PCSFE Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE) Questions and Answers

The two elements of the Palo Alto Networks platform architecture that enable security orchestration in a software-defined network (SDN) are:

• Full set of APIs enabling programmatic control of policy and configuration
• Dynamic Address Groups to adapt Security policies dynamically

The Palo Alto Networks platform architecture consists of four key elements: natively integrated security technologies, full set of APIs, cloud-delivered services, and centralized management. The full set of APIs enables programmatic control of policy and configuration across the platform, allowing for automation and integration with SDN controllers and orchestration tools. Dynamic Address Groups are objects that represent groups of IP addresses based on criteria such as tags, regions, interfaces, or user-defined attributes. Dynamic Address Groups allow Security policies to adapt dynamically to changes in the network topology or workload characteristics without requiring manual updates. VXLAN support for network-layer abstraction and NVGRE support for advanced VLAN integration are not elements of the Palo Alto Networks platform architecture, but they are features that support SDN deployments. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Palo Alto Networks Platform Architecture], [API Overview], [Dynamic Address Groups Overview]

The two statements that apply to the VM-Series plugin are:

• It can be upgraded independently of PAN-OS.
• It enables management of cloud-specific interactions between VM-Series firewalls and supported public cloud platforms.

The VM-Series plugin is a software component that extends the functionality of the PAN-OS operating system to support cloud-specific features and APIs. The VM-Series plugin can be upgraded independently of PAN-OS to provide faster access to new cloud capabilities and integrations. The VM-Series plugin enables management of cloud-specific interactions between VM-Series firewalls and supported public cloud platforms, such as AWS, Azure, GCP, Alibaba Cloud, and Oracle Cloud. These interactions include bootstrapping, licensing, scaling, high availability, load balancing, and tagging. The VM-Series plugin cannot manage capabilities common to both VM-Series firewalls and hardware firewalls, as those are handled by PAN-OS. The VM-Series plugin cannot manage Panorama plugins, as those are separate software components that extend the functionality of the Panorama management server to support cloud-specific features and APIs. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [VM-Series Plugin Overview], [VM-Series Plugin Release Notes]

Tags allow a VM-Series firewall to adapt Security policy rules dynamically in a virtual environment. Tags are labels or identifiers that can be assigned to virtual machines (VMs), containers, or other resources in a virtual environment. Tags can be used to group resources based on various criteria, such as application, function, location, owner, or security posture. A VM-Series firewall can leverage tags to populate Dynamic Address Groups and update Security policies accordingly, without requiring manual changes. Tags do not enable machine learning (ML), integrate with security information and event management (SIEM) solutions, or provide adaptive reporting, but they are related features that can enhance security and visibility. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Tagging Overview], [Dynamic Address Groups Overview]

Kubernetes/Deployment Type/Environment is the structure of the YAML Ain’t Markup Language (YAML) file repository. YAML is a human-readable data serialization language that is commonly used for configuration files. YAML file repository is a collection of YAML files that specify the resources and configuration for deploying and managing infrastructure components, such as firewalls, load balancers, networks, or servers. Kubernetes/Deployment Type/Environment is the structure of the YAML file repository that organizes the YAML files based on the following criteria:

• Kubernetes: The platform that provides orchestration, automation, and management of containerized applications.
• Deployment Type: The method or model of deploying and managing infrastructure components, such as Terraform, Ansible, Helm, or Kubernetes manifests.
• Environment: The type or stage of the cloud or virtualization environment, such as development, testing, staging, or production. Deployment Type/Kubernetes/Environment, Kubernetes/Environment/Deployment Type, and Environment/Kubernetes/Deployment Type are not the structure of the YAML file repository, but they are related ways of organizing YAML files based on different criteria. References: [Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE)], [What is YAML?], [YAML File Repository]

The two deployment modes of VM-Series firewalls that are supported across NSX-T are:

• Bootstrap
• Service Cluster

NSX-T is a software-defined network (SDN) solution that provides network virtualization, automation, and security for cloud-native applications. Bootstrap is a method of deploying and configuring VM-Series firewalls in NSX-T using a bootstrap package that contains the initial setup information, such as licenses, certificates, software updates, and configuration files. Service Cluster is a mode of deploying VM-Series firewalls in NSX-T as a group of firewalls that act as a single logical firewall to provide scalability and high availability. Prism Central, Host-based, and Service Insertion are not deployment modes of VM-Series firewalls in NSX-T, but they are related concepts that can be used for other purposes. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on NSX-T], [Bootstrap the VM-Series Firewall for NSX-T], [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall as a Service Cluster on NSX-T]

