PAP-001 Certified Professional - PingAccess Questions and Answers

Because the application context root is/parts, resource paths are defined relative to it. The correct relative path is:

/suspension/struts/manufacturer

Exact Extract:

“Resource matching begins at the context root. The most specific matching path is selected.”

Option Ais incorrect —/*/struts/manufacturerdoes not match because it starts with a wildcard, not the defined path.

Option Bis incorrect —/*/manufacturerwould match less specifically and at a different depth.

Option Cis correct — exact match relative to/parts.

Option Dis incorrect — too generic and not the best match.

PingAccess can be configured to log or suppress back-channel requests that occur duringtoken validationwith an OAuth/OpenID Connect provider such as PingFederate. These requests happen when PingAccess calls PingFederate to validate access tokens or retrieve key material.

Exact Extract from PingAccess documentation:

“Back-channel requests are logged during token validation by default. To prevent these requests from being written to the audit log, update theToken Validationsettings in PingAccess.”

This makesToken Validationthe correct location for changing the behavior without modifying application-specific configurations.

Why other options are wrong:

B. Web Sessions

Incorrect. Web Sessions control user session management and cookie handling, not back-channel token validation traffic.

C. Sites

Incorrect. Sites are the definitions of backend servers that PingAccess proxies to. This setting does not affect back-channel logging to PingFederate.

D. Token Provider

Incorrect. The Token Provider defines the OIDC/OAuth server (e.g., PingFederate) and its endpoints, but the logging of back-channel requests is not controlled here.

Thus, the correct answer isA. Token Validation.

PingAccess allows administrators to configurecustom error pages or messagesat theRoot Resource levelof an application. This ensures that when rule violations (e.g., authorization failures) occur, the application can display tailored error responses.

Exact Extract:

“Custom error handling for rule violations is configured within the Root Resource of an application.”

Option Ais incorrect — assigning a rule to a resource does not allow defining custom errors.

Option Bis correct — the Root Resource is where administrators define custom error handling for the entire application.

Option Cis incorrect — Rule Sets only combine rules; they do not handle error responses.

Option Dis incorrect — individual rule definitions do not contain custom error configurations.

The Rule Set GroupC(ALL) requiresboth Rule Set A and Rule Set Bto evaluate to true.

Rule Set A (ALL)requirescan_read=yes.

Rule Set B (ANY)requireseitherOpt-in=yesORgroup=customerService.

Together in Rule Set Group C (ALL), both conditions must hold:

can_read=yesmust be present in the request.

User must have eitheropt-in=yesor be in thecustomerServicegroup.

This matchesOption Dexactly.

Option Ais incorrect; it requires both attributes in Rule Set B, but B is ANY (either is sufficient).

Option Bis incorrect; the “unless” wording is misleading — the parameter is always required because Rule Set A uses ALL.

Option Cis incorrect; same reasoning as above, B is ANY not AND.

Option Dis correct —can_read=yesAND(opt-in=yesORgroup=customerService).

When usingHTTP Basic Authentication(admin.auth=native), PingAccess only supports asingle administrative account(the default admin user). For multiple administrators, SSO integration (e.g., OIDC) is required.

Exact Extract:

“When admin authentication is set to native (HTTP Basic), only one administrative user is supported. For multiple admins, configure UI authentication with an OIDC provider.”

Option A (1000)is incorrect.

Option B (1)is correct — only one basic auth admin account.

Option C (10)andOption D (100)are incorrect.

When a back-end site requires HTTP Basic Authentication, PingAccess supports this via aBasic Authentication Site Authenticator. The authenticator is configured with credentials so that PingAccess can successfully authenticate to the target site.

Exact Extract:

“PingAccess can authenticate to target sites using a Site Authenticator. Use the Basic Authentication Site Authenticator when the site requires a username and password.”

Option Ais incorrect — identity mappings are used to forward user attributes, not for site-to-site authentication.

Option Bis incorrect — web sessions represent end-user sessions, not back-end credentials.

Option Cis correct — the Basic Authentication Site Authenticator should be configured on the Site.

Option Dis incorrect — mTLS authenticates with certificates, not username/password.

To enforcestep-up authenticationfor selected resources, PingAccess usesAuthentication Challenge Policies. These policies allow different challenge methods to be applied depending on the resource.

Exact Extract:

“Authentication challenge policies define how PingAccess challenges users for authentication and are often applied when step-up authentication is required for specific resources.”

