156-215.81 Check Point Certified Security Administrator R81.20 CCSA (156-215.81.20) Questions and Answers

The user ID (UID) of a user that has all the privileges of a root user is 0. The root user is the superuser account that can perform any action on the system, such as changing file ownership, binding to network ports below 1024, or executing any command. The root user is identified by the UID 0, not by the name “root”, which is just a convention. It is possible to have another user account with the name “root”, but not with the same UID 0. 

Rugged appliances are small appliances with ruggedized hardware and like Quantum Spark appliance they use Gaia embedded as the operating system. Gaia embedded is a lightweight version of Gaia that is designed for small and medium businesses1. Centos Linux, Gaia, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 5 are not the operating systems used by Rugged appliances.

Quick Mode Complete is the message that indicates IKE Phase 2 has completed successfully2. IKE Phase 2 is also known as Quick Mode or Child SA in IKEv1 and IKEv2 respectively. Aggressive Mode and Main Mode are part of IKE Phase 1, which establishes the IKE SA. IKE Mode is not a valid term for IKE negotiation. References: How to Analyze IKE Phase 2 VPN Status Messages, IKEv2 Phase 1 (IKE SA) and Phase 2 (Child SA) Message Exchanges, Understand IPsec IKEv1 Protocol

The command show config-state can be used to verify if there are unsaved changes in GAiA that will be lost with a reboot . The other commands are not valid in GAiA. References: [Check Point GAiA Administration Guide], [Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation]

References: Threat Emulation is not a policy type available for each policy package. Threat Emulation is a software blade that is part of the Threat Prevention policy type. The other options are valid policy types that can be configured for each policy package. References: [Threat Prevention Administration Guide R80.40], [Security Policies Administration Guide R80.40]

 Alerts can be viewed in SmartView Monitor, which is a graphical tool that provides real-time information about the network and security activities, such as traffic, VPN tunnels, threats, and performance4.

References: 4: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 25.

 In Hide NAT, only the source IP address is translated to a different IP address4. This is used to hide a group of hosts behind a single IP address, usually the external interface of the Security Gateway. References: Check Point R81 Firewall Administration Guide

 A firewall can NOT prevent a network bandwidth saturation attack, which is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack that aims to consume all the available bandwidth of a target network or device1, p. 9. A firewall can prevent other types of attacks, such as buffer overflow, SYN flood, and SQL injection, by inspecting packets and applying security rules2, p. 11-12. References: Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation, 156-315.81 Checkpoint Exam Info and Free Practice Test

The command to restore a backup of Check Point configurations without the OS information is restore_backup4. This command restores the Gaia OS configuration and the firewall database from a compressed file. The other commands are not valid for this purpose. import backup is not a valid command. cp_merge is a command to merge policies or objects from different databases. migrate import is a command to import a previously exported database using migrate export. References: System Backup and Restore feature in Gaia, [cp_merge], [migrate import]

The Access Role object type is used to grant network access to an LDAP user group. It defines a set of users and machines that can access a specific network resource34 References: Access Role, LDAP User Group

Bridge Mode is a deployment option for Check Point Security Gateway that allows it to act as a transparent bridge between two network segments, without changing the IP addressing scheme. Bridge Mode supports most of the security features, such as Data Loss Prevention, Antivirus, Application Control, etc. However, Bridge Mode does not support NAT, because NAT requires modifying the IP addresses or ports of the packets, which contradicts the transparent nature of Bridge Mode1. References: Check Point R81 Security Gateway Technical Administration Guide

One of the major features in R80.x SmartConsole is concurrent administration, which allows multiple administrators to work on the same Security Policy at the same time12. However, only one administrator can edit a rule at a time. If AdminA and AdminB are editing the same rule at the same time, it will cause a conflict and prevent them from saving their changes12. Therefore, the correct answer is B. AdminA and AdminB are editing the same rule at the same time.

When using Automatic Hide NAT, Source Port Address Translation (PAT) is enabled by default1. This means that the source IP address and port number are translated to a different IP address and port number. This allows multiple hosts to share a single IP address for outbound connections. References: Check Point R81 Firewall Administration Guide

The scenario where it is a valid option to transfer a license from one hardware device to another is from a 4400 Appliance to a 2200 Appliance. This is because both appliances are Check Point products and have the same license type (Central License). You can transfer a license from one hardware device to another if they have the same license type and vendor3. Therefore, the correct answer is A. From a 4400 Appliance to a 2200 Appliance. 

The most likely reason for Vanessa’s authentication failure is that she is using the wrong details for SmartConsole. Check Point Management software authentication details are not automatically the same as the Operating System authentication details. She needs to use the credentials that were defined during the initial configuration of the Security Management Server, or the ones that were assigned to her by the administrator12. The other options are not valid reasons for this error. References: SmartConsole Login, Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation

 The GUI tool that can be used to view and apply Check Point licenses is SmartUpdate. SmartUpdate is a centralized tool that allows you to manage licenses, software packages, and hotfixes for multiple gateways and clusters12. cpconfig, Management Command Line, and SmartConsole are not tools for license management. References: Check Point R81 SmartUpdate Administration Guide, Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation | Udemy

According to the Learn More About Threat Signatures4, to quickly review when Threat Prevention signatures were last updated, you can use the IPS Protections tool. This tool shows you the date and time of the last update, as well as the number of signatures and their categories. References: Learn More About Threat Signatures

With URL Filtering, only the host portion of the URL is sent to the Check Point Online Web Service for analysis. The host portion is the part of the URL that identifies the web server, such as www.example.com.  The Check Point Online Web Service uses this information to categorize the URL and return the appropriate action to the Security Gateway3. The other options are not sent to the Check Point Online Web Service for analysis, as they may contain sensitive or irrelevant data.

