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

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.

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

The best decryption best practice that the administrator should consider is A: Consider the local, legal, and regulatory implications and how they affect which traffic can be decrypted. This is because decryption involves intercepting and inspecting encrypted traffic, which may raise privacy and compliance issues depending on the jurisdiction and the type of traffic1. Therefore, the administrator should be aware of the local, legal, and regulatory implications and how they affect which traffic can be decrypted, and follow the appropriate guidelines and policies to ensure that decryption is done in a lawful and ethical manner1.

To apply tags automatically based on User-ID logs, the engineer must configure a Log Forwarding profile that specifies the criteria for matching the logs and the tags to apply. The Log Forwarding profile can be attached to a security policy rule or a decryption policy rule to enable auto-tagging for the traffic that matches the rule. The tags can then be used for dynamic address groups, policy enforcement, or reporting1. References: Use Auto-Tagging to Automate Security Actions, PCNSE Study Guide (page 49)

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.

Decryption can be resource-intensive, and in scenarios where the firewall is nearing its resource limits, optimizing decryption practices is crucial. One way to do this is by choosing more efficient encryption algorithms that require less computational power.

C. Use ECDSA instead of RSA for traffic that isn't sensitive or high-priority:

Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) is known for requiring smaller key sizes compared to RSA for a comparable level of security. This translates to less computational overhead during the encryption and decryption processes.

By using ECDSA for traffic that isn't sensitive or high-priority, the administrator can reduce the processing load associated with decryption on the firewall. This is particularly beneficial in scenarios where resource optimization is necessary.

It's important to note that this approach does not compromise the security of encrypted traffic. Instead, it offers a more resource-efficient way to manage decryption, thus helping to maintain firewall performance even when system resources are under significant demand.

By judiciously applying this strategy, administrators can manage the decryption workload on the firewall, ensuring continued protection and inspection of encrypted traffic without overburdening the firewall's resources.

When a URL matches multiple categories, the category chosen is the one that has the most severe action defined below (block being most severe and allow least severe).

1 block

2 override

3 continue

4 alert

5 allow

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA10g000000ClsmCAC

For a network security administrator to authenticate and identify a user with a new BYOD-type device that is not joined to the corporate domain, the most effective method is to use an Authentication policy targeting users not yet identified by the system.

A. an Authentication policy with 'unknown' selected in the Source User field:

An Authentication policy allows the firewall to challenge unidentified users for credentials. By selecting 'unknown' in the Source User field, the policy targets users who have not yet been identified by the firewall, which would include users on new BYOD devices not joined to the domain.

Once the user provides valid credentials, the firewall can authenticate the user and map their identity to subsequent sessions, enabling the application of user-based policy rules and monitoring.

This approach ensures that new and unknown devices can be properly authenticated and identified without compromising security or requiring the device to be part of the corporate domain.

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.

When a Threat ID isn’t visible in the Vulnerability Protection profile’s Exceptions tab, selecting "Show all signatures" (Option B) reveals all available threat signatures, including those not recently triggered, allowing the administrator to add an exception efficiently. This is the fastest way to resolve false positives without external assistance.

Option A (system logs) may explain the absence but doesn’t implement the fix. Option C (traffic logs) allows rule-based workarounds, not profile exceptions. Option D (support case) is slower and unnecessary. Documentation confirms this method.

In an active/active high availability (HA) firewall pair, when a firewall experiences a failure of a monitored path, it enters the “Tentative” state1. This state indicates that the firewall is synchronizing sessions and configurations from its peer due to a failure or a change in monitored objects such as a link or path. The firewall in this state is not fully functional but is working towards resuming normal operations by syncing with its peer. Therefore, the correct answer is B. Tentative.

