PCCSE Prisma Certified Cloud Security Engineer Questions and Answers

Prisma Cloud supports configuring Single Sign-On (SSO) with Identity Providers (IdPs) to streamline user authentication processes. However, for all the cloud accounts monitored by Prisma Cloud, only one IdP provider can be enabled at any given time. This limitation ensures a unified authentication mechanism across the platform, reducing complexity and potential security risks associated with managing multiple IdP configurations.

The Defender type "Container Defender - Linux" in Prisma Cloud is typically deployed as a container. This deployment method allows the Defender to integrate seamlessly into containerized environments, providing runtime protection and monitoring for container activities. By running as a container, the Container Defender can leverage the native capabilities of the container orchestration platform, such as Kubernetes, to provide security features like threat detection, vulnerability management, and compliance enforcement within the containerized environment. This approach ensures that the security protections are closely aligned with the dynamic and scalable nature of containerized applications.

In AWS, the net effective permissions are calculated based on various policy types and identities. The correct choices are:

• A. AWS service control policies (SCPs): SCPs are used in AWS Organizations to manage permissions for all accounts within the organization, affecting the net effective permissions.
• B. AWS IAM group: IAM groups define a set of permissions for a collection of users, influencing their effective permissions.
• C. AWS IAM role: IAM roles provide temporary security credentials to assume a set of permissions, impacting the net effective permissions. Option D (AWS IAM User) and E (AWS IAM tag policy) also play roles in defining permissions, but A, B, and C are the primary types used in calculating net effective permissions, making them the correct choices.

You can have twistcli generate a detailed report for each scan. The following procedure shows you how to scan an image with twistcli, and then retrieve the results from Console.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/tools/twistcli_scan_images

The question focuses on valid host compliance policies within a cloud environment. Among the given options, the most relevant to host compliance is ensuring compliant Docker daemon configuration. Docker daemon configurations are critical for securing the host environment where containers are run. A compliant Docker daemon configuration involves setting security-related options to ensure the Docker engine operates securely. This can include configurations related to TLS for secure communication, logging levels, authorization plugins, and user namespace remapping for isolation.

Ensuring functions are not overly permissive (Option A) and ensuring images are created with a non-root user (Option C) are more directly related to the security best practices for serverless functions and container images, respectively, rather than host-specific compliance checks. Ensuring host devices are not directly exposed to containers (Option B) is also important for security, but it falls under the broader category of container runtime security rather than host-specific compliance.

Thus, the most valid host compliance policy from the given options is to ensure a compliant Docker daemon configuration, as it directly impacts the security posture of the host environment in a containerized infrastructure. This aligns with best practices for securing Docker environments and is a common recommendation in container security guidelines, including those from Docker and cybersecurity frameworks.

References:

• Docker Documentation: Security configuration and best practices for Docker engine: https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/
• CIS Docker Benchmark: Providing consensus-based best practices for securing Docker environments: https://www.cisecurity.org/benchmark/docker/

Within Prisma Cloud's Resource Query Language (RQL), the "Incident" query type is invalid because RQL is designed to query configuration and posture information of cloud resources, not incident data. The valid RQL query types include "Config" for querying resource configurations, "Network" for querying network-related information, "IAM" for querying identity and access management configurations, and "Event" for querying audit events. The focus on resource configurations and audit events aligns with Prisma Cloud's capabilities in cloud security posture management (CSPM) and cloud workload protection platform (CWPP), providing insights into resource configurations, compliance, and network traffic​​.Top of Form

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Regarding the use of access keys, it is correct that up to two access keys can be active at any time for a single IAM user in AWS, and access keys are used for programmatic API calls to AWS services. This allows for rotation of keys without immediate invalidation of the old key and ensures secure access to AWS services via APIs.

Prisma Cloud, part of Palo Alto Networks' cloud security suite, offers Console images that can be retrieved for deployment in various environments. The correct process for obtaining these images involves using basic authentication with Docker, a widely-used containerization platform. Users must first access the official Palo Alto Networks registry at registry.paloaltonetworks.com. Here, they are required to authenticate using the "docker login" command, which prompts for credentials. Upon successful authentication, users can then use the "docker pull" command to retrieve the Prisma Cloud Console images. This method ensures secure access to the latest Console images for deployment within an organization's infrastructure, aligning with best practices for container image management and deployment.

