156-315.81 Checkpoint Check Point Certified Security Expert R81.20 Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

 The cphaprob -a if command displays the interface status of all cluster members, including the interface name, IP address, state, monitor mode, and sync status. References: cphaprob - Check Point Support Center

The features that are only supported with R81.20 Gateways and not with R77.x are described in option C:

"C. The rule base can be built of layers, each containing a set of the security rules. Layers are inspected in the order in which they are defined, allowing control over the rule base flow and which security functionalities take precedence."

This feature, known as Rule Base Layers, allows for greater flexibility and control in organizing and prioritizing security rules within the rule base.

Options A, B, and D do not specifically pertain to features introduced in R81.20 and are available in earlier versions as well.

References: Check Point Certified Security Expert (CCSE) R81 documentation and learning resources.

 You can communicate with the API server using three command sources: SmartConsole GUI Console, mgmt_cli Tool, and Gaia CLI. Web Services are not a command source, but a way to access the API server using HTTP requests. References: Check Point Management APIs

SmartEvent Processes use two Check Point Protocols: ELA (Event Log Agent) and CPLOG (Check Point Log). ELA collects logs from Security Gateways and forwards them to the Log Server. CPLOG is used by the Log Server to communicate with the SmartEvent Server. References: [SmartEvent Architecture]

The cpinfo tool generates a R81 Security Gateway configuration report that includes information about the hardware, operating system, product version, patches, and configuration settings. References: cpinfo - Check Point Support Center

Check Point’s FW Monitor is a powerful built-in tool for capturing network traffic at the packet level. The FW Monitor utility captures network packets at multiple capture points along the FireWall inspection chains. These captured packets can be inspected later using the WireShark.

References:

The API server is a service that runs on the Security Management Server and enables external applications to communicate with the Check Point management database using REST APIs. You can verify that the API server is responding by using the following command in Expert mode:

This command will display the current status of the API server, such as running, stopped, or initializing. It will also show the API version, port number, and SSL certificate information. References: Check Point R81 REST API Reference Guide

 Sticky Decision Function (SDF) is required to prevent asymmetric routing in an Active-Active cluster. Asymmetric routing occurs when packets from a source to a destination follow a different path than packets from the destination to the source. This can cause problems with stateful inspection and NAT. SDF ensures that packets from the same connection are handled by the same cluster member1. References: Check Point R81 ClusterXL Administration Guide

The Check Point TE appliance in Recommended Mode includes 2(OS) images. One image is used for running the appliance, and the other image is used for backup and recovery purposes. The images are not chosen by the administrator during installation, nor based on the license or the latest version. References: [Check Point R81 Threat Emulation Administration Guide]

To fully enable Dynamic Dispatcher on a Security Gateway, you need to run the following command in Expert mode then reboot:

This command sets the multi-core mode to 9, which means that Dynamic Dispatcher is enabled without Firewall Priority Queues. Dynamic Dispatcher is a feature that optimizes the performance of Security Gateways with multiple CPU cores by dynamically allocating traffic to different cores based on their load and priority. Dynamic Dispatcher can improve the throughput and scalability of the Security Gateway, especially for traffic that is not accelerated by SecureXL. The other commands are not valid or do not enable Dynamic Dispatcher. References: R81 Performance Tuning Administration Guide

 When doing a Stand-Alone Installation, you would install the Security Management Server with the Security Gateway as the other Check Point architecture component. A Stand-Alone Installation is where the Security Management Server and the Security Gateway are installed on the same machine2. The other options are either not Check Point architecture components, or not suitable for a Stand-Alone Installation. References: Check Point R81 Installation and Upgrade Guide

The correct command to observe the Sync traffic in a VRRP environment is fw monitor –e “accept dst=224.0.0.18;”. This command captures the packets that have the destination IP address of 224.0.0.18, which is the multicast address used by VRRP for synchronization. The other commands are either not valid or not specific to VRRP Sync traffic. References: [Check Point R81 ClusterXL Administration Guide], Check Point R81 Performance Tuning Administration Guide