Option A (Authentication Challenge Policy)is correct — it ensures only certain resources trigger step-up MFA.

Option Bis incorrect; the reserved resource base path is unrelated to authentication.

Option Cis incorrect; changing the context root just changes the URL path prefix.

Option Dis incorrect; manual ordering of resources is unrelated to enforcing MFA.

Processing Rulesin PingAccess apply transformations to HTTP traffic (requests or responses) in real time, such as modifying headers, handling CORS, or rewriting cookies.

Exact Extract:

“Processing rules allow PingAccess to modify HTTP requests and responses in real time, such as adding headers or enabling cross-origin requests.”

Option Ais incorrect — they are not for offline data collection.

Option Bis correct — their purpose is real-time modification of web traffic.

Option Cis incorrect — access control rules enforce or override authorization, not processing rules.

Option Dis incorrect — auditing is handled in log configurations, not processing rules.

PingAccess usesEngine Listenersfor SSL termination of proxied applications. To minimize the number of certificates, administrators can:

Use awildcard certificate(e.g.,*.customer.com) on the engine listener.

Use aSubject Alternative Name (SAN) certificatethat covers multiple FQDNs under thecustomer.comdomain.

Exact Extract:

“PingAccess engine listeners can use certificates containing either wildcard entries or Subject Alternative Names to secure multiple applications under a single domain.”

Option Ais incorrect — assigning unique key pairs increases, not decreases, certificate management overhead.

Option Bis correct — a wildcard certificate covers all subdomains (e.g.,app1.customer.com,app2.customer.com).

Option Cis correct — a SAN certificate lists multiple FQDNs explicitly.

Option Dis incorrect — agent listeners don’t handle SSL termination for proxied apps.

Option Eis incorrect for the same reason — agent listeners aren’t used for SSL.

When applications depend solely onheader-based identity mapping, attackers can attempt to bypass PingAccess by injecting headers directly into requests sent to the backend. To prevent spoofing, PingAccess should be configured to passcryptographically verifiable tokens(e.g.,ID tokens from OIDC) instead of relying on plain headers.

Exact Extract:

“Headers can be spoofed if not protected. Use signed tokens, such as ID tokens or JWTs, to provide strong identity assurance and prevent header injection attacks.”

Option A (Use ID Tokens)is correct — ID tokens are signed and verifiable, preventing spoofing.

Option B (Add Site Authenticator)protects PingAccess-to-site authentication, not client-to-API spoofing.

Option C (Require HTTPS)prevents eavesdropping but does not stop header spoofing from inside the network.

Option D (Use Target Host Header)ensures host header integrity but not user identity.

Identity Mapping in PingAccess relies on attributes provided by thetoken provider(e.g., PingFederate, OIDC provider). If the desired attributes are not present in the dropdown, it means they are not being provided in the token or userinfo response.

Exact Extract:

“Attributes available in identity mappings are those provided in the web session by the token provider. If attributes are missing, they must be added to the token by the identity provider.”

Option Ais correct — the token provider administrator must configure the IdP to include the additional attributes.

Option Bis incorrect — rewrite rules modify content but do not supply new identity attributes.

Option Cis incorrect — developers cannot directly add identity attributes; they must come from the IdP.

Option Dis incorrect — Web Session Attribute rules only evaluate available attributes; they don’t create new ones.

Modern browsers enforce stricter cookie handling rules. If cookies are not configured correctly with theSameSiteattribute, behavior can differ across browsers, leading to inconsistent authentication and access denials. Security exceptions may appear when session cookies are blocked.

Exact Extract:

“The SameSite cookie setting defines how browsers send cookies in cross-site requests. Misconfigured SameSite values can lead to inconsistent application behavior across browsers.”

Option A (Enable PKCE)is related to OAuth flow security, not browser cookie behavior.

Option B (SameSite Cookie)is correct — this directly explains the inconsistent browser issues.

Option C (Request Preservation)ensures query parameters are kept, not related to cross-browser session handling.

Option D (Validate Session)checks session state but does not address browser inconsistencies.

PingAccess usesobfuscated keysto secure sensitive configuration values (like passwords). Theobfuscate.bat(Windows) orobfuscate.sh(Linux) script is used to generate a new key and protect sensitive data.

Exact Extract:

“Useobfuscate.[bat|sh]to generate a new obfuscation key for protecting configuration values.”