Saved Searches has list of search queries saved by any Prisma Cloud administrator.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-administrators/prisma-cloud-admin-permissions

According to the official Palo Alto Networks documentation, saved searches in a cloud account are managed by administrators. This aligns with the principle that administrative privileges are typically required to manage access to saved searches and other similar resources within cloud platforms. Administrators have the capability to control who can access various resources, ensuring that only authorized users can view or modify saved searches. This is a common security measure to prevent unauthorized access and potential data breaches.

SSH Events in Host Observations within Prisma Cloud focus on activities related to Secure Shell (SSH) usage, which is critical for secure communication and remote management of cloud resources. The elements that are part of SSH Events include the User involved in the SSH session, the Process path that indicates the executable or command invoked during the session, and the Command itself that was executed. These elements are crucial for security monitoring and forensic analysis as they provide detailed context about SSH activities, helping security teams to identify unauthorized access, potential breaches, or malicious activities within their cloud environments. Startup process and System calls, while important in other contexts, are not directly associated with SSH Events in Host Observations.

https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/blogs/what-is-changing-for-ci-cd-plugins/ba-p/461676

Visual Studio Code IntelliJ IDEA https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/blogs/what-is-changing-for-ci-cd-plugins/ba-p/461676

Reference tech docs: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/continuous_integration/set_policy_ci_plugins.html

Vulnerability rules that target the build tool can allow specific vulnerabilities by creating an exception and setting the effect to 'ignore'. Block them by creating an exception and setting hte effect to 'fail'. For example, you could create a vulnerability rule that explicitly allows CVE-2018-1234 to suppress warnings in the scan results.

To fail CI jobs based on a specific CVE contained within an image, the development team should configure the policy within Prisma Cloud's Console, specifically within the Continuous Integration (CI) policy settings. By setting a specific CVE exception in the CI policy, the team can define criteria that will cause the CI process to fail if the specified CVE is detected in the scanned image. This approach allows for granular control over the build process, ensuring that images with known vulnerabilities are not promoted through the CI/CD pipeline, thereby maintaining the security posture of the deployed applications. This method is in line with best practices for integrating security into the CI/CD process, allowing for automated enforcement of security standards directly within the development pipeline.

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA14u000000oMkpCAE &lang=en_US%E2%80%A9&refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fknowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com%2FKCSArticleDetail

Outbound notifications in Prisma Cloud refer to the integration with external systems or services for the purpose of alerting or incident management.

• Option D: PagerDuty is an example of an outbound notification within Prisma Cloud. PagerDuty is a popular incident response and alerting service that teams use to manage, track, and respond to incidents in real-time. Prisma Cloud's integration with PagerDuty allows organizations to automatically forward alerts from Prisma Cloud to PagerDuty, enabling streamlined incident management and response workflows.

References:

• Prisma Cloud Integration Documentation: Provides instructions for integrating Prisma Cloud with various external services, including PagerDuty, to enhance alerting and incident management capabilities.
• Incident Management Best Practices: Discusses strategies for effective incident management, highlighting the role of integrations with external alerting services like PagerDuty in improving response times and incident resolution.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-iam-security/integrate-prisma-cloud-with-okta

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-alerts/prisma-cloud-alert-notifications

For a runtime audit generated for a host with a message indicating a service attempting to obtain capability by executing a script, the root cause for this runtime audit is most likely related to D. Default rule that alerts on suspicious runtime behavior. This default rule is designed to flag unusual or potentially harmful activities that could indicate a security risk, prompting further investigation.

Click Delete if you want to remove the notification from the alarm center. Once deleted, a similar alarm will not appear for the next 24 hours, if the same error occurs in that time period. After 24 hours, a similar error will generate a new alarm notification. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-alarms/review-alarms

Upon enabling alarms in Prisma Cloud, two critical alarm types that are registered are Onboarded Cloud Accounts status (A) and External integrations status (D). These alarms are pivotal for maintaining the health and security of the cloud environment. The Onboarded Cloud Accounts status alarms alert administrators about the connectivity and health of cloud accounts integrated with Prisma Cloud, ensuring continuous monitoring and security coverage. The External integrations status alarms provide notifications regarding the operational status of third-party services and tools integrated with Prisma Cloud, such as SIEMs, ticketing systems, or other security tools, ensuring that these integrations function correctly to support comprehensive security and incident response workflows.

