Palo Alto Networks PSE-SWFW-Pro-24 Exam Questions

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Step-by-Step Explanation:

Cloud NGFW for AWS is a cloud-native firewall service designed to provide scalable and flexible security in Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments. The Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall documentation describes the deployment models supported by Cloud NGFW to meet various architectural needs in public clouds.

Distributed (Option B): In a distributed deployment model, Cloud NGFW instances are deployed across multiple Availability Zones (AZs) or Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) in AWS. This model ensures scalability, high availability, and localized traffic inspection, reducing latency and improving performance. The documentation highlights distributed deployment as a key feature for large-scale AWS environments, leveraging AWS's auto-scaling and load-balancing capabilities.

Centralized (Option D): In a centralized deployment model, a single Cloud NGFW instance or a cluster of instances serves as a central point for inspecting traffic across multiple VPCs or regions in AWS. This model simplifies management and policy enforcement but may introduce latency for distributed workloads. The documentation notes that centralized deployment is suitable for smaller environments or specific use cases requiring unified control, integrated with AWS Transit Gateway or VPC peering.

Options A (Hierarchical) and C (Linear) are incorrect. Hierarchical deployment is not a supported model for Cloud NGFW in AWS, as it implies a multi-tiered structure not aligned with the cloud-native architecture of Cloud NGFW. Linear deployment is not a recognized model in the documentation for Cloud NGFW, which focuses on distributed and centralized approaches to meet AWS scalability and security needs.

CN-Series firewalls are specifically designed for containerized environments.

Why A, C, and E are correct:

A . Prevention of sensitive data exfiltration from Kubernetes environments: CN-Series provides visibility and control over container traffic, enabling the prevention of data leaving the Kubernetes cluster without authorization.

C . Inbound, outbound, and east-west traffic between containers: CN-Series secures all types of container traffic: ingress (inbound), egress (outbound), and traffic between containers within the cluster (east-west).

E . Enforcement of segmentation policies that prevent lateral movement of threats: CN-Series allows for granular segmentation of containerized applications, limiting the impact of breaches by preventing threats from spreading laterally within the cluster.

Why B and D are incorrect:

B . All Kubernetes workloads in the public and private cloud: While CN-Series can protect Kubernetes workloads in both public and private clouds, the statement 'all Kubernetes workloads' is too broad. Its focus is on securing the network traffic around those workloads, not managing the Kubernetes infrastructure itself.

D . All workloads deployed on-premises or in the public cloud: CN-Series is specifically designed for containerized environments (primarily Kubernetes). It's not intended to protect all workloads deployed in any environment. That's the role of other Palo Alto Networks products like VM-Series, PA-Series, and Prisma Access.

Palo Alto Networks Reference: The Palo Alto Networks documentation on CN-Series firewalls clearly outlines these use cases. Look for information on:

CN-Series Datasheets and Product Pages: These resources describe the key features and benefits of CN-Series, including its focus on container security.

CN-Series Deployment Guides: These guides provide detailed information on deploying and configuring CN-Series in Kubernetes environments.

These resources confirm that CN-Series is focused on securing container traffic within Kubernetes environments, including data exfiltration prevention, securing all traffic directions (inbound, outbound, east-west), and enforcing segmentation

The VM-Series tiering simplifies the product portfolio.

Why B is correct: The four-tier model (VE, VE-Lite, VE-Standard, VE-High) simplifies the selection process for customers by grouping VM-Series models based on performance and resource allocation. This makes it easier to choose the appropriate VM-Series instance based on their needs without having to navigate a long list of individual models.

Why A, C, and D are incorrect:

A . To obscure the supported hypervisor manufacturer into generic terms: The tiering is not related to obscuring hypervisor information. The documentation clearly states supported hypervisors.

C . To define the maximum limits for key criteria based on allocated memory: While memory is a factor in performance, the tiers are based on a broader set of resource allocations (vCPUs, memory, throughput) and features, not just memory.