An explicit rule is created by an administrator and configured to allow or block traffic based on specified criteria. Explicit rules are displayed in the Rule Base and can be modified by the administrator. References: Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) R81.20 Course Overview, page 12.

Aggressive Mode in IKEv1 uses three packets for negotiation, with all data required for the SA passed by the initiator1. The responder sends the proposal, key material, and ID, and authenticates the session in the next packet. The initiator replies and authenticates the session1.

The other answers are not correct because they either refer to the Main Mode in IKEv1, which uses six packets for negotiation2, or they are irrelevant to the number of packets used in Aggressive Mode.

Understand IPsec IKEv1 Protocol - Cisco

Negotiation modes for phase 1 - IBM

FAQ-What are the differences between IKEv1 and IKEv2- Huawei

 In Logging and Monitoring, the tracking options are Log, Detailed Log and Extended Log. You can add Accounting and/or Suppression to each of these options1. Accounting enables you to track the amount of data that is sent or received by a specific rule. Suppression enables you to reduce the number of logs that are generated by a specific rule. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Accounting/Suppression. References: Logging and Monitoring Administration Guide R80 - Check Point Software

According to the Check Point R81.10 SmartConsole for Windows1, to restore a backup, you need to supply the following data: Server, Protocol, Username, Password, and Path. The Server is the IP address or hostname of the Security Management Server. The Protocol is either SCP or SFTP. The Username and Password are the credentials for the Security Management Server. The Path is the location of the backup file on the Security Management Server. References: Check Point R81.10 SmartConsole for Windows

 To use Application objects in a rule, the “Applications & URL Filtering” blade should be enabled on the policy layer where the rule is being created. Enabling the “Application Control” blade on a gateway is not enough3.

References: 3: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 102.

The default shell of the Gaia CLI is cli.sh, which provides a limited set of commands for basic configuration and troubleshooting. To change from the cli.sh shell to the advanced shell (also known as expert mode) to run Linux commands, the administrator needs to execute the command ‘expert’ in the cli.sh shell

 The best upgrade method when the management server is not connected to the Internet is CPUSE offline upgrade . This method allows you to download the upgrade package from another source and install it manually on the management server. The other methods require Internet connection or are not supported for R80.10. References: [R80.10 Upgrade Verification and FAQ], [Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation]

A correlation unit (CU) is a component of SmartEvent that analyzes log entries on log servers and identifies events based on predefined or custom rules1. A CU receives logs from one or more log servers and forwards them to the SmartEvent server, where they are stored in the events database

A layer can support different combinations of blades, but the supported blades are Firewall (Network Access Control), Application & URL Filtering, and Content Awareness. These blades provide granular control over network traffic based on applications, users, content, and risk1. Mobile Access is not a supported blade in a layer2.

References: 1: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 101. 2: Check Point R81 Security Gateway Administration Guide, page 11.

 Log, Alert, and None are the tracking options that an Administrator can select when configuring Anti-Spoofing. Log means that the packet will be logged in SmartView Tracker. Alert means that the packet will trigger an alert in SmartView Monitor. None means that no action will be taken2. The other options are not valid tracking options.

The command that is used to monitor cluster members is cphaprob state. This command shows the state of each cluster member (Active, Standby, Down, etc.) and the reason for the state (OK, HA Failure, CCP Failure, etc.). It also shows the state synchronization status (Synchronized or Not Synchronized) and the uptime of each cluster member. The other options are incorrect. Option B is a command to show the status of cluster services, not cluster members. Option C is not a valid command by itself, as it requires an argument such as state, status, list, etc. Option D is not a valid command at all. References: [cphaprob]

The protocol that is specifically used for clustered environments is Cluster Control Protocol (CCP). CCP is a proprietary Check Point protocol that is used for communication between cluster members and for cluster administration. CCP enables cluster members to exchange state information, synchronize connections, monitor interfaces, and perform failover operations. The other options are incorrect. Clustered Protocol, Synchronized Cluster Protocol, and Control Cluster Protocol are not valid terms in Check Point terminology. References: [Cluster Control Protocol (CCP) - Check Point Software]

 Security Gateway software blades must be attached to a Security Gateway container. A Security Gateway container is a logical object that represents a physical or virtual machine that runs the Security Gateway software. A software blade is a modular security feature that can be enabled or disabled eway container. A software blade can provide functions such as firewall, VPN, IPS, anti-virus, anti-bot, application control, URL filtering, etc.References: [Security Gateway Containers], [Software Blades]

An LDAP server holds one or more Account Units. An Account Unit is a logical representation of an LDAP server in the Check Point database. It defines the connection parameters, authentication methods, and user and group information that are retrieved from the LDAP server. An Account Unit allows the Security Gateway to use the LDAP server for user authentication and identity awareness. The other options are incorrect. A Server Unit is a logical representation of a Check Point server in the Check Point database. An Administrator Unit is a logical representation of an administrator or an administrator group in the Check Point database. An Account Server is not a valid term in Check Point terminology. References: [Check Point R81 Identity Awareness Administration Guide], [Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide], [Check Point R81 SmartConsole R81 Resolved Issues]

The option that allows traffic to VPN gateways in specific VPN communities is Specific VPN Communities4. This option enables you to define which VPN communities are allowed in the rule. All Connections (Clear or Encrypted) allows traffic to any destination, regardless of whether it is encrypted or not. Accept all encrypted traffic allows traffic to any encrypted destination, regardless of the VPN community. All Site-to-Site VPN Communities allows traffic to any site-to-site VPN gateway, regardless of the VPN community4. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Specific VPN Communities.