In Prisma Cloud, the capability to scan serverless functions, such as AWS Lambda functions, for vulnerabilities is an integral part of ensuring cloud security posture management (CSPM) and compliance. Specifically, option C is correct because Prisma Cloud provides a dedicated section for defining policies related to serverless function vulnerabilities under the "Defend > Vulnerabilities > Functions" page. This feature allows administrators to create and manage policies that automatically scan serverless functions for known vulnerabilities, ensuring that the functions comply with the organization's security standards before they are deployed. This approach aligns with Prisma Cloud's comprehensive security model that covers various aspects of cloud security, including serverless functions, as outlined in the "Guide to Cloud Security Posture Management Tools" document​​

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/22-12/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/vulnerability_management/serverless_functions

The purpose of Incident Explorer in Prisma Cloud Compute under the "Monitor" section is to provide a comprehensive view of incidents by correlating individual events. This helps identify potential attacks through a sequence of processes, file system, and network events, thereby giving a complete picture of an incident's timeline and impact.

https://docs.prismacloud.io/en/classic/compute-admin-guide/runtime-defense/incident-explorer

The "overly permissive service access" compliance check is specifically designed to evaluate and ensure that cloud services are not granted more permissions than necessary, which could lead to potential security risks. Among the listed options, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is known for its extensive service offerings and the complexity of its Identity and Access Management (IAM) configurations. Prisma Cloud, a comprehensive cloud security platform by Palo Alto Networks, provides extensive support for AWS, including checks for overly permissive service access. This ensures that AWS environments adhere to the principle of least privilege, reducing the attack surface by limiting access to the minimum necessary to perform required tasks. Prisma Cloud's capabilities in AWS environments are detailed in various resources, including documentation and guides provided by Palo Alto Networks, which highlight its effectiveness in identifying and mitigating risks associated with excessive permissions in AWS services.

The Prisma Cloud documentation specifies the actions that can be taken for container image scanning compliance rules as:

• C. Block: This action prevents the use of a container image if it fails to meet the defined compliance criteria.
• D. Ignore: This action allows the image to bypass the compliance check, effectively overlooking the identified issues.
• E. Alert: This action triggers an alert to notify the relevant stakeholders about the compliance status of the container image.

These actions are integral to Prisma Cloud’s governance capabilities, allowing organizations to enforce their security and compliance policies effectively. By setting up these rules, teams can ensure that only images that comply with their standards are deployed, while also having the flexibility to ignore certain images or receive alerts for further investigation.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/compliance/trusted_images

To ingest host findings and generate alerts in Prisma Cloud, integrations with Tenable (B) and Qualys (D) are supported. These integrations allow Prisma Cloud to ingest vulnerability and compliance data from Tenable and Qualys, which are renowned vulnerability management solutions. By integrating these tools, Prisma Cloud can enhance its visibility into the security posture of hosts within the cloud environment, enabling more comprehensive threat detection and response capabilities. The integration facilitates the aggregation and correlation of findings from these external sources, enriching the overall security intelligence and enabling more informed and timely decision-making regarding threat mitigation and compliance management.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/configure-external-integrations-on-prisma-cloud/integrations-feature-support

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/upgrade/upgrade_process_saas After the Console has been upgraded, check and upgrade any of the Defenders that have reached the end of their support lifecycle (Defenders are backward compatible for N-2 releases). The Defender release image is built from the UBI8-minimal base image and on upgrade it is a full container image upgrade, which means that the old Defender container is replaced with a new container. Then, upgrade all other Prisma Cloud components, such as the Jenkins plugin.

In the case of identifying a cryptominer attack through container audits, the options that could have generated this audit include B. High CPU usage over time for the container is detected, which is a common indicator of cryptomining activity as it consumes significant computational resources, C. Common cryptominer process name was found, which directly indicates the presence of cryptomining based on known malicious processes, and E. Common cryptominer port usage was found, suggesting cryptomining activity based on network behavior typical of such attacks.

Ensuring that builds can function properly after a Console upgrade in Prisma Cloud involves strategies that maintain compatibility and functionality with the latest versions of the Prisma Cloud tools and services.