Cloud next-generation firewall is the Palo Alto Networks software firewall that protects Amazon Web Services (AWS) deployments with network security delivered as a managed cloud service. Cloud next-generation firewall is a cloud-native solution that provides comprehensive security and visibility across AWS environments, including VPCs, regions, accounts, and workloads. Cloud next-generation firewall is deployed and managed by Palo Alto Networks as a service, eliminating the need for customers to provision, configure, or maintain any infrastructure or software. VM-Series, CN-Series, and Ion-Series are not Palo Alto Networks software firewalls that protect AWS deployments with network security delivered as a managed cloud service, but they are related solutions that can be deployed on AWS or other platforms. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Cloud Next-Generation Firewall Datasheet], [VM-Series Datasheet], [CN-Series Datasheet], [Ion-Series Datasheet]

A design consideration for a prospect who wants to deploy VM-Series firewalls in an Amazon Web Services (AWS) environment is that only active-passive high availability (HA) is supported. High availability (HA) is a feature that provides redundancy and failover protection for firewalls in case of hardware or software failure. Active-passive HA is a mode of HA that consists of two firewalls in a pair, where one firewall is active and handles all traffic, while the other firewall is passive and acts as a backup. Active-passive HA is the only mode of HA that is supported for VM-Series firewalls in an AWS environment, due to the limitations of AWS networking and routing. Active-active HA, which is another mode of HA that consists of two firewalls in a pair that both handle traffic and synchronize sessions, is not supported for VM-Series firewalls in an AWS environment. A design consideration for a prospect who wants to deploy VM-Series firewalls in an AWS environment is not that special AWS plugins are needed for load balancing, resources are shared within the cluster, or high availability (HA) clusters are limited to fewer than 8 virtual appliances, as those are not valid or relevant factors for firewall deployment in an AWS environment. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [High Availability Overview], [High Availability on AWS]

The two public cloud platforms that the VM-Series plugin supports are:

• Azure
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)

A public cloud platform is a cloud computing service that provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), or software as a service (SaaS) to customers over the internet. A public cloud platform requires network security that can protect the traffic between different cloud services or regions from cyberattacks and enforce granular security policies based on application, user, content, and threat information. VM-Series firewall is a virtualized version of the Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall that can be deployed on various cloud or virtualization platforms. VM-Series plugin is a software component that extends the functionality of the VM-Series firewall and Panorama to support specific features and capabilities of different cloud platforms. Azure and AWS are two public cloud platforms that the VM-Series plugin supports. Azure is a public cloud platform that provides a range of cloud services, such as compute, storage, networking, databases, analytics, artificial intelligence, and more. AWS is a public cloud platform that provides a range of cloud services, such as EC2, S3, VPC, Lambda, and more. The VM-Series plugin supports Azure and AWS by enabling features such as bootstrapping, dynamic address groups, scaling, load balancing, high availability, monitoring, logging, and automation for VM-Series firewalls and Panorama on these platforms. IBM Cloud and OCI are not public cloud platforms that the VM-Series plugin supports, but they are related platforms that can be used for other purposes. References: [Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE)], [VM-Series Plugin Overview], [VM-Series Plugin for Azure], [VM-Series Plugin for AWS], [What is Azure?], [What is AWS?]

CN-Series firewalls are licensed by data-plane vCPU. Data-plane vCPU is the number of virtual CPUs assigned to the data plane of the CN-Series firewall instance. The data plane is the part of the CN-Series firewall that processes network traffic and applies security policies. CN-Series firewalls are licensed by data-plane vCPU, which determines the performance and capacity of the CN-Series firewall instance, such as throughput, sessions, policies, rules, and features. CN-Series firewalls are not licensed by service-plane vCPU, management-plane vCPU, or control-plane vCPU, as those are not factors that affect the licensing cost or consumption of CN-Series firewalls. References: [Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE)], [CN-Series Licensing], [CN-Series System Requirements], [CN-Series Architecture]

Security profiles are the components that scan for threats in allowed traffic. Security profiles are sets of rules or settings that define how the firewall will inspect and handle traffic based on various threat prevention technologies, such as antivirus, anti-spyware, vulnerability protection, URL filtering, file blocking, data filtering, and WildFire analysis. Security profiles can be applied to Security policy rules to enforce granular protection against known and unknown threats in allowed traffic. Intelligent Traffic Offload, TLS decryption, and NAT are not components that scan for threats in allowed traffic, but they are related features that can enhance security and performance. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Security Profiles Overview], [Threat Prevention Datasheet]