If you have clients running multi-user systems in a Windows environment, such as Microsoft Terminal Server or Citrix Metaframe Presentation Server or XenApp, Configure the Palo Alto Networks Terminal Server (TS) Agent for User Mapping

>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

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

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-1/pan-os-admin/high-availability/ha-concepts/ha-timers

The Log Forwarding feature in Palo Alto Networks firewalls allows administrators to perform automated actions based on logs. One of the actions that can be configured is to tag an IP address, which can then be used in conjunction with Dynamic Address Groups (DAG) to enforce security policies. By tagging the destination IP addresses of unwanted traffic, an administrator can dynamically update policies to block traffic to those destinations.

This method is particularly useful for responding quickly to detected threats by creating and enforcing a policy that blocks traffic to tagged destinations without the need for manual intervention or policy changes.

For a detailed explanation, the Palo Alto Networks' "PAN-OS® Administrator’s Guide" provides information on log forwarding and automated actions.

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.

When configuring Quality of Service (QoS) policies, particularly for traffic going to or from specific IP addresses and involving NAT, it's important to base the rule on how the firewall processes the traffic. For QoS, the firewall evaluates traffic using pre-NAT IP addresses and zones because QoS policies typically need to be applied before the NAT action occurs. This is especially true for inbound traffic, where the goal is to limit bandwidth before the destination IP is translated.

The correct combination for a QoS rule in this scenario, where the aim is to limit bandwidth for downloads from a specific server (implying inbound traffic to the server), would be:

D. Pre-NAT source IP address Pre-NAT source zone:

Pre-NAT source IP address: This refers to the original IP address of the client or source device before any NAT rules are applied. Since QoS policies are evaluated before NAT, using the pre-NAT IP address ensures that the policy applies to the correct traffic.

Pre-NAT source zone: This is the zone associated with the source interface before NAT takes place. Using the pre-NAT zone ensures that the QoS policy is applied to traffic as it enters the firewall, before any translations or routing decisions are made.

By configuring the QoS rule with pre-NAT information, the firewall can accurately apply bandwidth limitations to the intended traffic, ensuring efficient use of network resources and mitigating the impact of large file downloads from the specified server.

For detailed guidelines on configuring QoS policies, refer to the Palo Alto Networks documentation, which provides comprehensive instructions and best practices for managing bandwidth and traffic priorities on the network.

In Palo Alto Networks firewalls, when multiple static routes exist for the same destination, the firewall uses the administrative distance (AD) to determine route priority. The AD is a metric that indicates the trustworthiness of a route, with lower values indicating higher priority. For static routes, the default AD is 10, but this can be manually adjusted. The route with the lowest AD is preferred and added to the routing table. If AD values are equal, the firewall then considers the metric (default 10), but AD is the primary differentiator.

Option A (first route installed) is incorrect, as route installation order does not determine priority. Option C (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) is a protocol for detecting link failures, not route priority. Option D (highest AD) is the opposite of the correct behavior. This aligns with standard routing principles and Palo Alto’s implementation.

IP flood thresholds, you can also use DoS Protection profiles to detect and prevent session exhaustion attacks in which a large number of hosts (bots) establish as many sessions as possible to consume a target’s resources. On the profile’s Resources Protection tab, you can set the maximum number of concurrent sessions that the device(s) defined in the DoS Protection policy rule to which you apply the profile can receive. When the number of concurrent sessions reaches its maximum limit, new sessions are dropped. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-1/pan-os-admin/zone-protection-and-dos-protection/zone-defense/dos-protection-profiles-and-policy-rules/dos-protection-profiles.html

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-admin/zone-protection-and-dos-protection/zone-defense/dos-protection-profiles-and-policy-rules/dos-protection-profiles#ida42d52fa-3366-4695-bb4a-d39ebf3b6a5f