• Option B: Updating any build environments that have twistcli included to use the latest version is crucial because twistcli is Prisma Cloud's CLI tool used for scanning images, serverless functions, and IaC for vulnerabilities and compliance issues. Ensuring that twistcli is up to date in all build environments guarantees compatibility with the latest features and security definitions provided by Prisma Cloud, as well as ensures that any new or updated policies and checks are accurately enforced during the build process.
• Option C: Configuring build pipelines to download twistcli at the start of each build ensures that the most current version of twistcli is used every time a build is initiated. This approach is beneficial in dynamic CI/CD environments where builds are frequent, and maintaining the latest security posture is critical. By downloading twistcli dynamically, teams can automatically adapt to any updates or changes introduced in the Prisma Cloud Console without manual intervention, ensuring seamless integration and continuous compliance with Prisma Cloud's security standards.

References:

• Prisma Cloud Documentation: Emphasizes the importance of keeping security tools up to date and integrating them into CI/CD pipelines for continuous security.
• Best Practices for Integrating Security Tools in CI/CD: Guides on how to effectively incorporate security scanning tools like twistcli into the CI/CD process to ensure builds are secure and compliant.

The Cloud Discovery feature in Prisma Cloud allows engineers to monitor accounts continuously and report on cloud-native services that are unprotected across different cloud service providers. This feature requires specific permissions to access and assess the cloud environment's configuration and security posture. Thus, the correct answer is D: It enables engineers to continuously monitor all accounts and report on the services that are unprotected.

https://docs.prismacloud.io/en/classic/compute-admin-guide/cloud-service-providers/cloud-accounts-discovery-pcee

When automated remediation is enabled in Prisma Cloud, it is designed to address all applicable open alerts, regardless of when they were generated. The system automatically applies remediation actions to resolve the identified security issues or compliance violations that triggered the alerts. Once the remediation actions are successfully completed, the system updates the status of the affected alerts to "resolved," indicating that the security issues have been addressed. This feature helps streamline the remediation process, reducing the manual effort required by security teams and ensuring that security issues are promptly resolved to maintain the integrity and security of the cloud environment.

The correct command to output scan results to stdout in tabular format and write scan results to a JSON file while still sending the results to Console is:

$ twistcli images scan \

--address \

--user \

--password \

--output-file scan-results.json \

--publish \

nginx:latest

This command uses the --output-file option to write the scan results to a file and the --publish option to send the results to the Console. The --stdout-tabular option is not necessary as by default, twistcli writes scan results to stdout in a human-readable format. The placeholders , , and should be replaced with the actual address of the Console, and the user’s credentials12.

Please replace the placeholders with your actual Prisma Cloud Console address and credentials to execute the command successfully. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.

A picture containing table Description automatically generated

In the context of calculating net effective permissions for a resource in AWS, IPTables firewall rule is not used. Net effective permissions in AWS are determined by evaluating various AWS-specific mechanisms such as IAM policies, permission boundaries, and service control policies (SCPs). IAM policies define what actions are allowed or denied for various AWS resources. Permission boundaries provide a way to delegate administration for IAM entities, setting the maximum permissions that an IAM entity can have. SCPs are part of AWS Organizations and allow for central control over the maximum available permissions for all accounts within an organization. IPTables, on the other hand, is a Linux-based application for setting up firewall rules on individual hosts and is not directly related to AWS resource permissions. Therefore, IPTables firewall rules are not considered when calculating net effective permissions in AWS, making option C the correct answer.

The correct RQL to trigger the audit event activity shown is Option A. This RQL is designed to capture events from cloud audit logs where a ConsoleLogin operation occurs by the 'root' user. The given audit event details match this RQL's criteria, which specifies the operation type and the user involved in the event.

https://docs.prismacloud.io/en/classic/rql-reference/rql-reference/event-query/event-query-examples https://docs.prismacloud.io/en/classic/rql-reference/rql-reference/event-query/event-query-examples#idda895fd2-4496-4b31-9766-7d50215dcc18

The RQL query in Option A is designed to identify VM hosts that are exposed to internet traffic and are affected by the Text4Shell RCE vulnerability (CVE-2022-42889). This query looks for network flow records with byte transfers indicating activity and filters for resources with host vulnerability findings sourced from 'Prisma Cloud'. It also checks for exposure to suspicious or internet IPs, satisfying the criteria for the given scenario.

