Palo Alto Networks PCNSE Exam Dumps & Practice Test Questions
Question No 1:
While reviewing traffic logs on a Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall, you notice that a particular session is marked as "incomplete." This session appears in the logs, but the application associated with it is not clearly identified.
What does the "incomplete" application status indicate in this scenario?
A. The TCP three-way handshake was successfully completed, but the firewall could not identify the application.
B. The TCP three-way handshake was not completed, and the session was never fully established.
C. The traffic uses the UDP protocol, which doesn't involve a handshake, and the application could not be identified.
D. Data packets were received but immediately discarded because a security policy blocked the traffic before App-ID could process it.
Correct Answer: B. The TCP three-way handshake was not completed.
Explanation:
In Palo Alto Networks firewalls, when a session is marked as "incomplete," it generally indicates that the session failed to establish a full TCP connection, specifically the TCP three-way handshake. The handshake process involves three steps: SYN, SYN-ACK, and ACK. For a session to be considered complete, all three steps must successfully occur. If any of these steps is dropped or disrupted, such as through network errors, host refusal, or the session being terminated prematurely, the session is deemed "incomplete."
When the handshake isn't completed, the firewall can't properly identify the application associated with the session. Therefore, it cannot classify the traffic using its App-ID feature, which relies on having full communication data to perform application identification. This is commonly seen in scenarios such as network reconnaissance attempts, dropped packets due to external network issues, or misconfigured devices.
It's important to note that this status is not the same as "unknown-udp," which refers to unidentified UDP-based traffic. In the case of blocked traffic, such as when a session is denied by a security policy, the log would likely show a "reset" or a similar termination reason, not "incomplete."
The "incomplete" status is a useful indicator for network administrators, helping them identify potential issues with the TCP handshake process that could be linked to network misconfigurations, malicious activity, or other issues that prevent successful communication.
Question No 2:
Which of the following configurations are defined within the Templates object in Palo Alto Networks Panorama? Choose three correct options.
A. Setup
B. Virtual Routers
C. Interfaces
D. Security
E. Application Override
Correct Answers:
A. Setup
B. Virtual Routers
C. Interfaces
Explanation:
Palo Alto Networks Panorama provides centralized management for multiple firewalls, and the Templates object within Panorama is used to configure settings related to device and network configuration. These settings are applied consistently across all firewalls managed by Panorama, making it easier for administrators to manage and standardize configurations.
Within a Panorama Template, the following configurations are typically defined:
Setup (Option A): This involves fundamental device configuration, such as hostname, DNS servers, NTP settings, and other system-level settings that define the identity and management parameters of the firewall. It is crucial for the initial setup and configuration of the device.
Virtual Routers (Option B): These are logical routing instances that handle route tables and define how traffic is routed through the firewall. Including virtual routers in a Panorama Template enables centralized, consistent routing configurations for multiple firewalls.
Interfaces (Option C): This refers to the physical or logical network interfaces on the firewall, such as Ethernet or loopback interfaces. Templates allow administrators to standardize interface configurations across different devices, ensuring consistent network setup.
However, security-related configurations such as Security Policies (Option D) and Application Override (Option E) belong to the Device Groups object, not the Templates object. Device Groups manage policy settings that impact traffic behavior, while Templates focus on network and device settings like interfaces and routing.
By using Templates for network and device configuration and Device Groups for policy-related settings, Panorama allows administrators to efficiently manage their firewall infrastructure, ensuring both consistency and control.
Question No 3:
A network administrator is troubleshooting an issue where traffic from a custom PostgreSQL-based database application is recognized as "unknown-tcp" by the Palo Alto Networks firewall. This custom application uses non-standard ports or behaviors that the firewall's default application signatures don't match. To ensure the firewall can correctly identify and apply security policies to this custom database traffic,
Which two configuration methods can the administrator use to accurately classify and manage this application? (Choose two options)
A. Create an Application Override policy using custom ports and protocols to classify the traffic.
B. Configure a Security Policy to dynamically identify the custom application.
C. Define a Custom Application with specific signatures and parameters.
D. Use a Custom Service Object to map the application traffic to standard ports.
Correct Answers:
A. Create an Application Override policy
C. Define a Custom Application
Explanation:
When traffic is classified as "unknown-tcp," it typically means that the Palo Alto Networks firewall is unable to identify the application because it does not match any predefined application signature. This is common with custom or proprietary applications that use non-standard ports or protocols that do not align with the firewall’s default App-ID database.