Palo Alto NetworksPanorama 7.0 Administrator’s Guide •77Manage FirewallsManage Device GroupsManage Device GroupsAdd a Device GroupCreate a Device Group HierarchyCreate Objects for Use in Shared or Device Group PolicyRevert to Inherited Object ValuesManage Unused Shared ObjectsManage Precedence of Inherited ObjectsMove or Clone a Policy Rule or Object to a Different Device GroupSelect a URL Filtering Vendor on PanoramaPush a Policy Rule to a Subset of FirewallsManage the Rule HierarchyAdd a Device GroupAfter adding firewalls (see Add a Firewall as a Managed Device), you can group them into Device Groups (up to 256), as follows. Be sure to assign both firewalls in an active-passive high availability (HA) configuration to the same device group so that Panorama will push the same policy rules and objects to those firewalls. #############PAN-OS doesn’t synchronize pushed rules across HA peers.######### To manage rules and objects at different administrative levels in your organization, Create a Device Group Hierarchy.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/panorama/8-0/panorama-admin/manage-firewalls/tr ansition-a-firewall-to-panorama-management/migrate-a-firewall-ha-pair-to-panorama-management

A, C, and D are the correct answers because they are the parts of a template that an engineer can configure in Panorama. A template is a collection of device and network settings that can be pushed to multiple firewalls from Panorama1. A template can contain settings such as2:

A: NTP Server Address: This is the address of the Network Time Protocol server that synchronizes the time on the firewall.

C: Authentication Profile: This is the profile that defines how the firewall authenticates users and administrators.

D: Service Route Configuration: This is the configuration that specifies which interface and source IP address the firewall uses to access external services, such as DNS, email, syslog, etc.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/panorama/9-1/panorama-admin/panorama-overview/centralized-firewall-configuration-and-update-management/device-groups/device-group-hierarchy

Cisco TrustSec technology uses Security Group Tags (SGTs) to enforce access controls on Layer 2 traffic. When implementing Zone Protection on a Palo Alto Networks firewall in an environment with Cisco TrustSec, you should configure Ethernet SGT Protection. This setting ensures that the firewall can recognize SGTs in Ethernet frames and apply the appropriate actions based on the configured policies.

The use of Ethernet SGT Protection in conjunction with TrustSec is covered in advanced firewall configuration documentation and in interoperability guides between Palo Alto Networks and Cisco systems.

When building Security rules in a Device Group that need to allow traffic to specific users and groups defined in Active Directory, it's essential to have user and group information available in Panorama to select these entities for the rules.

D. A master device with Group Mapping configured must be set in the device group where the Security rules are configured:

The concept of a "master device" in Panorama refers to a specific firewall that is designated to provide certain settings or information, such as user and group mappings from Active Directory, to Panorama. This information can then be used across other firewalls within the same device group.

By configuring Group Mapping on a master device, Panorama can leverage this information to populate user and group objects. These objects can then be used in Security rules within the device group, allowing for the creation of policies that are based on user identity and group membership, as defined in Active Directory.

This setup ensures that Panorama has the necessary context to apply user- and group-based policies accurately across the managed firewalls, facilitating centralized management and consistency in policy enforcement.

To address the issue of application performance degradation due to excessive VoIP traffic, the administrator should configure QoS on the egress interface for the traffic flows and a QoS profile defining traffic classes. QoS stands for Quality of Service, which is a feature that allows the firewall to manage bandwidth usage and prioritize traffic based on various criteria, such as application, user, service, etc. QoS can help improve the performance and quality of latency-sensitive applications, such as VoIP, by guaranteeing them sufficient bandwidth and priority over other traffic1.

To enable QoS on the firewall, the administrator needs to create a QoS profile and a QoS policy. A QoS profile defines the eight classes of service that traffic can receive, including priority, guaranteed bandwidth, maximum bandwidth, and weight. A QoS policy identifies the traffic that matches a specific class of service based on source and destination zones, addresses, users, applications, services, etc2. The administrator can also create a custom QoS profile or use the default one.

The administrator should apply QoS on the egress interface for the traffic flows, which is the interface where the traffic leaves the firewall. This is because QoS can only shape outbound traffic and not inbound traffic. The egress interface can be either internal or external, depending on the direction of the VoIP traffic. For example, if the VoIP traffic is from internal users to external servers, then the egress interface is the untrust interface facing the ISP. If the VoIP traffic is from external users to internal servers, then the egress interface is the trust interface facing the LAN3.