The runtime audit message indicating "DNS resolution of suspicious name wikipedia.com. type A" would appear as an audit because the DNS was not learned as part of the Container model or added to the DNS allow list (option A). In cloud security platforms like Prisma Cloud, runtime protection policies monitor the behavior of running containers and compare it against a learned model of expected behavior. If a container attempts to resolve a DNS name that was not observed during the learning phase or specifically allowed, it triggers an audit event to alert security teams of potentially malicious activity.

In the context of Prisma Cloud, the policy type that is specifically designed to detect unusual activities, such as port scanning, within a customer's environment is classified under "Anomaly." Anomaly-based policies leverage advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms to identify patterns and behaviors that deviate from the norm, which could indicate potential security threats like port scanning attempts. By detecting such anomalies, these policies help organizations proactively identify and respond to potential reconnaissance activities by attackers seeking to discover open ports and vulnerable services.

Both Console’s API and web interfaces, served on port 8083 (HTTPS), require authentication over a different channel with different credentials (e.g. username and password, access key, and so on), none of which Defender holds. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/22-06/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/technology_overviews/defender_architecture

RESOURCE_DELETED Resource was deleted. USER_DISMISSED Alert was dismissed or snoozed by the Prisma Cloud administrator with role of System admin, Account Group Admin, or Account and Cloud Provisioning Admin. POLICY_UPDATED Policy was updated. This status indicates a change in the policy RQL that results in a resource not being in scope for the policy evaluation.

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA14u0000004OQ2CAM

The audit trail section of an asset's detail view in Prisma Cloud typically includes a log of configuration changes and alert and vulnerability events associated with the asset. These elements are crucial for tracking the history of modifications to an asset's configuration and the security incidents that have affected it. This information is instrumental in understanding the security posture of the asset over time and in conducting thorough investigations after a security event has been detected.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/runtime_defense/runtime_defense_containers

In the context of Kubernetes, an admission controller is a piece of code that intercepts requests to the Kubernetes API server before the persistence of the object, but after the request is authenticated and authorized. The admission controller lets you apply complex validation and policy controls to objects before they are created or updated.

The ValidatingWebhookConfiguration is a Kubernetes object that tells the API server to send an admission validation request to a service (the admission webhook) when a request to create, update, or delete a Kubernetes object matches the rules defined in the configuration. The webhook can then approve or deny the request based on custom logic.

The MutatingWebhookConfiguration is similar but is used to modify objects before they are created or updated, which is not the primary function of an admission controller acting in a protective or validating capacity.

DestinationRules are related to Istio service mesh and are not relevant to Kubernetes admission control.

PodSecurityPolicies (PSPs) are a type of admission controller in Kubernetes but they are predefined by Kubernetes and do not require a specific configuration object like ValidatingWebhookConfiguration. PSPs are also deprecated in recent versions of Kubernetes.

Therefore, the correct answer is C. ValidatingWebhookConfiguration, as it is the Kubernetes object used to configure admission webhooks for validating requests, which aligns with the role of Defender acting as an admission controller in Prisma Cloud.

References from the provided documents:

• The documents uploaded do not contain specific details about Kubernetes objects or Prisma Cloud's integration with Kubernetes. However, this explanation aligns with general Kubernetes practices and Prisma Cloud's capabilities in securing Kubernetes environments.

In Prisma Cloud, compliance reports can be generated on a one-time basis or on a recurring schedule. The option for a one-time report allows users to generate a specific report instantly based on the current state of the environment. The recurring option enables users to set up automatic generation of reports at regular intervals, such as weekly or monthly, to track compliance over time. This functionality ensures continuous compliance monitoring and helps in maintaining security standards across cloud resources.

VM image scanning is a critical component of cloud security, allowing organizations to identify vulnerabilities within virtual machine images before deployment. The three major public cloud providers supported for VM image scanning are Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Azure. These platforms offer extensive infrastructure services and are commonly used in various industries, making them primary targets for VM image scanning integration.

GCP, AWS, and Azure each provide capabilities to store, manage, and deploy VM images through their respective services such as Google Compute Engine, AWS EC2, and Azure Virtual Machines. By integrating VM image scanning with these services, organizations can ensure that their VM images are free from known vulnerabilities and comply with security best practices before being deployed in the cloud environment.

