PSE-Strata-Pro-24 Online Practice Questions

Explanation:
A perimeter firewall is traditionally deployed at the boundary of a network to protect it from external threats. It provides a variety of protections, including blocking unauthorized access, inspecting traffic flows, and safeguarding sensitive resources.
Here is how the options apply:
Option A (Correct): Perimeter firewalls provide network layer protection by filtering and inspecting traffic entering or leaving the network at the outer edge. This is one of their primary roles.
Option B: Power utilization is not a functional or architectural aspect of a firewall and is irrelevant when describing the purpose of a perimeter firewall.
Option C: Securing east-west traffic is more aligned with data center firewalls, which monitor lateral (east-west) movement of traffic within a virtualized or segmented environment. A perimeter firewall focuses on north-south traffic instead.
Option D (Correct): A perimeter firewall primarily secures north-south traffic, which refers to traffic entering and leaving the network. It ensures that inbound and outbound traffic adheres to security policies.
Option E (Correct): Perimeter firewalls play a critical role in guarding against external attacks, such as DDoS attacks, malicious IP traffic, and other unauthorized access attempts.
Reference: Palo Alto Networks Firewall Deployment Use Cases: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com Security Reference Architecture for North-South Traffic Control.

Explanation:
The Best Practice Assessment (BPA) report evaluates firewall and Panorama configurations against Palo Alto Networks' best practice recommendations. It provides actionable insights to improve the security posture of the deployment.
BPA reports can be generated from the following locations:
Why "PANW Partner Portal" (Correct Answer A)?
Partners with access to the Palo Alto Networks Partner Portal can generate BPA reports for customers as part of their service offerings. This allows partners to assess and demonstrate compliance with best practices.
Why "Customer Support Portal" (Correct Answer B)?
Customers can log in to the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal to generate their own BPA reports. This enables organizations to self-assess and improve their firewall configurations.
Why not "AIOps" (Option C)?
While AIOps provides operational insights and best practice recommendations, it does not generate full BPA reports. BPA and AIOps are distinct tools within the Palo Alto Networks ecosystem.
Why not "Strata Cloud Manager (SCM)" (Option D)?
Strata Cloud Manager is designed for managing multiple Palo Alto Networks cloud-delivered services and NGFWs but does not currently support generating BPA reports. BPA is limited to the Partner Portal and Customer Support Portal.
Reference: Palo Alto Networks documentation for Best Practice Assessment (BPA) confirms that BPA reports can be generated via the Partner Portal or Customer Support Portal.

Explanation:
LDAP Query (Answer B):
Palo Alto Networks NGFWs can query LDAP directories (such as Active Directory) to validate whether submitted credentials match the corporate directory.
Domain Credential Filter (Answer C):
The Domain Credential Filter feature ensures that submitted credentials are checked against valid corporate credentials, preventing credential misuse.
Why Not A:
Group mapping is used to identify user groups for policy enforcement but does not validate submitted credentials.
Why Not D:
WMI client probing is used for user identification but is not a method for validating submitted credentials.
Reference from Palo Alto Networks Documentation:
Credential Theft Prevention

Explanation:
When assisting a customer in deploying next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) for their new physical store branches, it is crucial to address their requirements for SD-WAN, security, and data protection with a validated deployment methodology. Palo Alto Networks provides robust solutions for branch security and SD-WAN integration, and several steps align with vendor-validated methods:
Option A (Correct): Palo Alto Networks or certified partners provide professional services for validated deployment methods, including SD-WAN, security, and data protection in branch locations. Professional services ensure that the deployment adheres to industry best practices and Palo Alto’s validated reference architectures. This ensures a scalable and secure deployment across all branch locations.
Option B: While using Golden Images and a Day 1 configuration can create a consistent baseline for configuration deployment, it does not align directly with the requirement of following vendor-validated deployment methodologies. This step is helpful but secondary to vendor-validated professional services and bespoke deployment planning.
Option C (Correct): A bespoke deployment plan considers the customer's specific architecture, store footprint, and unique security requirements. Palo Alto Networks’ system engineers typically collaborate with the customer to design and validate tailored deployments, ensuring alignment with the customer’s operational goals while maintaining compliance with validated architectures.
Option D: While Palo Alto Networks provides branch deployment guides (such as the "On-Premises Network Security for the Branch Deployment Guide"), these guides are primarily reference materials. They do not substitute for vendor-provided professional services or the creation of tailored deployment plans with the customer.
Reference: Palo Alto Networks SD-WAN Deployment Guide.
Branch Deployment Architecture Best Practices: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com
Professional Services Overview: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/services

Explanation:
To address the MSSP’s requirement for logically separated BGP peering setups while efficiently managing standard routing rules and updates, Palo Alto Networks offers the Advanced Routing Engine introduced in PAN-OS 11.0. The Advanced Routing Engine enhances routing capabilities, including support for logical routers, which is critical in this scenario.
Why A is Correct
Logical routers enable the MSSP to create isolated BGP peering configurations for each customer.
The Advanced Routing Engine allows the MSSP to share standard routing profiles (such as filters,
policies, or maps) across logical routers, simplifying the deployment and maintenance of routing configurations.
This approach ensures scalability, as each logical router can handle the unique needs of a customer while leveraging shared routing rules.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect
B: While using APIs to automate deployment is beneficial, it does not solve the need for logically separated BGP peering setups. Logical routers provide this separation natively.
C: While virtual routers in PAN-OS can separate BGP peering setups, they do not support the efficient sharing of standard routing rules and profiles across multiple routers.
D: Virtual systems (vsys) are used to segregate administrative domains, not routing configurations. Vsys is not the appropriate solution for managing BGP peering setups across multiple customers.
Key Takeaways:
PAN-OS Advanced Routing Engine with logical routers simplifies BGP peering management for MSSPs.
Logical routers provide the separation required for customer environments while enabling shared configuration profiles.
Reference: Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS 11.0 Advanced Routing Documentation