The administrator should assign a high priority and a sufficient guaranteed bandwidth to the VoIP traffic in the QoS profile. This will ensure that the VoIP packets are processed first by the firewall and are not dropped or delayed due to congestion. The administrator can also limit or block other applications that consume too much bandwidth or pose security risks in the same or different QoS classes4.

An Application Override policy for SIP traffic is not necessary to address this issue. An Application Override policy is used to change or customize the App-ID of certain traffic based on port and protocol criteria. This can be useful for optimizing performance or security for some applications that are difficult to identify or have non-standard behaviors. However, SIP is a predefined App-ID that identifies Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) traffic, which is commonly used for VoIP signaling. The firewall can recognize SIP traffic without an Application Override policy5.

QoS on the ingress interface for the traffic flows is not effective to address this issue. As mentioned earlier, QoS can only shape outbound traffic and not inbound traffic. Applying QoS on the ingress interface will not have any impact on how the firewall handles or prioritizes the incoming packets6.

A QoS policy for each application is not required to address this issue. A QoS policy can match multiple applications in a single rule by using application filters or application groups. This can simplify and consolidate the QoS policy configuration and management. The administrator does not need to create a separate QoS policy for each application unless there is a specific need to assign different classes of service or parameters to each application7.

 QoS Overview, Configure QoS, QoS Use Cases, QoS Best Practices, Application Override, QoS FAQ, Create a QoS Policy Rule

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/wildfire/10-2/wildfire-admin/wildfire-overview/wildfire-concepts/verdicts

Each WildFire cloud—global (U.S.), regional, and private—analyzes samples and generates WildFire verdicts independently of the other WildFire clouds. With the exception of WildFire private cloud verdicts, WildFire verdicts are shared globally, enabling WildFire users to access a worldwide database of threat data. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/wildfire/10-1/wildfire-admin/wildfire-overview/wildfire-concepts/verdicts.html

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-web-interface-help/panorama-web-interface/panorama-device-deployment/manage-software-and-content-updates

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-web-interface-help/panorama-web-interface/panorama-device-deployment/panorama-dynamic-updates-revert-content

https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/blogs/what-is-application-dependency/ba-p/344330

To create an application-based Security policy rule to allow Evernote, the administrator only needs to add the Evernote application to the Security policy rule. The Evernote application is a predefined App-ID that identifies the traffic generated by the Evernote client or web interface. The Evernote application implicitly uses SSL and web browsing as dependencies, which means that the firewall automatically allows these applications when the Evernote application is allowed. Therefore, there is no need to add HTTP, SSL, or web browsing applications to the same Security policy rule. Adding these applications would broaden the scope of the rule and potentially allow unwanted traffic12. References: App-ID Overview, Create a Security Policy Rule

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.

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)

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.

One of the potential causes of a failed install when upgrading Panorama to PAN-OS is having outdated plugins. Plugins are software extensions that enable Panorama to interact with Palo Alto Networks cloud services and third-party services. Plugins have dependencies on specific PAN-OS versions, so they must be updated before or after upgrading Panorama, depending on the plugin compatibility matrix2. If the plugins are not updated accordingly, the upgrade process may fail or cause issues with Panorama functionality3. References: Panorama Plugins Upgrade/Downgrade Considerations, Troubleshoot Your Panorama Upgrade, PCNSE Study Guide (page 54)

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.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/9-1/pan-os-admin/quality-of-service/qos-concepts/qos-classes

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 "Received fatal alert UnknownCA from client" log indicates the client rejects the firewall’s decryption certificate because it doesn’t trust the CA. For a valid use case, adding the certificate’s Common Name (CN) to the SSL Decryption Exclusion List (Option B) bypasses decryption for that site, allowing traffic to proceed without interruption. This is an immediate fix within the firewall’s control.