The three deployment considerations for a secure network are Remote, Standalone, and Distributed3. Remote deployment means that the Security Management Server and Security Gateway are installed on different machines. Standalone deployment means that the Security Management Server and Security Gateway are installed on the same machine. Distributed deployment means that there are multiple Security Gateways managed by one or more Security Management Servers3. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Remote, Standalone, and Distributed.

 Identity Awareness is a software blade that lets an administrator easily configure network access and auditing based on three items: network location, the identity of a user, and the identity of a machine. These items are used to identify and authenticate users and machines, and to enforce identity-based policies. Network location refers to the IP address or subnet of the source or destination of the traffic. The identity of a user can be obtained from various sources, such as Active Directory, LDAP, or Captive Portal. The identity of a machine can be verified by using Secure Domain Logon or Identity Agent. 

By default, the SIC certificates issued by R80 Management Server are based on the SHA-256 algorithm1. SHA-256 is a secure hash algorithm that produces a 256-bit digest. SHA-200, MD5, and SHA-128 are not valid algorithms for SIC certificates. References: SHA-1 and SHA-256 certificates in Check Point Internal CA (ICA)

 The answer is A because Identity Awareness commands are used to support identity sharing between Security Gateways. Policy Decision Point (PDP) is the Security Gateway that collects identities from various sources and shares them with other gateways. Policy Enforcement Point (PEP) is the Security Gateway that enforces the policy based on the identities received from the PDP12 References: Check Point R81 Identity Awareness Administration Guide, Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide

Accept all encrypted traffic is the option that will match a connection regardless of its association with a VPN community2. This option allows encrypted traffic from any VPN peer, even if it is not defined in a VPN community2. References: Site to Site VPN in R80.x - Tutorial for Beginners

According to the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Support Center3, the snapshot command uses the command line to create an image of the OS. A snapshot is a point-in-time copy of a disk partition that can be used to restore the system in case of a failure or corruption. References: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Support Center

The key that is created during Phase 2 of a site-to-site VPN is a symmetrical IPSec key3. This key is used to encrypt and decrypt the data that is exchanged between the VPN peers3. The symmetrical IPSec key is derived from the shared secret and the Diffie-Hellman public keys that are exchanged during Phase 13. References: Site to Site VPN in R80.x - Tutorial for Beginners

The answer is C because inline layer can be defined as a rule action in a policy layer. Inline layer is a sub-policy that contains additional rules that are applied only if the parent rule matches. Ordered layer is a policy layer that contains rules that are applied in order, from top to bottom. One policy can be either inline or ordered, but not both. Pre-R80 Gateways do support ordered layers, but not inline layers5 References: Check Point R81 Policy Layers and Sub-Policies, [Check Point R81 Security Gateway Administration Guide]

The statement that is true regarding Gaia command line is that all configuration changes should be made in CLISH and expert-mode should be used for OS-level tasks. CLISH is the default shell of Gaia CLI that provides a limited set of commands for basic configuration and troubleshooting. Expert mode is an advanced shell that allows running Linux commands and accessing the file system. Configuration changes should not be done in expert-mode, as they may cause inconsistencies or errors in the system. The other statements are false regarding Gaia command line. 

The BEST object type to represent an LDAP group in a Security Policy is an Access Role. An Access Role object defines a set of users, machines, or networks that can access a resource or service1, p. 27. An Access Role object can include LDAP groups as one of its components2, p. 10. References: Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation, Check Point Identity Awareness Administration Guide R81

You should generate new licenses when the existing license expires, license is upgraded or the IP-address where the license is tied changes13. These scenarios require a new license to be generated and activated on the Security Gateway or Management Server13. Therefore, the correct answer is C. When the existing license expires, license is upgraded or the IP-address where the license is tied changes

The Application Layer Firewalls inspect traffic through the Lower layer(s) of the TCP/IP model and up to and including the Application layer. The lower layers are the Physical, Data Link, and Network layers, which deal with the transmission and routing of packets. The Application layer is the highest layer of the TCP/IP model, which provides services and protocols for specific applications such as HTTP, FTP, SMTP, etc. The Application Layer Firewalls can inspect the content and context of the traffic and enforce granular security policies based on various criteria such as user identity, application identity, content type, etc. References: [Check Point R81 Firewall Administration Guide]

Manage and Command Line is not a valid application navigation tab in the R80 SmartConsole, as it does not exist in the interface. The image shows the navigation toolbar of the R80 SmartConsole, which has four tabs: Security Policies, Logs & Monitor, Gateways & Servers, and Manage & Settings1. The Command Line Interface button is located in the system information area, not in the navigation toolbar1.

References: Application Control and URL Filtering - Check Point Software

The function that can NOT be performed in the Unified SmartConsole Gateways and Servers tab is Open SSH. SSH is a secure shell protocol that allows remote access to a device via command line interface. The Unified SmartConsole does not provide an option to open SSH from the Gateways and Servers tab, as it is not a graphical user interface. The other functions can be performed in the Unified SmartConsole Gateways and Servers tab, such as upgrading the software version, opening WebUI, or opening service request with Check Point Technical Support.