 If the first packet of a UDP session is rejected by a rule definition from within a security policy (not including the clean up rule), nothing is sent back through the kernel. This is because UDP is a connectionless protocol that does not require an acknowledgement from the receiver. Therefore, if a UDP packet is dropped by the Firewall, the sender will not receive any feedback or notification. References: UDP Protocol

 A Policy Package is a set of rules and settings that define how a Security Gateway enforces security on traffic that passes through it. A Policy Package can be created on either the Management Server or the Security Gateway, but it must be installed on both to take effect. When a new Policy Package is created on the Management Server, it must be installed on an existing Security Gateway that has a different Policy Package installed. The message below warns the administrator that installing a new Policy Package will overwrite the existing one on the Security Gateway.

https://www.bing.com/images/blob?bcid=qMoRhR0dzSkGmg

The message also advises the administrator to back up their existing configuration before proceeding with the installation.

Starting R81, the Access Control Policy installation process is accelerated thereby reducing the duration of the process significantly. According to the Check Point R81 Security Management Administration Guide1, Accelerated Install Policy is a new feature in R81 that optimizes common use-cases and drastically speeds up the installation with up to 90% improvement. Policy installation is accelerated depending on the changes that were made to the Access Control policy since the last installation. When the policy installation is accelerated, the icon will appear under the “Install Policy Acceleration” column in the Install Policy window.

References:

Accelerated Install Policy - Check Point Software, section “Accelerated Install Policy”

 Secure Configuration Verification (SCV) is a feature that allows the Mobile Access Gateway to check the compliance of remote access clients with the enterprise security policy before granting them access to internal resources. SCV checks can be defined in a file named local.scv, which is located in the $FWDIR/conf directory on the Mobile Access Gateway1. The file can be edited manually or using the SCV Editor tool2. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

References: 1: Secure Configuration Verification 2: SCV Editor

Identity Awareness uses various methods to acquire identity information. These methods include:

Active Directory Query: Identity Awareness queries Active Directory servers to retrieve user and group information.

Cloud IdP (Identity Provider): Identity Awareness integrates with cloud identity providers such as Microsoft Azure AD, Okta, and Google Workspace.

RADIUS: Identity Awareness can use RADIUS servers to authenticate users.

However, Remote Access is not a method used by Identity Awareness for acquiring identity. Remote Access typically refers to VPN connections, and while Identity Awareness can be used in conjunction with VPNs, it does not directly acquire identity information from remote access connections.

References:

Check Point Troubleshooting Expert - R81 (CCTE) Reference Materials guides and documents.

Check Point Certified Troubleshooting Expert R81.20 - CCTE

Check Point CCTE Certification Sample Questions and Practice Exam

 The correct way to enable Identity Captive Portal for a specific rule is to right click Accept in the rule, select “More”, and then check ‘Enable Identity Captive Portal’. This will allow guest users to see the splash page and accept the Terms of Service before accessing the Internet. Identity Captive Portal is a feature that enables identity awareness for guest users who are not authenticated by other methods, such as Active Directory or Identity Agent. Identity Captive Portal can be enabled globally or per rule, depending on the security policy requirements. 

 The command switch to specify the Gaia API context is mgmt_cli --context gaia_api . This switch allows the user to execute Gaia OS commands through the management API. The Gaia API context is different from the default management API context, which is used to execute commands related to the security policy and objects1. References: Check Point R81 Management API Reference Guide

The correct answer is A. SecurelD.

SecurelD is an authentication method that uses a token-based system to generate one-time passwords (OTPs) for users. Users need to have a physical or software token that displays a code that changes periodically. The code is used along with a personal identification number (PIN) to authenticate the user.

DynamiclD is another authentication method that uses OTPs, but it does not require a token. Instead, it sends the OTP to the user’s email or phone number.

Radius and TACACS are protocols that allow remote authentication of users through a centralized server. They do not use tokens, but they can support different types of authentication methods, such as passwords, certificates, or OTPs.

