Paloalto Networks PSE-Strata-Pro-24 Practice Test Questions Answers

The most effective way to reduce the risk of exploitation by newly announced vulnerabilities is through Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP). ATP uses inline deep learning to identify and block exploitation attempts, even for zero-day vulnerabilities, in real time.

Why "Advanced Threat Prevention’s command injection and SQL injection functions use inline deep learning against zero-day threats" (Correct Answer B)?Advanced Threat Prevention leverages deep learning models directly in the data path, which allows it to analyze traffic in real time and detect patterns of exploitation, including newly discovered vulnerabilities being actively exploited in the wild. It specifically targets advanced tactics like:

Command injection.

SQL injection.

Memory-based exploits.

Protocol evasion techniques.

This functionality lowers the risk of exploitation by actively blocking attack attempts based on their behavior, even when a signature is not yet available. This approach makes ATP the most valuable solution for addressing new and actively exploited vulnerabilities.

Why not "Advanced URL Filtering uses machine learning (ML) to learn which malicious URLs are being utilized by the attackers, then block the resulting traffic" (Option A)?While Advanced URL Filtering is highly effective at blocking access to malicious websites, it does not provide the inline analysis necessary to prevent direct exploitation of vulnerabilities. Exploitation often happens within the application or protocol layer, which Advanced URL Filtering does not inspect.

Why not "Single Pass Architecture and parallel processing ensure traffic is efficiently scanned against any enabled Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) subscription" (Option C)?Single Pass Architecture improves performance by ensuring all enabled services (like Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, etc.) process traffic efficiently. However, it is not a feature that directly addresses vulnerability exploitation or zero-day attack detection.

Why not "WildFire loads custom OS images to ensure that the sandboxing catches any activity that would affect the customer's environment" (Option D)?WildFire is a sandboxing solution designed to detect malicious files and executables. While it is useful for analyzing malware, it does not provide inline protection against exploitation of newly announced vulnerabilities, especially those targeting network protocols or applications.

Policy Optimizer is a feature designed to help administrators improve the efficiency and effectiveness of security policies on Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs). It focuses on identifying unused or overly permissive policies to streamline and optimize the configuration.

Why "Identify Security policy rules with unused applications" (Correct Answer C)?Policy Optimizer provides visibility into existing security policies and identifies rules that have unused or outdated applications. For example:

It can detect if a rule allows applications that are no longer in use.

It can identify rules with excessive permissions, enabling administrators to refine them for better security and performance.By addressing these issues, Policy Optimizer helps reduce the attack surface and improves the overall manageability of the firewall.

Why not "Recommend best practices on new policy creation" (Option A)?Policy Optimizer focuses on optimizing existing policies, not creating new ones. While best practices can be applied during policy refinement, recommending new policy creation is not its purpose.

Why not "Show unused licenses for Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) subscriptions and firewalls" (Option B)?Policy Optimizer is not related to license management or tracking. Identifying unused licenses is outside the scope of its functionality.

Why not "Act as a migration tool to import policies from third-party vendors" (Option D)?Policy Optimizer does not function as a migration tool. While Palo Alto Networks offers tools for third-party firewall migration, this is separate from the Policy Optimizer feature.

Step 1: Understand the Best Practice Assessment (BPA)

Purpose: The BPA assesses NGFW (e.g., PA-Series) and Panorama configurations against best practices, including Center for Internet Security (CIS) Critical Security Controls, to enhance security and feature adoption.

Process: Requires a Tech Support File (TSF) upload or telemetry data from onboarded devices to generate the report.

Evolution: Historically available via the Customer Support Portal, the BPA has transitioned to newer platforms like AIOps and Strata Cloud Manager.

5G Security (Answer A):

In this scenario, the mining company operates on a private mobile network, likely powered by 5G technology to ensure low latency and high bandwidth for controlling robots and vehicles.

Palo Alto Networks 5G Security is specifically designed to protect private mobile networks. It prevents exploitation of vulnerabilities in the 5G infrastructure and ensures the control signals sent to the machines are not compromised by attackers.

Key features include network slicing protection, signaling plane security, and secure user plane communications.

IoT Security (Answer C):

The mining operation depends on machines and remote-controlled vehicles, which are IoT devices.

Palo Alto Networks IoT Security provides:

Full device visibility to detect all IoT devices (such as robots, remote vehicles, or sensors).

Behavioral analysis to create risk profiles and identify anomalies in the machines' operations.

This ensures a secure environment for IoT devices, reducing the risk of a device being exploited.

Why Not Cloud NGFW (Answer B):

While Cloud NGFW is critical for protecting cloud-based applications, the specific concern here is protecting control signals and IoT devices rather than external access into the cloud service.

The private mobile network and IoT device protection requirements make 5G Security and IoT Security more relevant.

Why Not Advanced CDSS Bundle (Answer D):

The Advanced CDSS bundle (Advanced Threat Prevention, Advanced WildFire, Advanced URL Filtering) is essential for securing web traffic and detecting threats, but it does not address the specific challenges of securing private mobile networks and IoT devices.

While these services can supplement the design, they are not the primary focus in this use case.

References from Palo Alto Networks Documentation:

5G Security for Private Mobile Networks

IoT Security Solution Brief

Cloud NGFW Overview