This approach to VM image scanning is consistent with Prisma Cloud's comprehensive security strategy, which emphasizes the importance of securing cloud workloads across the entire development lifecycle. By supporting VM image scanning across GCP, AWS, and Azure, Prisma Cloud enables organizations to maintain a consistent security posture across multiple cloud environments, mitigating the risk of deploying vulnerable or misconfigured VM images that could lead to security breaches.

References:

• Documentation from GCP, AWS, and Azure on VM management and security best practices provide foundational knowledge for understanding how VM image scanning integrates with each cloud provider's infrastructure services.
• Prisma Cloud's documentation and best practices guides offer insights into how VM image scanning is implemented within its security platform to protect cloud workloads across GCP, AWS, and Azure.

When an administrator adds a Cloud account to Prisma Cloud and then deletes it, if the deleted account is added back to Prisma Cloud within a 24-hour period, the existing alerts associated with that account will be displayed again. This behavior ensures continuity in monitoring and alerting, allowing security teams to retain visibility into potential security issues or compliance violations associated with the cloud account. Re-displaying existing alerts helps maintain a consistent security posture and ensures that no critical alerts are overlooked during the re-addition process.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-alerts/view-respond-to-prisma-cloud-alerts

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-policies/anomaly-policies

When the Console is unreachable during upgrades, Defenders continue to alert and enforce using the policies and settings most recently cached before the upgrade (option D). This behavior ensures that security enforcement remains active and consistent, even when the central management console is temporarily unavailable. The cached policies enable Defenders to maintain the security posture based on the last known configuration, ensuring continuous protection against threats and compliance with established security policies. This approach reflects Prisma Cloud's design principle of ensuring uninterrupted security enforcement, thereby safeguarding the environment against potential vulnerabilities during maintenance periods.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-alerts/prisma-cloud-alert-resolution-reasons

In Prisma Cloud, POLICY_UPDATED is a valid reason for the dismissal of an alert. This reason indicates that an alert can be dismissed if the policy that triggered the alert has been updated. When a policy is updated to no longer apply to certain resources or conditions, any open alerts that were generated based on the previous version of the policy may be dismissed as they are no longer relevant.

The other options, such as SNOOZED_AUTO_CLOSE, ALERT_RULE_ADDED, and USER_DELETED, are not standard reasons for the dismissal of an alert in Prisma Cloud. SNOOZED_AUTO_CLOSE refers to the temporary suspension of an alert, ALERT_RULE_ADDED is related to the creation of a new alert rule, and USER_DELETED would pertain to the removal of a user account, not directly to alert dismissal.

To use the automated method within Azure Cloud for streamlining the process of using remediation in the identity and access management (IAM) module, the required actions include configuring the IAM Azure remediation script, integrating with Azure Service Bus, and installing the azure.servicebus & requests library. These steps ensure that the automated remediation system can communicate effectively with Azure services, execute the necessary remediation actions, and address IAM-related alerts by adjusting permissions and access controls as needed. This automation helps maintain a secure and compliant cloud environment by promptly addressing potential IAM issues.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-iam-security/remediate-alerts-for-iam-security

1) Select Policies 2) Select the policy rule to edit, on 3 Compliance Standards click + and associate the policy with the compliance standard (https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-compliance/create-a-custom-compliance-standard )

In Prisma Cloud Enterprise, for alerts to be generated for configuration assets in an onboarded public cloud account, it is essential that the account is associated with an alert rule that matches the enabled config policies. If the account is not linked to an alert rule or if the existing alert rules do not match the config policies, no alerts will be generated even though configuration resource ingestion is visible, and RQL statements return config resource results. This requirement emphasizes the need for a well-structured alerting mechanism to ensure that security incidents are promptly identified and addressed​​.

In the event a user is unable to log in to the Prisma Cloud Console, Audit Logs serve as a critical area for investigating the issue. Audit Logs provide a detailed record of activities, including login attempts, within the Prisma Cloud environment. By examining the Audit Logs, administrators can identify failed login attempts, understand the reasons behind login failures (e.g., incorrect credentials, account lockouts, or access policy changes), and take appropriate actions to resolve the login issues, ensuring users can access the console as expected.

In the context of Defend > Compliance > Containers and Images > CI within Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks, the compliance checks are focused on the security posture and compliance of container images. Therefore, the type of compliance check available under this section would be related to Images, ensuring they adhere to security best practices and compliance standards before being deployed.