To resolve this issue, the network administrator can use the following methods:
Application Override Policy (Option A): This policy allows administrators to manually define the application associated with specific traffic. The policy bypasses the App-ID engine and classifies the traffic based on parameters like source and destination zones, IP addresses, ports, and protocols. This is ideal when the traffic is predictable but not recognized by App-ID.
Custom Application (Option C): Defining a Custom Application with specific signatures and conditions such as byte patterns or protocol behaviors provides a more granular level of control. This method allows the firewall to fully identify the custom application, even if it uses non-standard ports. It also enables App-ID features such as logging, reporting, and applying specific security policies to the traffic.
Options B and D are not effective solutions for initial classification:
Security Policies (Option B) are applied after the App-ID engine has identified the application, so they do not assist in identifying the custom application initially.
Custom Service Objects (Option D) are used to define specific port/protocol mappings but do not provide the deep inspection necessary for accurate application identification.
By implementing both Application Override and Custom Application methods, the administrator can ensure that the custom PostgreSQL-based application is correctly identified and protected by appropriate security policies.
Question No 4:
An administrator has logged into the Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) via the Web User Interface (WebUI). However, upon logging in, the "Policies" tab is missing from the navigation menu, making it impossible to configure security, NAT, or other policy-related settings.
What is the most likely reason for this issue?
A) Admin Role
B) WebUI
C) Authentication
D) Authorization
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
In Palo Alto Networks NGFW, access to different WebUI sections is controlled by the Admin Role assigned to each user. These roles define the permissions and areas of the firewall that a user can access or modify based on their assigned privileges.
In this scenario, the administrator was able to log in successfully, which means that Authentication (the process of verifying the administrator's identity) and Authorization (granting access to the firewall) were both completed successfully. However, the "Policies" tab, which is essential for configuring security and NAT policies, is missing, pointing to an issue with the Admin Role configuration.
The Admin Role determines what parts of the firewall are visible and accessible in the WebUI. If the role assigned to the administrator does not include permission for policy management, the "Policies" tab will not be displayed. This can happen if the administrator's role is restricted to read-only access or if it's limited to certain functionalities like monitoring without permissions for modifying policies.
To resolve the issue, an administrator with full access (such as a superuser or admin with the appropriate permissions) can:
Navigate to Device > Admin Roles in the WebUI.
Locate and modify the role assigned to the affected administrator.
Ensure that the necessary policy permissions (e.g., read/write or read-only) are enabled for the WebUI and XML API.
Save the changes and have the administrator log in again to verify the "Policies" tab is accessible.
Therefore, the root cause is the Admin Role, which controls access to various firewall features, including policy management.
Question No 5:
An IT administrator has configured a Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) and left all management services (such as WildFire, NTP, and updates) at their default ports. The administrator now needs to determine which of the following functions are executed by the dataplane of the firewall.
Which three of the following functions are managed by the dataplane when the firewall uses default ports for all management services? (Choose three options)
A) WildFire updates
B) Network Address Translation (NAT)
C) Network Time Protocol (NTP)
D) Antivirus inspection
E) File blocking
Correct Answers: B, D, E
Explanation:
In a Palo Alto Networks NGFW, responsibilities are divided between the management plane and the dataplane. The management plane handles tasks related to system configuration, updates, and communication with external services. In contrast, the dataplane is responsible for processing traffic that passes through the firewall, including enforcing security policies and applying traffic inspection functions.