References: [SSH (Secure Shell)], [QUANTUM SECURITY MANAGEMENT R81]

This answer is correct because these are two valid methods for mutually authenticating the VPN gateways, which means that both sides of the communication verify each other’s identity using a shared secret or a public key certificate1. A pre-shared secret is a password or a passphrase that both gateways know and use to encrypt and decrypt the VPN traffic2. A PKI certificate is a digital document that contains the public key and other information that helps identify the gateway, such as the issuer, the subject, and the expiration date3. The certificate is signed by a trusted certificate authority (CA) that vouches for the authenticity of the gateway3.

The other answers are not correct because they either include invalid or irrelevant methods for mutual authentication. PKI certificates and Kerberos tickets are not compatible methods for mutual authentication, because Kerberos tickets are issued by a Kerberos server and not by a CA4. Pre-shared secrets and Kerberos tickets are also not compatible methods for mutual authentication, because they use different protocols and encryption algorithms4. PKI certificates and DynamiciD OTP are not valid methods for mutual authentication, because DynamiciD OTP is a one-time password that is used for user authentication, not for gateway authentication5.

What is mutual authentication? | Two-way authentication

Mutual authentication - AWS Client VPN

VPN authentication options - Windows Security

Mutual Authentication | Top 3 Methods of Mutual Authentication

Authentication methods and features - Microsoft Entra

 When you upload a package or license to the appropriate repository in SmartUpdate, the package or license is stored on the Security Management Server. SmartUpdate is a tool that allows you to centrally manage software updates and licenses for all Check Point products on your network.

References: : Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 16.

When an encrypted packet is decrypted, this happens in the security policy4. The security policy is a set of rules that defines how the Security Gateway inspects and secures traffic. The security policy includes VPN rules that specify which traffic should be encrypted or decrypted. The inbound and outbound chains are part of the inspection framework that processes packets according to the security policy. References: Check Point R81 VPN Administration Guide

The ports to which the Client Authentication daemon listens on by default are 259 and 900. Client Authentication is a method that allows users to authenticate with the Security Gateway before they are allowed access to protected resources. The Client Authentication daemon (fwauthd) runs on the Security Gateway and listens for authentication requests on TCP ports 259 and 900 . References: [Check Point R81 Remote Access VPN Administration Guide], [Check Point R81 Quantum Security Gateway Guide]

Gaia can be configured using the command line interface (CLI) or the WebUI. The CLI is a text-based interface that allows you to configure and manage Gaia settings using commands and scripts. The WebUI is a graphical interface that allows you to configure and manage Gaia settings using a web browser. Gaia Interface and GaiaUI are not valid terms for Gaia configuration tools.References: [Gaia Administration Guide], [Gaia Overview]

halt is the Gaia command that turns the server off. This command shuts down the operating system and powers off the machine. Other commands that can be used to shut down the server are shutdown and poweroff. References: [Gaia Administration Guide R80.40]

 To enforce the Security Policy correctly, a Security Gateway requires awareness of the network topology. This means that the gateway knows which networks and interfaces are internal and external, and how to route packets between them . References: [Check Point R81 Security Gateway Technical Administration Guide], Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation

The selected option “Accept Domain Name over UDP (Queries)” means that UDP Queries will be accepted by the traffic allowed only through interfaces with external anti-spoofing topology and this will be done before first explicit rule written by Administrator in a Security Policy. This option enables the Security Gateway to accept DNS queries from external hosts and forward them to internal DNS servers. The queries are accepted by an implied rule that is applied before the explicit rules in the Security Policy. The implied rule only allows queries from interfaces that have external anti-spoofing groups defined . References: Check Point R81 Quantum Security Gateway Guide, Implied Rules

The Internal Certificate Authority (ICA) is created during the primary Security Management Server installation process. The ICA is a component that issues and manages certificates for Check Point products. The ICA is automatically installed and initialized when installing the Security Management Server.

References: : Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 26.

SmartConsole, SmartEvent GUI client, and SmartView Web Application allow viewing of billions of consolidated logs and shows them as prioritized security events1. SmartView Web Application is a web-based interface that provides access to SmartEvent reports and dashboards2. References: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, Check Point R81 SmartEvent Administration Guide

Logs are not automatically forwarded to a new Log Server. SmartConsole must be used to manually configure each gateway to send its logs to the server. After adding a new Log Server and establishing the SIC trust with the SMS, the administrator must use SmartConsole to assign the Log Server to each gateway in the Logs and Masters section of the gateway properties2. The other options are not correct, as gateways can send logs to both SMS and Log Server, Log Servers are not proprietary log archive servers, and gateways will not detect the new Log Server after the next policy install.

