you import the configuration of an HA pair into Panorama, you should disable config sync on both firewalls. Config sync is a feature that enables the firewalls in an HA pair to synchronize their configurations and maintain consistency. However, when you import the configuration of an HA pair into Panorama, you want to avoid any changes to the firewall configuration until you verify and commit the imported configuration on Panorama. Therefore, you should disable config sync before importing the configuration, and re-enable it after committing the changes on Panorama12. References: Migrate a Firewall HA Pair to Panorama Management, PCNSE Study Guide (page 50)

Packet Buffer Protection mitigates single-session DoS attacks by monitoring resource usage on ingress zones. It applies to new sessions only (to prevent resource exhaustion before escalation) and is not global—it’s zone-specific, configured under Zone Protection profiles.

Options A and D (global) are incorrect; it’s per-zone. Options C and D (existing sessions) don’t align with its proactive design. Documentation specifies this behavior.

In the second image, VW ports mentioned are 1/5 and 1/7. Hence it can not be a part of any other routing. So if any traffic coming as ingress from 1/7, it has to go out via 1/5.

The egress interface for the traffic with ingress interface ethernet1/7, source 192.168.111.3, and destination 10.46.41.113 will be ethernet1/5. This is because the traffic will match the virtual wire with interfaces ethernet1/5 and ethernet1/7, which is configured to allow VLAN-tagged traffic with tags 10 and 201. The traffic will also match the security policy rule that allows traffic from zone Trust to zone Untrust, which are assigned to ethernet1/7 and ethernet1/5 respectively2. Therefore, the traffic will be forwarded to the same interface from which it was received, which is ethernet1/53.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/compatibility-matrix/ipv6-support-by-feature/ipv6-support-by-feature-table

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-admin/high-availability/set-up-activeactive-ha/prerequisites-for-activeactive-ha

These are the two links that can be used to configure an active/active high availability pair. An active/active high availability pair consists of two firewalls that are both active and share the traffic load between them1. To configure an active/active high availability pair, the following links are required2:

HA1: This is the control link that is used for exchanging heartbeat messages and configuration synchronization between the firewalls. It can be a dedicated interface or a subinterface. It can also have a backup link for redundancy.

HA2: This is the data link that is used for forwarding sessions from one firewall to another in case of failover or load balancing. It can be a dedicated interface or a subinterface. It can also have a backup link for redundancy.

HA3: This is the session owner synchronization link that is used for synchronizing session information between the firewalls in different virtual systems. It can be a dedicated interface or a subinterface. It is only required for active/active high availability pairs, not for active/passive pairs.

For an application that is currently identified as unknown-tcp and has sessions that often remain idle for long periods, creating a custom application and using an application override rule is the most time-efficient solution.

C. The process involves:

Creating a custom application in the Palo Alto Networks firewall and configuring it with specific timeouts to accommodate the application's idle session behavior. This step ensures that the firewall does not prematurely close the application's sessions due to inactivity.

Next, creating an application override rule that references the custom application. This rule directs the firewall to identify traffic matching the rule criteria (such as source, destination, and port information) as the custom application, bypassing the App-ID engine's regular identification process.

This approach allows for the quick implementation of a solution that ensures the application is properly identified in traffic logs without undergoing threat scanning, meeting the requirements for both identification and reporting.

Palo Alto firewalls can gather User-ID mappings from proxies via Syslog (Option B), parsing log messages with user-IP data, and XFF Headers (Option D), extracting user info from HTTP headers (X-Forwarded-For) if the proxy supports it.

Option A (Client Probing) queries clients, not proxies. Option C (Server Monitoring) targets servers like AD, not proxies. Documentation lists these methods for proxy integration.

For the transparent proxy method, the request contains the destination IP address of the web server and the proxy transparently intercepts the client request (either by being in-line or by traffic steering). There is no client configuration and Panorama is optional. Transparent proxy requires a loopback interface, User-ID configuration in the proxy zone, and specific Destination NAT (DNAT) rules. Transparent proxy does not support X-Authenticated Users (XAU) or Web Cache Communications Protocol (WCCP). https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/11-0/pan-os-new-features/networking-features/web-proxy