App-ID is the component that can provide application-based segmentation and prevent lateral threat movement. Application-based segmentation is a method of dividing the network into smaller segments or zones based on application or workload characteristics, such as function, dependency, owner, or security posture. Lateral threat movement is a technique used by attackers to move across the network from one compromised host to another, looking for sensitive data or assets. App-ID is a feature that identifies and classifies applications and protocols based on their content and characteristics, regardless of port, encryption, or evasion techniques. App-ID can provide application-based segmentation and prevent lateral threat movement by applying granular security policies based on application information to each segment or connection, blocking unauthorized access or data exfiltration. DNS Security, NAT, and URL Filtering are not components that can provide application-based segmentation and prevent lateral threat movement, but they are related features that can enhance security and visibility. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [App-ID Overview], [Microsegmentation with Palo Alto Networks], [Lateral Movement]

The two actions that can be performed for VM-Series firewall licensing by an orchestration system are:

• Creating a license
• Registering an authorization code

An orchestration system is a software tool that automates and coordinates complex tasks across multiple devices or platforms. An orchestration system can perform various actions for VM-Series firewall licensing by using the Palo Alto Networks Licensing API. The Licensing API is a RESTful API that allows programmatic control of license management for VM-Series firewalls. Creating a license is an action that can be performed for VM-Series firewall licensing by an orchestration system using the Licensing API. Creating a license involves generating a license key for a VM-Series firewall based on its CPU ID and the license type. Registering an authorization code is an action that can be performed for VM-Series firewall licensing by an orchestration system using the Licensing API. Registering an authorization code involves activating a license entitlement for a VM-Series firewall based on its authorization code and CPU ID. Renewing a license and downloading a content update are not actions that can be performed for VM-Series firewall licensing by an orchestration system using the Licensing API, but they are related tasks that can be done manually or through other methods. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Licensing API Overview], [Licensing API Reference Guide]

Containers are uniquely suitable for runtime security based on allow lists because containers have only a few defined processes that should ever be executed. Developers can specify the processes that are allowed to run in a container using a Dockerfile, but this does not guarantee that only those processes will run at runtime. Therefore, using an allow list approach can prevent any unauthorized or malicious processes from running in a container2. References: Container Security

The two methods of Zero Trust implementation that can benefit an organization are:

• Boundaries are established
• Access controls are enforced

Zero Trust is a security model that assumes no trust for any entity or network segment, and requires continuous verification and validation of all connections and transactions. Zero Trust implementation can benefit an organization by improving its security posture, reducing its attack surface, and enhancing its visibility and compliance. Boundaries are established is a method of Zero Trust implementation that involves defining and segmenting the network into smaller zones based on data sensitivity, user identity, device type, or application function. Boundaries are established can benefit an organization by isolating and protecting critical assets from unauthorized access or lateral movement. Access controls are enforced is a method of Zero Trust implementation that involves applying granular security policies based on the principle of least privilege to each zone or connection. Access controls are enforced can benefit an organization by preventing data exfiltration, malware propagation, or credential theft. Compliance is validated and security automation is seamlessly integrated are not methods of Zero Trust implementation, but they may be potential outcomes or benefits of implementing Zero Trust. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Zero Trust Security Model], [Zero Trust Network Security]

The two private cloud environments that Palo Alto Networks have deep integrations with are:

• VMware NSX-T
• Cisco ACI

A private cloud environment is a cloud computing service that provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS) or platform as a service (PaaS) to customers within a private network or data center. A private cloud environment requires network security that can protect the traffic between different virtual machines (VMs) or other resources from cyberattacks and enforce granular security policies based on application, user, content, and threat information. Palo Alto Networks have deep integrations with VMware NSX-T and Cisco ACI, which are two private cloud environments that provide network virtualization, automation, and security for cloud-native applications. VMware NSX-T is a private cloud environment that provides software-defined networking (SDN) and security for heterogeneous endpoints and workloads across multiple hypervisors, containers, bare metal servers, or clouds. Cisco ACI is a private cloud environment that provides application-centric infrastructure (ACI) and security for physical and virtual endpoints across multiple data centers or clouds. Palo Alto Networks have deep integrations with VMware NSX-T and Cisco ACI by enabling features such as dynamic address groups, service insertion, policy redirection, service chaining, orchestration, monitoring, logging, and automation for VM-Series firewalls and Panorama on these platforms. Dell APEX and Nutanix are not private cloud environments that Palo Alto Networks have deep integrations with, but they are related platforms that can be used for other purposes. References: [Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE)], [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on VMware NSX-T], [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on Cisco ACI], [What is VMware NSX-T?], [What is Cisco ACI?]