Most Check Point deployments use Gaia, which is a unified operating system for all Check Point appliances, open servers, and virtualized gateways. However, some product deployments utilize special Check Point code, such as Scalable Platforms (formerly known as Maestro), which are high-performance security gateways that can scale up to 1.5 Tbps of firewall throughput. Scalable Platforms use a special version of Gaia OS called Gaia Embedded, which is planned to be unified with Gaia OS in R81.102. References: Check Point R81 Release Notes

The communication between different Check Point components is secured in R80 by using SIC. SIC stands for Secure Internal Communication and it is a mechanism that ensures the authenticity and confidentiality of communication between Check Point components, such as Security Gateways, Security Management Servers, Log Servers, etc. SIC uses certificates issued by the Internal CA (ICA) and encryption algorithms such as AES-25634. References: Check Point R81 Quantum Security Gateway Guide, Check Point R81 Quantum Security Management Administration Guide

Browser-Based Authentication is the best method for enabling Identity Awareness on the Check Point firewalls for users who use company issued or personal laptops. Browser-Based Authentication redirects users to a web page where they enter their credentials to access the network resources. This method does not require any installation or configuration on the user’s device and supports any operating system and browser. AD Query is a method that queries Active Directory servers for user login events and maps them to IP addresses. This method does not work for personal laptops that are not joined to the domain. Identity Agents are software agents that run on Windows or macOS devices and provide user and machine identity information to the firewall. This method requires installation and management of the agents on each device, which may not be feasible for personal laptops. Terminal Servers Agent is a method that identifies users who connect to Windows Terminal Servers or Citrix servers via RDP or ICA protocols. This method does not apply to laptops that connect directly to the network910 References: Identity Awareness Reference Architecture and Best Practices, Part 10 - Identity

The purpose of a Stealth Rule is to drop any traffic destined for the firewall that is not otherwise explicitly allowed1, p. 32. A Stealth Rule is usually placed at the top of the rule base, before any other rule that allows traffic to the Security Gateway2, p. 13. A Stealth Rule is not used to hide a server’s IP address, to allow administrators to access SmartDashboard, or to drop any traffic that is not explicitly allowed. References: Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation, 156-315.81 Checkpoint Exam Info and Free Practice Test

Security Zones are a feature of Application Control and Identity Awareness that allow you to define groups of network objects based on their level of trust. Security Zones do not work with Manual NAT rules, because Manual NAT rules are applied before the Application Control and Identity Awareness policy is enforced1. References: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide

The way that the objects can be manipulated using the new API integration in R80 Management is JSON. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans and machines to read and write. The R80 Management API uses JSON as the primary data format for requests and responses. Therefore, the correct answer is B. JSON.

Access roles allow the firewall administrator to configure network access according to remote access clients, a combination of computer or computer groups and networks, and users and user groups12. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

Suspicious Activity Monitoring (SAM) is the utility that is used to block activities that appear to be suspicious. SAM allows administrators to block connections from specific IP addresses or network objects for a specified period of time3. Penalty Box is a feature of SAM that automatically blocks connections from sources that generate too many log entries. Drop Rule in the rulebase is a firewall action that discards packets that match certain criteria. Stealth rule is a firewall rule that prevents direct access to the Security Gateway from external sources.

Service blades must be attached to a Security Gateway. A Security Gateway is a device that enforces security policies on traffic that passes through it. A service blade is a software module that provides a specific security function, such as firewall, VPN, IPS, etc. A Security Gateway can have one or more service blades attached to it, depending on the license and hardware capabilities. The other options are incorrect. A management container is a virtualized environment that hosts a Security Management Server or a Log Server. A management server is a device that manages security policies and distributes them to Security Gateways. A Security Gateway container is not a valid term in Check Point terminology. References: [Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide], [Check Point R81 CloudGuard Administration Guide]

The difference between SSL VPN and IPSec VPN is that IPSec VPN requires installation of a resident VPN client and SSL VPN requires only an installed browser5 . IPSec VPN uses a pre-shared key or certificates to authenticate the endpoints and encrypts the data at the network layer. SSL VPN uses SSL/TLS protocols to authenticate the endpoints and encrypts the data at the application layer. References: Check Point Remote Access VPN Administration Guide R81, [Free Check Point CCSA Sample Questions and Study Guide]

Capsule Connect provides a Layer 3 VPN that allows users to access corporate resources securely from their mobile devices2. Capsule Workspace provides a secure container on the mobile device that isolates business data and applications from personal data and applications3. Capsule Workspace also provides a desktop with usable applications such as email, calendar, contacts, documents, and web applications3. References: Check Point Capsule Connect, Check Point Capsule Workspace

The Publish operation sends the modifications made via SmartConsole in the private session and makes them public is the correct answer. This is because publishing is the process of saving your changes to the database and making them available to other administrators. Publishing also allows you to install policies on Security Gateways. References: [Publishing Changes]

SmartView is the web application for real-time event monitoring in SmartEvent R80 and above. It provides a unified view of security events across the network and allows for quick investigation and response34. References: SmartEvent R80.40 Administration Guide, SmartView

The correct answer is D because sending API commands over an http connection using web-services is not one of the ways to communicate using the Management API’s3. The Management API’s support HTTPS protocol only, not HTTP3. The other methods are valid ways to communicate using the Management API’s3. References: Check Point Learning and Training Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 Identity Captive Portal is a Check Point Identity Awareness web portal, to which users connect with their web browser to log in and authenticate, when using Browser-Based Authentication2. To enable Identity Captive Portal for a specific rule, you need to right click Accept in the rule, select “More”, and then check “Enable Identity Captive Portal”3. References: Identity Awareness Administration Guide R80, Identity awareness with captive portal in Checkpoint R80

 SecureID is the authentication method that requires token authenticator2. SecureID is a two-factor authentication method that uses a hardware or software token to generate a one-time password. The user must enter the token code along with their username and password to authenticate. References: Check Point R81 Identity Awareness Administration Guide

Specific VPN Communities is the option that would only match and allow traffic to VPN gateways for one Community in common. This option allows you to define a specific VPN community that includes the VPN gateways that are allowed to communicate with each other. The other options are either too broad or too narrow for this scenario. References: [Site to Site VPN in R80.x - Tutorial for Beginners]

 Once a license is activated, a Service Contract file should be installed. This file contains information about the license expiration date, support level, and other details3. The other options are not valid file names.

