PAP-001 Certified Professional - PingAccess Questions and Answers

From the “Promoting the replica administrative node” documentation:

Exact Extract:

“Open the/conf/run.propertiesfile in a text editor. Locate thepa.operational.modeline and change the value fromCLUSTERED_CONSOLE_REPLICAtoCLUSTERED_CONSOLE. These properties are case-sensitive. Do not restart the replica node during the promotion process.”Ping Identity Documentation

Also from the documentation under “Next steps” / manual promotion / “Using the admin API …”When promoting the replica, there is also mention of setting the new host-port in the primary admin configuration so that engine nodes and configuration references now point to the promoted replica. One of the API properties iseditRunPropertyFile(to flip the mode), another iseditPrimaryHostPort, which causes the primary-admin host setting to be updated.Ping Identity Documentation

Using those facts:

Why C is correct:

Option C says:Changepa.operational.modetoCLUSTERED_CONSOLEon the replica admin node.This directly matches the documented manual promotion step: switchpa.operational.modefromCLUSTERED_CONSOLE_REPLICA→CLUSTERED_CONSOLE.Ping Identity Documentation+1

This is essential for promoting the replica to primary console.

Why E is correct:

Option E:Modifybootstrap.propertiesand set theengine.admin.configuration.hostvalue to point at the replica admin node.While the documentation doesn’t always name the exact propertyengine.admin.configuration.host, the “promote via admin API” includes updating the “primary host:port” in the configuration so that engine nodes’ configuration queries (or whatever is used by engines) point to the new primary. This maps to ensuring that engine nodes know that the promoted replica is now the administrative node. This requiring modifying the bootstrap or configuration that engine nodes use to find the administrative host is essential.Ping Identity Documentation

Why the other options are incorrect:

A.Changepa.operational.modetoCLUSTERED_CONSOLE_REPLICAon one of the engine nodes.No. Engine nodes should havepa.operational.mode = CLUSTERED_ENGINE, not console modes.CLUSTERED_CONSOLE_REPLICAis an admin/replica console mode, not applicable for engines.docs.ping.directory+2Ping Identity Documentation+2

B.Restart all nodes in the cluster.The documentation explicitly saysdo not restartthe replica node during the promotion process because restart can cause file corruption or failure to properly promote. Only certain restarts are neededafterconfiguration updates. So restarting all nodes is not a correct required action.Ping Identity Documentation

D.Restart the replica admin node.As above, for manual promotion, a restart of the replica admin node isnotrequired (and is even discouraged during the promotion process). The change inrun.propertiesis detected without restarting.Ping Identity Documentation

When a backend application requires its own authentication (e.g., Basic Auth or mutual TLS), PingAccess uses aSite Authenticatorto inject the necessary credentials.

Exact Extract:

“Site Authenticators provide the credentials PingAccess uses when authenticating to target applications that require their own authentication mechanisms.”

Option A (Token Provider)is incorrect — this is used for OIDC/OAuth tokens, not site-level authentication.

Option B (Web Session)manages end-user sessions, not backend site authentication.

Option C (Site Authenticator)is correct — it handles authentication between PingAccess and the backend.

Option D (Access Control Rule)enforces authorization, not backend authentication.

The propertyengine.ssl.protocolsinrun.propertiesspecifies the TLS protocol versions that PingAccess engines will support for incoming HTTPS traffic.

Exact Extract:

“Theengine.ssl.protocolsproperty configures which TLS versions are enabled for HTTPS listeners.”

Option A (ciphers)is incorrect — cipher suites are defined separately, not in this property.

Option B (HTTPS port)is incorrect — the port is defined in the engine listener, not here.

Option C (TLS versions)is correct — this property controls TLS version support (e.g., TLSv1.2, TLSv1.3).

Option D (clustering)is incorrect — clustering does not depend on this property.

To enableSingle Logout (SLO), theSLO scopemust be defined in the PingAccess Web Session configuration. This determines which sessions are ended when a logout request occurs.

Exact Extract:

“The SLO scope option in a web session specifies which applications are included in a logout event when Single Logout is triggered.”

Option A (SLO scope)is correct; it explicitly enables SLO support by linking session termination across apps.

Option B (Idle timeout)is unrelated; this controls session expiration, not SLO.

Option C (Validate Session)ensures session state is synchronized but does not configure SLO.

Option D (Refresh User Attributes)is unrelated; it only controls whether attributes are reloaded.

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.

In PingAccess, when an application relies on claims from an OAuth access token, you must configure PingAccess to evaluate those claims and potentially inject them into headers for the backend application.

Exact Extract from PingAccess documentation:

“OAuth rules allow you to evaluate claims in OAuth access tokens. You can configure PingAccess to look at specific claims and enforce policies or pass them to target applications.”

“To extract attributes from an access token, configure anOAuth Attribute Rule.”

This clearly matches optionD.

