156-215.81 Checkpoint Check Point Certified Security Administrator R81.20 CCSA (156-215.81.20) Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

The Check Point software blade that monitors Check Point devices and provides a picture of network and security performance is Monitoring. The Monitoring Software Blade presents a complete picture of network and security performance, enabling fast responses to changes in traffic patterns or security events. It centrally monitors Check Point devices and alerts security administrators to changes to gateways, endpoints, tunnels, remote users and security activities234. References: Monitoring Software Blade, Check Point Integrated Security Architecture, Support, Support Requests, Training, Documentation, and Knowledge base for Check Point products and services

In Check Point Gaia OS, the default command-line shell is Clish (B).

Clish (Command Line Shell) is a restricted shell used in Gaia for role-based administration. It controls user access and limits the number of available commands.

Expert mode (C) is an elevated shell that provides full system root access, but it is not the default shell. Users must explicitly enter expert mode.

Bash (D) is the underlying Linux shell, but it is not the default.

Admin (A) is not a shell but rather a user role in Gaia.

Thus, the correct answer is B. Clish.

To optimize drops, you can use Priority Queues and fully enable Dynamic Dispatcher on the Security Gateway23. Priority Queues are a mechanism that prioritizes part of the traffic when the Security Gateway is stressed and needs to drop packets. Dynamic Dispatcher is a feature that dynamically assigns new connections to a CoreXL FW instance based on the utilization of CPU cores. To enable both features, you need to run the command fw ctl multik set_mode 9 on the Security Gateway4. Therefore, the correct answer is C. fw ctl multik set_mode 9. References: CoreXL Dynamic Dispatcher - Check Point Software, Firewall Priority Queues in R80.x / R81.x - Check Point Software, Separate Config for Dynamic Dispatcher and Priority Queues

The statement that a Sectional Title can be used to disable multiple rules by disabling only the sectional title is false. A Sectional Title is a visual divider that helps organize and navigate large rule bases. It does not affect the rule enforcement order or the rule functionality. Disabling a Sectional Title does not disable the rules under it. To disable multiple rules, you need to select them individually or use Shift+Click or Ctrl+Click to select them in bulk, and then right-click and choose Disable Rule(s). The other statements are true. Section titles are not sent to the gateway side, they are only displayed in SmartConsole. These sections are simple visual divisions of the Rule Base and do not hinder the order of rule enforcement. Sectional Titles do not need to be created in SmartConsole, they can also be created using SmartConsole CLI or API commands.References: [Sectional Titles], [SmartConsole CLI Guide], [SmartConsole API Reference Guide]

In Check Point Gaia WebUI, different icons are used to indicate various system states.

Eyeglasses (A) typically represent "view-only" access.

Pencil (B) represents "edit" or read/write access, meaning the user can modify configurations.

Padlock (C) is often used to indicate locked or restricted settings.

Book (D) does not indicate access permissions.

Therefore, the correct answer is "Pencil" (B), which represents that read/write access is enabled in the WebUI.

The correct answer is D because the command save configuration  stores the Gaia configuration in a file for later reference1. The other commands are not valid in Gaia Clish1. References: Gaia R81.10 Administration Guide

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 “Hit Count” feature is enabled or disabled on the Policy layer in SmartConsole1. To enable or disable the “Hit Count” feature, right-click on the Policy layer and select “Edit Layer”. Then, check or uncheck the “Enable Hit Count” option1. References: Solved: Hit Count in R80.x

 ThreatWiki is a web-based tool that provides statistics on detected threats, such as attack types, sources, destinations, and severity. It also allows the administrator to search for specific threats and view their details and mitigation methods. The other options are not tools for viewing statistics on detected threats. References: [ThreatWiki], [ThreatWiki - Threat Emulation]

By default, the WebUI listens on port 80. The WebUI is a web-based interface that allows administrators to configure and monitor Gaia OS settings and features from a web browser. The WebUI uses the HTTP protocol to communicate with the Gaia machine, which by default uses port 80 as the standard port number. The other port numbers are not used by the WebUI by default, but they can be changed by modifying the Gaia configuration file or using CLISH commands. 

 The padlock sign next to the DNS rule in the Rule Base indicates that another administrator is logged into the Management and currently editing the DNS Rule1. This is a feature of R80 that allows multiple administrators to work on the same policy simultaneously. The padlock sign prevents other administrators from modifying the same rule until the editing administrator publishes or discards the changes2. The other options are not valid explanations for the padlock sign. References: 156-215.80 : Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA R80) : Part 19, Multi-User Policy Editing

Threat Extraction delivers PDF versions of original files with active content removed, such as macros, embedded objects, and scripts. This ensures that users receive clean and safe files in seconds12. References: Check Point SandBlast Zero-Day Protection, Check Point Threat Extraction

 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

The command that shows the installed licenses is cplic print. This command displays the license information on a Check Point server or Security Gateway. It shows the license type, expiration date, attached blades, etc. The other options are incorrect. print cplic is not a valid command. fwlic print is not a valid command. show licenses is not a valid command. References: [How to check license status on SecurePlatform / Gaia from CLI]

The snapshot option would allow you to make a backup copy of the OS and Check Point configuration, without stopping Check Point processes. A snapshot is a full system backup, including network interfaces, routing tables, and Check Point products and configuration. The other options require stopping Check Point processes or do not backup the OS.

References: Check Point Security Management Administration Guide R81, p. 15-16

Detailed Log is not a valid tracking log option in R80.x3. The tracking log options in R80.x are Log, Full Log, and Extended Log45. References: Where is ‘full log’ option in track column, LOGGINGAND MONITORING R80, Logging and Monitoring Administration Guide R80.20

 Identity Awareness allows the Security Administrator to configure network access based on network location, identity of a user, and identity of a machine1. These are the three main identity sources that Identity Awareness supports1. References: Identity Awareness R80.40 Administration Guide

 When an Admin logs into SmartConsole and sees a lock icon on a gateway object and cannot edit that object, it indicates that another Admin has made an edit to that object and has yet to publish the change. SmartConsole supports concurrent administration, which means that multiple Admins can work on the same security policy at the same time. However, when one Admin edits an object, such as a gateway, a rule, or a network, that object is locked for other Admins until the change is published or discarded. The lock icon shows which objects are being edited by other Admins and prevents conflicts or overwrites. The gateway being powered off, incorrect routing to reach the gateway, or logging in to Read-Only mode do not cause the lock icon to appear.References: [Concurrent Administration], [SmartConsole Overview]

 A clean-up rule is a rule that is placed at the end of the security policy to drop any traffic that is not explicitly allowed by the previous rules. It is a best practice to have a clean-up rule to prevent unauthorized access and log the dropped packets for analysis12. The other options are not the purpose of a clean-up rule. References: Clean-up Rule, Check Point CCSA - R81: Practice Test & Explanation