References: 3: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 15.

 It is Best Practice to have an Explicit CleanUp rule at the end of each policy layer. This rule will log and drop any traffic that does not match any of the preceding rules in the layer1, p. 23. References: Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation

The Status Attention means that at least one Software Blade has a minor issue, but the gateway works1. For example, this could indicate a license expiration warning, a policy installation failure, or a blade activation problem2. References: Check Point R81 SmartConsole Guide, Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide

The Next Generation Threat Emulation software blade package uses CPU-level and OS-level sandboxing in order to detect and block malware1, p. 41. It emulates files in a virtual environment and inspects their behavior for malicious activity3. References: Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation, Check Point Threat Emulation Administration Guide R81

The INSPECT Engine is the core component of Check Point’s Stateful Inspection technology. It is used to extract state related information from packets and store that information in state tables. The INSPECT Engine also evaluates the security policy and enforces it on the packets1. References: Check Point R81 Security Gateway Technical Administration Guide

SmartConsole provides a consolidated solution for everything that is necessary for the security of an organization, such as Security Policy Management and Log Analysis. Security Policy Management is the process of defining and enforcing rules that control the access and protection of network resources. Log Analysis is the process of collecting, analyzing, and reporting on log data that is generated by network devices and applications. SmartConsole is a unified graphical user interface that allows administrators to manage multiple security functions from a single console. The other options are not part of SmartConsole, but rather separate software blades or features that can be integrated with SmartConsole. 

 If AdminB sees a lock icon on a rule, it means that the rule is locked by AdminA and will be made available if the session is published. A session is a set of changes made by an administrator in SmartConsole. A session can be published to save and share the changes with other administrators, or discarded to cancel the changes and unlock the objects1.

References: 1: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 18.

 A SAM (Suspicious Activity Monitoring) rule is implemented to provide the function or benefit of blocking suspicious activity. A SAM rule is a rule that defines an action to be taken by the firewall when it detects a suspicious activity, such as an attack, a scan, or a policy violation. The action can be blocking, dropping, rejecting, or logging the traffic that triggered the suspicious activity. A SAM rule can be created manually or automatically by other security features, such as IPS, Anti-Bot, or SmartEvent.References: [SAM Rules], [Suspicious Activity Rules]

References: Certificate-based authentication is considered to be the more secure and preferred VPN authentication method. It uses digital certificates to verify the identity of the VPN client and server, and provides stronger encryption and mutual authentication. Password-based authentication methods are less secure and more vulnerable to brute-force attacks, phishing, and keylogging. MD5 is a hashing algorithm, not an authentication method. Pre-shared secret is a symmetric key that is shared between the VPN peers, but it can be compromised if it is not changed frequently or stored securely12 References: VPN authentication options, Windows VPN technical guide

The SOLR database is used for full text search and enables powerful matching capabilities3 . SOLR is an open source enterprise search platform that provides fast and scalable indexing and searching of data. It supports advanced features such as faceting, highlighting, spell checking, synonyms, etc. The SOLR database is used by Check Point products such as SmartLog and SmartEvent to store and query logs and events3 . The other options are incorrect. Option B is false, as SOLR does not write data to the database, but only reads data from it. Option C is false, as SOLR does not serve GUI, but only provides a RESTful API for queries. Option D is false, as SOLR does not enable powerful matching capabilities and write data to the database, but only enables powerful matching capabilities. References: SOLR - Check Point Software, [Apache Solr]

 The answer is B because AES-CBC-256 is not a supported encryption algorithm for IPsec Security Associations (Phase 2) in R81. The supported encryption algorithms are AES-GCM-128, AES-GCM-256, AES-CBC-128, 3DES, and NULL3 References: Check Point R81 VPN Administration Guide

 Core Protections are installed as part of the Threat Prevention Policy. Core Protections are a set of IPS protections that are essential for securing your network against malicious traffic4. The other policies do not include Core Protections.

References: 1: Check Point CLI Reference Card 2: Anti-Spoofing 3: SmartView Tracker 4: Core Protections

 The type of Check Point license that ties the package license to the IP address of the Security Management Server is Central license. A Central license is a license that is installed on the Security Management Server and applies to all the Security Gateways that are managed by it. The Central license is based on the IP address of the Security Management Server and cannot be transferred to another Security Management Server with a different IP address.References: [Check Point R81 Licensing Guide], [Managing and Installing license via SmartUpdate]

The types of Software Containers are Security Management, Security Gateway, and Endpoint Security. Software Containers are virtual environments that run on top of Gaia OS and allow multiple instances of Check Point products to coexist on the same physical machine. The other options are not valid types of Software Containers.

When a SAM rule is required on Security Gateway to quickly block suspicious connections which are not restricted by the Security Policy, the administrator needs to take the following action: SmartView Monitor should be opened and then the SAM rule/s can be applied immediately. Installing policy is not required. SAM stands for Suspicious Activity Monitoring and is a feature that allows administrators to block or limit connections from specific sources or destinations without modifying the security policy. SAM rules can be created from SmartView Monitor or SmartEvent based on real-time network activity or security events. References: [Check Point R81 SmartView Monitor Administration Guide]

 If there are two administrators logged in at the same time to the SmartConsole, and there are objects locked for editing, the administrator who locked the objects must publish or discard the session to make them available to other administrators. Publishing or discarding the session will save or discard the changes made by the administrator and unlock the objects for editing by others3.