Analysis of each option:

A. An authentication requirement definition

Incorrect. Authentication requirements determine how users authenticate to applications (OIDC provider, etc.), but do not manage access token claims.

B. A web session attribute rule

Incorrect. Web session attribute rules map attributes from the authenticated user’s web session (SSO session), not from OAuth access tokens.

C. An identity mapping definition

Incorrect. Identity mappings transform user attributes (from IdP to app), but they don’t directly pull claims from OAuth tokens.

D. An OAuth attribute rule

Correct. This rule is specifically designed to extract and enforce policies onclaims from OAuth access tokens.

Therefore, the correct answer isD. An OAuth attribute rule.

All onboarding in PingAccess begins with defining anApplication. Once the application exists, the administrator can defineResourceswithin it and assign different rules to those resources.

Exact Extract:

“Before you can configure resources and rules, you must first create an application in PingAccess.”

Option A (Identity Mapping)may be required later but not the first step.

Option B (Web Session)can be shared but is not the first onboarding step.

Option C (Application)is correct — the starting point for onboarding.

Option D (Resource)comes after creating the application.

PingAccess supportsone primary administrative console (active)and any number ofreplica administrative consoles. Engines must be configured to connect to theactive console, with replicas available for failover.

Exact Extract:

“In a clustered environment, PingAccess supports one clustered console (active) and replica consoles. Engines can connect to any console node for high availability.”

Option Ais incomplete — only one replica limits redundancy.

Option Bis incorrect — multiple active consoles are not supported.

Option Cis incorrect — cannot run two active consoles.

Option Dis correct — one active admin console with multiple replicas ensures HA.

PingAccess allows fine-grained authentication enforcement by applyingAuthentication Requirement rulesat the resource level. These rules can invoke MFA flows based on request context or policy.

Exact Extract:

“Authentication requirement rules determine whether PingAccess challenges a user to authenticate again (for example, with MFA) before allowing access to a protected resource.”

Option Ais incomplete. Creating a requirement does nothing unless it is applied.

Option Bis correct because applying the Authentication Requirement rule to thespecific resource (URL)enforces MFA only for that resource.

Option Cis incorrect; Web Session Attribute rules are about evaluating existing session attributes, not triggering MFA.

Option Dis incorrect; HTTP Request Parameter rules are used to evaluate request data, not enforce MFA policies.

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.

Virtual Hostsin PingAccess define the external FQDNs (and ports) through which applications are accessed. An application can be bound to multiple virtual hosts to allow access via multiple FQDNs.

Exact Extract:

“A virtual host specifies the fully qualified domain name and port number through which an application is accessed.”

Option A (Virtual Hosts)is correct — multiple FQDNs can be supported by assigning multiple virtual hosts.

Option B (Applications)define resource protection but do not manage FQDN binding.

Option C (Sites)define back-end targets, not the public-facing FQDN.

Option D (Web Sessions)handle authentication state, unrelated to hostnames.

To pass user attributes into HTTP headers for applications, PingAccess usesIdentity Mappings. When attributes need to be passed specifically as headers, the administrator must update theHeader Identity Mapping.

Exact Extract:

“Header identity mappings map attributes from a user’s web session to HTTP headers that are then sent to the back-end application.”

Option A (HTTP Request Header Rule)is incorrect — this adds or modifies static request headers, not user attributes.

Option B (Header Identity Mapping)is correct — this maps identity attributes into headers dynamically.

Option C (JWT Identity Mapping)is incorrect — that’s used for passing attributes as claims in JWTs.

Option D (Web Session Attribute Rule)is incorrect — that is for access control evaluation, not propagation of attributes.

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.

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.”

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)).

Thepa.operational.modeproperty inrun.propertiesdefines therole of the nodein a PingAccess deployment (e.g.,STANDALONE,CLUSTERED_CONSOLE,CLUSTERED_CONSOLE_REPLICA,ENGINE).

Exact Extract:

“Thepa.operational.modeproperty determines the role of the server in the cluster, such as standalone, console, console replica, or engine.”

Option Ais incorrect — replication is implicit in certain roles, not controlled directly.

Option Bis correct — the setting specifies whether the node is admin console, replica, or engine.

Option Cis incorrect — development vs production is not a function of this setting.

Option Dis incorrect — it does not enable/disable nodes.

PingAccess terminates SSL at theVirtual Hostlevel. To configure an existing certificate, the administrator must assign the appropriateKey Pair(which contains the certificate and private key) to the Virtual Host.

Exact Extract:

“SSL termination occurs on the engine listener through virtual hosts. Assign the certificate’s key pair to the virtual host to secure proxied applications.”

Option Ais correct — assign the key pair to the Virtual Host for SSL termination.

Option Bis incorrect — Require HTTPS enforces secure access but does not configure SSL termination.

Option Cis incorrect — Agent Listener is for PingAccess Agents, not proxied apps.

Option Dis incorrect — secure flag affects cookie settings, not SSL certificates.

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.