Option A (db-passwd-rotate.bat)is not a valid PingAccess script.

Option B (memoryoptions.bat)configures JVM memory, not encryption.

Option C (run.bat)starts PingAccess.

Option D (obfuscate.bat)is correct — it is used to protect sensitive configuration.

Mutual TLS (mTLS) is used to establishtwo-way authenticationwhere both the client and the server present certificates to prove their identity. In the case of PingAccess, aMutual TLS Site Authenticatoris configured when PingAccess acts as a reverse proxy making requests to a backend (target) server.

Exact Extract from PingAccess documentation:

“Mutual TLS site authenticators provide client certificate authentication when PingAccess connects to a backend site. This allows PingAccess to present its certificate to the target server during the TLS handshake.”

This means the purpose is forPingAccess (client) to authenticate itself to the backend server (target resource)when establishing a secure connection.

Why other options are wrong:

A. Allows the backend server to authenticate to PingAccess

Incorrect. That’s normal server-side TLS authentication (the server presents a cert to the client), not mutual TLS initiated by PingAccess.

B. Allows the user to authenticate to the backend server

Incorrect. End users do not directly use this setting; this is between PingAccess and the backend application server.

C. Allows PingAccess to authenticate to the backend server

Correct. This is exactly the definition of a Mutual TLS Site Authenticator in PingAccess.

D. Allows PingAccess to authenticate to the token provider

Incorrect. That would involve OIDC/OAuth token exchange and possibly TLS trust, but it’s not the role of the Site Authenticator.

Thus, the correct answer isC. Allows PingAccess to authenticate to the backend server.

The correct way to ensure resources such as CSS files, images, or JavaScript are accessible without authentication acrossallapplications is to configureGlobal Unprotected Resources.

Exact Extract:

“Global unprotected resources define resources that do not require authentication and are accessible to all clients across applications.”

Option Ais incorrect; Protocol Sources define back-end host connections, not authentication.

Option Bwould apply only per-resource, not across all applications.

Option Cis correct — Global Unprotected Resources are designed for this exact purpose.

Option D(Availability Profile) is related to application health checks and availability, not authentication.

For multiple subdomains to share the same PingAccess session, theCookie Domainmust be configured so that the session cookie is valid across all listed applications.

Exact Extract:

“Set the Cookie Domain in the web session configuration to a parent domain (for example, .company.com) to enable applications in different subdomains to share the same session.”

Option A (Set Audience option)applies to OAuth token validation, not cookie sharing.

Option B (Set Cookie Domain option)is correct — e.g., setting.company.comallows session cookies to be shared.

Option C (Rewrite Cookie Domain rule)modifies upstream cookies for back-end applications, not PingAccess session cookies.

Option D (Rewrite Cookie Path rule)is unrelated; it modifies paths for cookies, not domains.

The requirement is:

Allow access ifuser is in sales

OR ifuser is in marketing AND is a manager

This is logically represented as:

(A) OR (B AND C)

To configure this in PingAccess:

Rule Set (D) = ANY (A)

Rule Set (E) = ALL (B, C)

Rule Set Group (F) = ANY (D, E)

Assign Group (F) to the resource

This exactly matchesOption D.

Option Ais incorrect — requires both A and (B AND C), which is stricter than the requirement.

Option Bis incorrect — ANY(A, B, C) would allow users in marketing or managers without requiring both.

Option Cis incorrect — it uses ALL(D, E), which would require both conditions instead of OR.

Option Dis correct — it models (A OR (B AND C)).

When using theAuthorization Code Flowfor authentication, PingAccess must be configured with:

AnOAuth Client IDthat identifies the application to the IdP.

TheOpenID Connect Login Typeset to Authorization Code.

Exact Extract:

“When configuring an OIDC web session, specify the OAuth client ID and select the OpenID Connect login type (Authorization Code, Hybrid, or Implicit).”

Option A (OAuth Token Introspection Endpoint)is not required for Authorization Code flow — token introspection is used in other cases.

Option B (OAuth Client ID)is correct — required for OIDC authorization requests.

Option C (OpenID Connect Issuer)is discovered automatically via metadata when you configure the token provider.

Option D (Virtual Host)is required for application exposure but not specific to OIDC flow.

Option E (OpenID Connect Login Type)is correct — must be set to “Authorization Code.”