• Create SNS Topic Triggers: No data security scan
• Select an S3 bucket: Forward Scan only
• Select an S3 bucket with existing files: Forward or Backward Scan
• Link an S3 logging to CloudTrail: Backward Scan only

The scanning mode for Data Security in AWS typically depends on the configuration and the desired outcomes for monitoring and protecting data within S3 buckets.

Creating SNS Topic Triggers is a configuration step that does not directly involve scanning. It is part of setting up notifications for events in S3 buckets, but on its own, it does not initiate a data security scan.

Selecting an S3 bucket without specifying existing files typically implies that you intend to scan new objects as they are added to the bucket, which is known as a Forward Scan. This mode is proactive and scans files upon their arrival in the bucket.

When you select an S3 bucket with existing files, you can perform either Forward Scanning for new files or Backward Scanning to scan all existing files in the bucket. This option provides the most comprehensive scanning coverage for both new and existing data.

Linking an S3 logging to CloudTrail is usually a step taken to monitor access and changes to S3 resources. In the context of scanning, linking S3 to CloudTrail does not initiate a scan, but the CloudTrail logs can be used to trigger a Backward Scan if configured to do so, which scans historical files in the bucket based on CloudTrail events.

The Cloud Security Assessment report is a PDF report that summarizes the risks from open alerts in the monitored cloud accounts for a specific cloud type. The report includes an executive summary and a list of policy violations, including a page with details for each policy that includes the description and the compliance standards that are associated with it, the number of resources that passed and failed the check within the specified time period. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-alerts/generate-reports-on-prisma-cloud-alerts

The report that includes an executive summary along with a list of policy violations and detailed pages for each policy is the "Cloud Security Assessment" report. This type of report is designed to provide organizations with a comprehensive overview of their cloud security posture, highlighting both compliance with security policies and areas needing attention.

When creating a vulnerability policy for continuous integration within Prisma Cloud, the scope of the policy can include specific resources that are critical to the CI/CD pipeline, such as images and containers. These resources are central to the development and deployment processes in containerized environments. By focusing on images and containers, the policy can effectively identify and address vulnerabilities that might be present in container images before they are deployed or in running containers, thereby enhancing the security of the continuous integration and deployment pipeline. This approach ensures that only secure, compliant container images are used in production, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities being exploited.

CloudFormation templates, used to describe and provision all the infrastructure resources in cloud environments, support various elements including resources, mappings, parameters, and outputs. However, scan support for CloudFormation templates does not currently exist for nested references, macros, or intrinsic functions (option A). These advanced CloudFormation features can introduce complexity in scanning and interpreting the templates accurately for security and compliance checks.

Prisma Cloud Compute Compliance enforcement for hosts covers several aspects to ensure a secure and compliant host environment, particularly within containerized environments. These include:

• Docker daemon configuration files: Ensuring that Docker daemon configuration files are set up according to best security practices is crucial. These files contain various settings that control the behavior of the Docker daemon, and misconfigurations can lead to security vulnerabilities.
• Docker daemon configuration: Beyond just the configuration files, the overall configuration of the Docker daemon itself is critical. This encompasses runtime settings and command-line options that determine how Docker containers are executed and managed on the host.
• Host configuration: The security of the underlying host on which Docker and other container runtimes are installed is paramount. This includes the configuration of the host's operating system, network settings, file permissions, and other system-level settings that can impact the security of the containerized applications running on top.

By focusing on these areas, Prisma Cloud ensures that not just the containers but also the environment they run in is secure, adhering to compliance standards and best practices to mitigate risks associated with containerized deployments.

Under Web-Application and API Security (WAAS) bot protection in Prisma Cloud, unknown bots are categorized based on their behavior and characteristics. Web scrapers and HTTP libraries fall into the category of unknown bots. Web scrapers are automated scripts or programs that extract data from websites, often without permission, while HTTP libraries are tools used for making HTTP requests. Both can be used benignly but may also be employed in malicious activities, hence their classification as unknown bots requiring further analysis.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/waas/waas_dos_protection

In Prisma Cloud, configuration policies are categorized to align with the different phases of the cloud security lifecycle, emphasizing a holistic approach to cloud security management. The subtypes "Build and Run" encapsulate this approach by covering both the development phase (Build) - where cloud resources and applications are designed and created, and the operational phase (Run) - where these resources and applications are deployed and actively used. This categorization ensures that security and compliance are integral throughout the lifecycle, from the initial creation of cloud infrastructure and applications to their deployment and day-to-day operation, thereby enhancing the overall security posture.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/vulnerability_management/serverless_functions You can also use the twistcli command line utility to scan your serverless functions. First download your serverless function as a ZIP file, then run: $ twistcli serverless scan

Managing Defender upgrades in a Prisma Cloud environment requires careful planning, especially in scenarios where not all Defenders can be upgraded simultaneously due to maintenance window constraints.