Option A (revocation checking) addresses different issues. Option C (check expired certificates) is diagnostic, not immediate. Option D (contact site admin) is external and slow. Documentation recommends exclusions for such errors.

ttps://www.kareemccie.com/2021/05/palo-alto-firewall-packet-flow.html

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.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-admin/user-id/map-ip-addresses-to-users/configure-user-id-to-monitor-syslog-senders-for-user-mapping#iddb1a7744-17c6-4900-a2cb-5f3511fef60f

When deploying a large number of firewalls, such as 15 GlobalProtect gateways around the world, it's crucial to have a scalable configuration approach. Panorama offers several features to help scale configurations efficiently:

B. Template stacks:

Template stacks in Panorama allow administrators to create a collection of configuration templates that can be applied to multiple firewalls or device groups. This enables the consistent deployment of shared settings (such as network configurations, security profiles, etc.) across all managed firewalls, ensuring uniformity and reducing the effort required to manage individual firewall configurations.

D. Variables:

Variables in Panorama provide a way to customize template configurations for individual firewalls or device groups without altering the overall template. For example, a variable can be used to define a unique IP address, hostname, or other specific settings within a shared template. When the template is applied, Panorama replaces the variables with the actual values specified for each device or device group, allowing for customization within a standardized framework.

By using template stacks and variables, an administrator can rapidly deploy and manage configurations across multiple GlobalProtect gateways, ensuring consistency while still accommodating site-specific requirements. This approach streamlines the deployment process and enhances the manageability of a widespread GlobalProtect infrastructure.

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

A transparent proxy operates by intercepting traffic without client configuration, typically redirecting HTTP (port 80) or HTTPS (port 443) to a proxy port on the firewall. In Palo Alto Networks NGFWs, when configuring a NAT rule for a transparent proxy, the standard translated port is 8080 (Option C), commonly used for proxy services. This port is where the firewall redirects client traffic for processing (e.g., URL filtering or decryption) before forwarding it to the destination.

Option A (80) is the original HTTP port, not a proxy port. Option B (443) is for HTTPS, not transparent proxy redirection. Option D (4443) is non-standard and unrelated. Documentation and best practices confirm 8080 for this use case.

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.

Palo Alto Networks recommends starting SSL decryption with High Risk categories (Option B) because they’re more likely to contain threats (e.g., malware, phishing) that require visibility for inspection, balancing security and resource use.

Options A, C, and D (Online Storage, Health, Financial) are less risky or privacy-sensitive, making them lower priorities. Best practice guides prioritize High Risk for initial decryption.

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

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.

Hover over an attribute in the table below the chart and click the arrow icon to the right of the attribute. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/9-1/pan-os-admin/monitoring/use-the-application-command-center/interact-with-the-acc#id5cc39dae-04cf-4936-9916-1a4b0f3179b9

The table displays NAT rules configured on the firewall. The key points are:

Source Zone and Destination Zone define the traffic flow.

Source Address and Destination Address specify the IP addresses involved.

Service indicates the type of traffic (e.g., any, ping).

Source Translation and Destination Translation show the translated IP addresses for NAT.

Issue and Resolution Options

The application server at 192.168.197.40 can establish outbound connections but faces issues with inbound connections due to the shared NAT IP 198.51.100.88. The external database server cannot establish a secure connection back to 192.168.197.40.

Options to Resolve the Issue:

Replace the Two NAT Rules with a Single Rule:

Combining both DMZ servers into one NAT rule might simplify configuration but could cause issues in distinguishing inbound traffic for each server.

Pros: Simplifies rule management.

Cons: Might not address the inbound traffic issue properly.

New Public IP Address:

Obtaining a new public IP address for the new server (192.168.197.40) ensures dedicated inbound and outbound NAT.

Pros: Clear separation of traffic, resolves inbound connectivity issues.

Cons: Requires additional public IP.

Separate Source NAT and Destination NAT Rules:

Configuring distinct NAT rules for source and destination addresses without using the bidirectional option.

Pros: Clear and distinct rules for each direction of traffic.