D . To define the priority level of support customers expect when opening a TAC case: Support priority is based on support contracts, not the VM-Series tier.

Palo Alto Networks Reference: VM-Series datasheets and the VM-Series deployment guides explain the tiering model and its purpose of simplifying the portfolio.

Memory scaling in PAN-OS 10.2 and later enhances capacity for certain functions.

Why B, C, and E are correct:

B . Increased maximum sessions with additional memory: More memory allows the firewall to maintain state for a larger number of concurrent sessions.

C . Increased maximum number of Dynamic Address Groups with additional memory: DAGs consume memory, so scaling memory allows for more DAGs.

E . Increased maximum security rule count with additional memory: More memory allows the firewall to store and process a larger number of security rules.

Why A and D are incorrect:

A . Increased maximum throughput with additional memory: Throughput is primarily related to CPU and network interface performance, not memory.

D . Increased number of tags per IP address with additional memory: The number of tags per IP is not directly tied to the memory scaling feature.

Palo Alto Networks Reference:

PAN-OS Release Notes for 10.2 and later: The release notes for PAN-OS versions introducing memory scaling explain the benefits in detail.

PAN-OS Administrator's Guide: The guide may also contain information about resource limits and the impact of memory scaling.

The release notes specifically mention the increased capacity for sessions, DAGs, and security rules as key benefits of memory scaling.

The question asks about Cloud NGFW management tasks performed inherently by the service within AWS and Azure. This means we are looking for tasks that are automated and handled by the Cloud NGFW service itself, not by the customer.

Here's a breakdown of why A, B, and C are correct and why D and E are incorrect, referencing relevant Palo Alto Networks documentation where possible (though specific, publicly accessible documentation on the inner workings of the managed service is limited, the principles are consistent with their general cloud and firewall offerings):

A . Horizontally scaling out to meet increased traffic demand: This is a core feature of cloud-native services. Cloud NGFW is designed to automatically scale its resources (compute, memory, etc.) based on traffic volume. This eliminates the need for manual intervention by the customer to provision or de-provision resources. This aligns with the general principles of cloud elasticity and autoscaling, which are fundamental to cloud-native services like Cloud NGFW. While explicit public documentation detailing the exact scaling mechanism is limited, it's a standard practice for cloud-based services and is implied in the general description of Cloud NGFW as a managed service.

B . Installing new content (applications and threats): Palo Alto Networks maintains the threat intelligence and application databases for Cloud NGFW. This means that updates to these databases, which are crucial for identifying and blocking threats, are automatically pushed to the service by Palo Alto Networks. Customers do not need to manually download or install these updates. This is consistent with how Palo Alto Networks manages its other security services, such as Threat Prevention and WildFire, where content updates are delivered automatically.

C . Installing new PAN-OS software updates: Just like content updates, PAN-OS software updates are also managed by Palo Alto Networks for Cloud NGFW. This ensures that the service is always running the latest and most secure version of the operating system. This removes the operational burden of managing software updates from the customer. This is a key advantage of a managed service.

D . Blocking high-risk S2C threats in accordance with SOC2 compliance: While Cloud NGFW does block threats, including server-to-client (S2C) threats, the management of this blocking is not inherently performed by the service in the context of SOC2 compliance. SOC2 is an auditing framework, and compliance is the customer's responsibility. The service provides the tools to achieve security controls, but demonstrating and maintaining compliance is the customer's task. The service does not inherently manage the compliance process itself.

E . Decrypting high-risk SSL traffic: While Cloud NGFW can decrypt SSL traffic for inspection (SSL Forward Proxy), the question asks about tasks inherently performed by the service. Decryption is a configurable option. Customers choose whether or not to enable SSL decryption. It is not something the service automatically does without explicit configuration. Therefore, it's not an inherent management task performed by the service.

In summary, horizontal scaling, content updates, and PAN-OS updates are all handled automatically by the Cloud NGFW service, making A, B, and C the correct answers. D and E involve customer configuration or compliance considerations, not inherent management tasks performed by the service itself.