• Option C: Upgrade a subset of the Defenders by clicking the individual Actions > Upgrade button in the row that corresponds to the Defender that should be upgraded during the maintenance window is the recommended approach in this situation. This option allows administrators to manually select specific Defenders for upgrade within the available maintenance window, providing control over the upgrade process and ensuring that upgrades are aligned with operational requirements and maintenance schedules.

References:

• Prisma Cloud Defender Management Documentation: Details the procedures for managing and upgrading Prisma Cloud Defenders, including manual upgrade processes for individual Defenders.
• Best Practices for Managing Defender Upgrades: Offers guidelines on effectively planning and executing Defender upgrades, emphasizing the importance of aligning upgrade activities with maintenance windows to minimize disruption to the development environment.

https://prisma.pan.dev/api/cloud/api-urls/

When accessing the Prisma Cloud API for a tenant located on app2.prismacloud.io, the correct API endpoint to use would be https://api2.prismacloud.io. This endpoint corresponds to the Prisma Cloud service instance hosted on app2.prismacloud.io, ensuring that API requests are directed to the correct instance of the service for processing.

The use of api2 in the URL indicates that this is the second instance or a different geographical or functional partition of the Prisma Cloud service, which might be used for load balancing, redundancy, or serving different sets of users. It is crucial to use the correct endpoint corresponding to the Prisma Cloud console URL to ensure successful API communication and authentication.

To protect the pods hosting a web front end from Layer 7 attacks, the development team should create a Web Application and API Security (WAAS) rule targeted at the image name of the pods. This approach allows the policy to specifically protect the applications running within the pods against sophisticated attacks that target the application layer.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/waas/deploy_waas

Prisma Cloud scans all hosts for compliance issues, provided that a defender is installed or the host is covered by an agentless scan. Among these, the following compliance issues are covered.

-Host configuration

-Docker daemon configuration

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/compliance/host_scanning

Prisma Cloud Compute's compliance enforcement capabilities for hosts include ensuring proper configurations of Docker daemons and host operating systems, as well as managing hosts that do not have Defender agents installed. These measures are critical for hardening environments against misconfigurations which could lead to security vulnerabilities.

Prisma Cloud includes built-in Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) permission groups to manage user access and permissions efficiently. Among the options, Group Membership Admin and Account Group Admin are two built-in RBAC permission groups. Group Membership Admins are responsible for managing user memberships within groups, while Account Group Admins have administrative privileges over specific account groups, allowing them to manage resources and policies within those groups. These roles help in delegating administrative tasks and enforcing the principle of least privilege.

Prisma Cloud supports integration with various Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) as part of its DevOps Security offerings, including Visual Studio Code (Option B) and IntelliJ (Option D). These integrations allow developers to scan their Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates and application code for vulnerabilities and compliance issues directly within their preferred development environments, promoting a "shift left" security approach. BitBucket (Option A) and CircleCI (Option C) are more commonly associated with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines rather than being IDEs.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/configure-external-integrations-on-prisma-cloud#id24911ff9-c9ec-4503-bb3a-6cfce792a70d

For upgrading Defenders with a Console v20.04 and Kubernetes deployment, the following two options are viable:

• C. Remove Defenders, and then deploy the new DaemonSet: This option involves manually removing the existing Defenders and then deploying a new DaemonSet. This method ensures that the Defenders are updated to the latest version without relying on automatic updates12.
• D. Let Defenders automatically upgrade: Prisma Cloud provides the capability for Defenders to automatically upgrade themselves. This feature simplifies the upgrade process by eliminating the need for manual intervention3.

Both methods are supported and can be used depending on the organization’s policies and preferences regarding Defender upgrades. The automatic upgrade feature is particularly useful for maintaining up-to-date security without manual oversight, while the manual removal and redeployment of a new DaemonSet can be preferred in environments where more control over the upgrade process is desired123.