Cons: More complex to manage, might require more firewall resources.

Move the NAT Rule:

Adjusting the order of NAT rules to prioritize the new server’s rule.

Pros: Simple reordering might resolve prioritization conflicts.

Cons: Might not fully resolve the inbound connection issue.

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA10g000000ClRdCAK

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-admin/url-filtering/configure-url-filtering

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-2/pan-os-admin/url-filtering/allow-password-access-to-certain-sites#id7e63ce07-8b30-4506-a1e3-5800303954e8

TIPS & TRICKS: REDUCING MANAGEMENT PLANE LOAD:

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA10g000000ClSvCAK

TIPS & TRICKS: REDUCING MANAGEMENT PLANE LOAD—PART 2:

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA10g000000ClU4CAK

The SSL Forward Proxy rule type is designed to control and inspect SSL traffic from internal users to external websites. When an internal user attempts to access an HTTPS site, the Palo Alto Networks firewall, acting as an SSL Forward Proxy, intercepts the SSL request. It then establishes an SSL connection with the requested website on behalf of the user. Simultaneously, the firewall establishes a separate SSL connection with the user. This setup allows the firewall to decrypt and inspect the traffic for threats and compliance with security policies before re-encrypting and forwarding the traffic to its destination.

This process is transparent to the end user and ensures that potentially harmful content delivered over encrypted SSL connections can be identified and blocked. SSL Forward Proxy is a critical component of a comprehensive security strategy, allowing organizations to enforce security policies and protect against threats in encrypted traffic.

If the DNS response matches the Original Destination Address in the rule, translate the DNS response using the same translation the rule uses. For example, if the rule translates IP address 1.1.1.10 to 192.168.1.10, the firewall rewrites a DNS response of 1.1.1.10 to 192.168.1.10. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/9-1/pan-os-admin/networking/nat/source-nat-and-destination-nat/destination-nat-dns-rewrite-use-cases#id0d85db1b-05b9-4956-a467-f71d558263bb

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.

The additional options of Browser and Satellite enable you to specify the authentication profile to use for specific scenarios. Select Browser to specify the authentication profile to use to authenticate a user accessing the portal from a web browser with the intent of downloading the GlobalProtect agent (Windows and Mac). Select Satellite to specify the authentication profile to use to authenticate the satellite.

Reference https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/documentation/71/pan-os/web-interface-help/globalprotect/network-globalprotect-portals

The vsysadmin role in Palo Alto Networks firewalls is a virtual system (vsys)-specific administrative role with limited privileges. It can commit changes to the candidate configuration of the assigned vsys (Option B) and create/edit Security policies and profiles specific to that vsys (Option C). This role is designed for multi-tenant environments where administrators manage only their assigned virtual systems.

Option A (configure resource limits) is a superuser or device-level task, not within vsysadmin’s scope. Option D (configure interfaces) is also outside vsysadmin’s permissions, as interface management is a device-wide function. Official documentation defines these privileges clearly.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/10-1/pan-os-admin/virtual-systems/communication-between-virtual-systems/inter-vsys-traffic-that-remains-within-the-firewall/external-zone

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/9-1/pan-os-cli-quick-start/use-the-cli/use-secure-copy-to-import-and-export-files/export-and-import-a-complete-log-database-logdb

To enable XML API access to a firewall for automation from a network segment routed through a Layer 3 sub-interface, the most straightforward approach is to use an Interface Management profile.

C. This can be achieved by:

Configuring an Interface Management profile and enabling HTTPS access on it. This profile defines management services that are permitted on the interface, including HTTPS, which is required for XML API access.

Applying this Interface Management profile to the desired Layer 3 sub-interface. This action enables HTTPS access (and thus XML API access) on the sub-interface, allowing devices on the connected network segment to communicate with the firewall for automation purposes.

This solution allows for the secure extension of management capabilities to network segments without direct access to the dedicated management interface, facilitating automation and operational efficiency without necessitating changes to existing access configurations.

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.

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.