References: 3: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 18.

Since Bob and Joe both have Administrator Roles on their Gaia Platform and they both are logged in on different interfaces, they will both be able to make changes. Gaia allows multiple administrators to log in simultaneously and perform different tasks without locking the database or logging out each other. References: Gaia R81.20 Administration Guide, page 18.

 The Check Point Upgrade Service Engine (CPUSE) is a tool that automates the process of upgrading and installing Check Point products on Gaia OS1. It can also be used to update the Gaia OS itself2. The other options are not valid tools for this purpose. References: Check Point Upgrade Service Engine (CPUSE) - Gaia Deployment Agent, Check Point R81 Gaia Installation and Upgrade Guide

This answer is correct because a standalone deployment is a valid option for installing a Check Point Security Gateway and a Security Management Server on the same machine1. This option is suitable for small or medium-sized networks that do not require high availability or load balancing1.

The other answers are not correct because they are either invalid or irrelevant options for deployment. CloudSec deployment is not a valid option, but it might be confused with CloudGuard, which is a Check Point solution for securing cloud environments2. Disliked deployment is not a valid option, but it might be a typo for Distributed deployment, which is a valid option for installing a Check Point Security Gateway and a Security Management Server on separate machines1. Router only deployment is not a valid option, but it might be confused with Router mode, which is a configuration option for a Check Point Security Gateway that enables it to act as a router and forward packets between interfaces3.

Gaia R81.20 Administration Guide

CloudGuard Network Security

Configuring Router Mode in Gaia Clish

The Sticky Decision Function (SDF) is required to prevent failovers in an Active-Active cluster. The SDF ensures that the same cluster member handles all connections that belong to a certain session. If the SDF is not enabled, different cluster members may handle different connections of the same session, which may cause a failover or a drop12. References: ClusterXL Administration Guide R81, Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation

Multi-domain management server is a valid deployment option for R81, not R80. R80 supports multi-domain security management, which is a centralized management solution for large-scale, distributed environments with many different domain networks1. References: Multi-Domain Security Management Administration Guide R80

To provide updated malicious data signatures to all Threat Prevention blades, the Threat Prevention gateway does share the data to the ThreatCloud for use by other Threat Prevention blades. The ThreatCloud is a collaborative network and cloud-driven knowledge base that delivers real-time dynamic security intelligence to security gateways. The Threat Prevention gateway can send and receive updates from the ThreatCloud about new threats and malicious data signatures. References: [Check Point R81 Threat Prevention Administration Guide]

SecurID is a Check Point supported authentication scheme that typically requires a user to possess a token. A token is a physical device that generates a one-time password that changes periodically. The user must enter the password along with their username to authenticate. References: Remote Access VPN R81.20 Administration Guide, page 30.

Central licensing is the preferred licensing model because it ties the package license to the IP-address of the Security Management Server and has no dependency on the gateway. This allows for easier management and distribution of licenses across multiple gateways1.

References: 1: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 14.

The backups are stored in Check Point appliances as *.tgz files under /var/CPbackup. This is the default location for backup files created by the backup command. Therefore, the correct answer is B. Saved as *.tgz under /var/CPbackup

 Address translation is not a role of the SmartCenter, as it is performed by the Security Gateway based on the NAT policy configured in the SmartConsole5. The other options are roles of the SmartCenter, as it is responsible for status monitoring, policy configuration, and certificate authority for the Security Gateways5.

References: Gaia R81.10 Administration Guide, QUANTUM SECURITY MANAGEMENT R81, Remote Access VPN R81 Administration Guide

When tunnel test packets no longer invoke a response, SmartView Monitor displays Down for the given VPN tunnel1. This means that the VPN tunnel is not operational and there is no IKE or IPsec traffic passing through it. No Response, Inactive, and Failed are not valid statuses for VPN tunnels in SmartView Monitor. References: Smart View Monitor displays status for all S2S VPN tunnels - Phase1 UP

This answer is correct because DES (Data Encryption Standard) is the least secured encryption algorithm among the options given. DES uses a 56-bit key, which is too short and can be easily cracked by brute force attacks1. DES also suffers from other weaknesses, such as weak keys, complementation property, and linear cryptanalysis2.

The other answers are not correct because they are more secured encryption algorithms than DES. 3DES (Triple DES) is an improvement over DES that applies DES three times with different keys, resulting in a 168-bit key3. AES-128 and AES-256 are variants of AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) that use 128-bit and 256-bit keys respectively. AES is considered to be the most secure symmetric encryption algorithm and is widely used for data protection.

What is DES encryption, and why was it replaced?

Data Encryption Standard - Wikipedia

What is 3DES encryption?

[What is AES encryption and how does it work?]