References:

Certified Security Expert (CCSE) R81.20 Course Overview1

What Is Token-Based Authentication? | Okta2

 The command to add users to or from existing roles is add rba user roles . This command allows you to assign one or more roles to a user in the Gaia database. Roles are collections of permissions that define what actions a user can perform on the system. You can use predefined roles or create your own custom roles. To remove a role from a user, you can use the command delete rba user roles . 

The Internal Certificate Authority (ICA) is created during the primary Security Management Server installation process. The ICA is responsible for issuing and managing certificates for all Check Point components in the network. The ICA is automatically installed as an integral part of the Security Management Server and can be managed from SmartConsole. References: R81 Security Management Administration Guide, page 113.

Active Directory Query is an identity acquisition method that allows a Security Gateway to identify Active Directory users and computers by querying domain controllers for security event logs. The Security Gateway sends a WMI query to each domain controller and receives a WMI event when a user logs in, logs out, or unlocks their computer. The Security Gateway then maps IP addresses to user names based on these events. Active Directory Query does not require any software installation on domain controllers or clients, but it requires certain permissions and configurations on the domain controllers

Reference : https://sc1.checkpoint.com/documents/R76/CP_R76_IdentityAwareness_AdminGuide/62402.htm

 The best sync method in the ClusterXL deployment is to use one dedicated sync interface. This means that one interface on each cluster member is used exclusively for synchronization traffic, which improves performance and security. Using multiple clusters or sync interfaces is not recommended, as it can cause network congestion or synchronization issues. References: : Check Point Resource Library, Certified Security Expert (CCSE) R81.20 Course Overview, page 8.

The best way to make sure that the old logs will be available after updating the Management to version R81.20 using the Advanced Upgrade Method is to use the migrate_server tool with the option ‘-l’ for the logs and ‘-x’ for the index. This option will export both logs and index files from an existing Security Management Server or Multi-Domain Server to a specified directory or file. The exported data can then be imported to a new server using a similar command with ‘-i’ option. References: [Check Point R81 Installation and Upgrade Guide]

The command fw tab is used to display the contents of the kernel tables1. The command has several options that can modify the output. The option -s shows only the table names and the number of entries in each table1. For example:

The option -t shows the contents of a specific table, given by its name or ID1. For example:

The option -n shows the numeric values of the fields in the tables, instead of resolving them to names1. For example:

The option -k shows the kernel references for each entry in the table1. For example:

Therefore, the correct answer is B, as it shows only the table names of all kernel tables.

References: 1: CLI R81.20 Reference Guide - Check Point Software

According to the Check Point R81.20 documentation, the central deployment feature allows you to install up to 10 packages simultaneously on multiple gateways1.

References1: Check Point R81.20 Administration Guide, page 35.

The hostname of the Standby member should not be changed to match the hostname of the Active member, as this would cause a conflict in the network. The correct procedure is to change the hostname of the Active member to a different name, and then change the Standby member to the original hostname of the Active member1. References: 1: Check Point Resource Library, Certified Security Expert (CCSE) R81.20 Course Overview, page 9.

 The Threat Prevention software components available on the Check Point Security Gateway are IPS, Anti-Bot, Anti-Virus, Threat Emulation and Threat Extraction. These components provide comprehensive protection against various types of cyber threats, such as network attacks, malware, ransomware, phishing, zero-day exploits, data leakage, and more. IPS is a network security component that detects and prevents malicious traffic based on signatures, behavioral patterns, and anomaly detection. Anti-Bot is a network security component that detects and blocks botnet communications and command-and-control servers. Anti-Virus is a network security component that scans files for known viruses, worms, and trojans. Threat Emulation is a network security component that emulates files in a sandbox environment to detect unknown malware and prevent zero-day attacks. Threat Extraction is a network security component that removes malicious content from files and delivers clean files to users. References: [Check Point R81 Threat Prevention Administration Guide], page 9-10