The three components for Check Point Capsule are Capsule Workspace, Capsule Docs, and Capsule Cloud123. Capsule Workspace provides a secure container on the mobile device that isolates business data and applications from personal data and applications2. Capsule Docs protects business documents everywhere they go with encryption and access control1. Capsule Cloud provides cloud-based security services to protect mobile users from threats3. References: Check Point Capsule, Check Point Capsule Workspace, Mobile Secure Workspace with Capsule

The answer is B because bridge mode deployment adds a Security Gateway to an existing environment without changing IP routing. Bridge mode is a transparent mode that does not require assigning IP addresses to the Security Gateway interfaces. Distributed deployment is a deployment where the Security Management Server and the Security Gateway are installed on separate machines. Remote deployment is a deployment where the Security Gateway is installed on a remote site and connects to the Security Management Server over a VPN tunnel. Standalone deployment is a deployment where the Security Management Server and the Security Gateway are installed on the same machine.References: [Check Point R81 Bridge Mode], [Check Point R81 Deployment Scenarios]

The components of Check Point Capsule are Capsule Docs, Capsule Cloud, and Capsule Workspace123. There is no Capsule Enterprise component. Capsule Docs protects business documents everywhere they go. Capsule Cloud protects mobile users outside the enterprise security perimeter. Capsule Workspace creates a secure business environment on mobile devices. References: Check Point Capsule Datasheet, Check Point Capsule Workspace Datasheet, Mobile Secure Workspace with Capsule

The answer is D because in R80 and above, the first administrator to connect to the Management Server using SmartConsole gets a lock on only the objects being modified in his session of the Management Database. Other administrators can connect to make changes using different sessions, but they cannot modify the same objects as the first administrator until he publishes his changes. This is called concurrent administration and it allows multiple administrators to work on the same policy package simultaneously12 References: Check Point R80.10 Concurrent Administration, Check Point R80.40 Security Management Administration Guide

 A session starts when an Administrator logs in through SmartConsole and ends when the Administrator logs out. A session allows multiple administrators to work on the same policy simultaneously, without overwriting each other’s changes3.

References: 3: Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 17.

 If Deyra sees the gateway status as shown in the image, it means that there is a blade reporting a problem. The red “X” in the status column indicates that one or more blades on the Security Gateway have a problem that requires attention. The other options are not correct, as they do not match the status shown in the image. If the SmartCenter Server cannot reach this Security Gateway, the status column would show a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark. If the VPN software blade is reporting a malfunction, the blades column would show a red “X” on the VPN icon. If the Security Gateway’s MGNT NIC card is disconnected, the IP column would show “N/A” instead of the IP address.

References: Remote Access VPN R81 Administration Guide, Check Point R81.10

The SmartCenter that should be connected to for making changes is the active SmartCenter. The active SmartCenter is the one that is currently synchronizing its configuration with the secondary SmartCenter and handling the communication with the gateways . The primary SmartCenter is the one that was initially configured as the main server, but it may become inactive if a failover occurs. The virtual IP of SmartCenter HA is used to access the SmartConsole, not to make changes. References: [Security Management Server High Availability (HA) R81 Administration Guide], [Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation], [How to configure ClusterXL High Availability on Security Management Server]

Automatic Hide NAT enables Source Port Address Translation by default1. This means that the source IP address and port number are translated to a different IP address and port number. This allows multiple hosts to share a single IP address for outbound connections. References: Check Point R81 Firewall Administration Guide

SmartLog is a unified log viewer that provides fast and easy access to logs from all Check Point components3. It allows the administrator to query for any log field, such as the IP address of the tablet, and filter the results by time, severity, blade, action, and more4. SmartView Tracker is a legacy tool that displays network activity logs from Security Gateways and other Check Point devices. It does not support remote connection to the wireless controller or querying for specific IP addresses. References: SmartLog, SmartLog Queries, [SmartView Tracker]

The VPN Domains configuration element determines which traffic should be encrypted into a VPN tunnel vs. sent in the clear. The VPN Domain is the set of hosts and networks that are allowed to communicate securely with the gateway12. The firewall topologies, NAT rules, and the rule base do not directly affect the VPN encryption decision. References: Check Point R81 Security Gateway Technical Administration Guide, CCSA/CCSE Exam Tips & Content - R80.X vs. R81.X - Check Point CheckMates

RADIUS protocol uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) to communicate with the gateway. UDP is a connectionless protocol that does not require a handshake or acknowledgment before sending or receiving data2.

References: 2: [Check Point R81 Identity Awareness Administration Guide], page 14.

 The answer is A because changing the Security Gateway IP-address requires re-establishing the trust with the Security Management Server by initializing the Secure Internal Communication (SIC). Changing the Security Gateway name in command line or changing the Security Management Server name or IP-address in SmartConsole does not require re-establishing the trust, but it may require updating the topology and pushing the policy.References: [Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide], [Check Point R81 Security Gateway Administration Guide]

The pen-symbol in the left column means that the rules have been edited by the logged in administrator, but the policy has not been published yet. It indicates that the changes are not yet effective and can be discarded.References: Policy Editor, Publishing Changes

 URL Filtering employs a technology called UserCheck, which educates users on web usage policy in real time. UserCheck is a feature that allows the firewall to interact with the users and inform them about the web usage policy and its violations. UserCheck can also allow users to request access to blocked websites or report false positives. UserCheck helps users understand and comply with the web usage policy and reduces the workload of the administrators.

 The Security Gateways collect logs and send them to the log server. The Security Gateways are the components that enforce the security policy on network traffic and generate logs for each connection that matches a rule with a tracking option. The log server is the component that receives and stores the logs from the Security Gateways and provides a centralized interface for viewing and analyzing them. The log server can be either a dedicated server or integrated with the Security Management Server. References: [Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide]

There are two default users on Gaia Platform and neither can be deleted. The two default users are admin and monitor. The admin user has full access to the Gaia configuration and management tools, such as CLI and WebUI. The monitor user has read-only access to the Gaia configuration and management tools, and can only view the system status and settings. These two users cannot be deleted, but their passwords can be changed.References: [Gaia Administration Guide], [Gaia Overview]