Breakdown of Each Option:
A) WildFire updates:
WildFire updates are related to retrieving threat intelligence and malware signatures from external servers, and they are part of the management plane. This process does not directly involve traffic inspection and is not handled by the dataplane.B) NAT (Network Address Translation):
NAT is a fundamental dataplane function. It modifies packet headers in real-time as traffic passes through the firewall, enabling the translation of internal IP addresses to public ones (or vice versa). This is essential for traffic routing and ensuring secure communication between internal and external networks.C) NTP (Network Time Protocol):
NTP is used to synchronize the firewall’s system time, and it is part of the management plane. Since this function is related to system configuration rather than the handling of network traffic, it is not managed by the dataplane.D) Antivirus inspection:
Antivirus inspection is performed by the dataplane as traffic flows through the firewall. This inspection scans files and data for malware or other malicious content, blocking anything deemed harmful before it enters the network. Antivirus scanning is one of the core functions of a NGFW to protect against security threats.E) File blocking:
Similar to antivirus inspection, file blocking is also a dataplane function. The firewall inspects the files traveling through the network to enforce policies such as blocking certain file types or content that may pose a security risk.
The dataplane is responsible for real-time traffic processing and security enforcement, including NAT, Antivirus inspection, and File blocking. On the other hand, management plane functions like WildFire updates and NTP are administrative and do not directly handle the processing of network traffic.
Thus, the correct functions managed by the dataplane are NAT, Antivirus inspection, and File blocking.
Question No 6:
An enterprise administrator manages a network environment using Panorama along with several Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs). After upgrading both Panorama and the NGFWs to the latest version of PAN-OS®, the administrator enables log forwarding from the firewalls to Panorama. However, the administrator notices that historical logs, generated prior to the upgrade and enabling log forwarding, are not visible in Panorama’s monitoring and logging interfaces.
What method should the administrator use to ensure that these older logs, which are still stored locally on each firewall, are transferred to Panorama?
A) Use the import option to pull logs into Panorama.
B) Use a CLI command to forward the pre-existing logs to Panorama.
C) Use the ACC to consolidate pre-existing logs.
D) Export the log database from the firewalls and manually import it into Panorama.
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
In a Palo Alto Networks environment, Panorama acts as the centralized management and logging platform for multiple Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs). When log forwarding is enabled on these NGFWs, they start sending logs to Panorama from that point onward. However, logs generated prior to enabling log forwarding are not automatically transferred to Panorama.
Since the historical logs still reside in the local storage of the individual firewalls, administrators need to use a specific method to send these logs to Panorama after the fact. The solution is to use a CLI command to manually forward the existing logs from each firewall to Panorama.
The typical command used to initiate the log transfer is:
This command instructs the firewall to resend its locally stored logs to Panorama, ensuring that even logs generated before log forwarding was enabled are transferred and visible in Panorama for further analysis and monitoring.
Why Other Options are Incorrect:
Option A (Import option):
The import functionality is not designed for pulling logs into Panorama. It is not a supported method for collecting logs from firewalls, particularly historical logs.Option C (Using the ACC):
The Application Command Center (ACC) is primarily used for analyzing traffic data and providing insights into security events. It does not have functionality to transfer logs from firewalls to Panorama.Option D (Manual export/import):
Manually exporting and importing log data is neither a supported nor efficient way of transferring logs within Palo Alto Networks’ ecosystem. The process should be automated via CLI commands, which is the proper method.
Therefore, the correct approach is to use the CLI command to forward the pre-existing logs, ensuring that no data is lost and that comprehensive historical log data is available in Panorama for analysis and compliance purposes.
Question No 7:
A Palo Alto Networks firewall submits a suspicious file to WildFire for analysis. WildFire is expected to complete the analysis within a 5-minute window, and the firewall is set to poll WildFire every 5 minutes for the verdict.
Considering this configuration, What is the most accurate estimate of how long it will take for the firewall to receive the verdict after submitting the file?
A) Over 15 minutes
B) 5 minutes
C) Between 10 and 15 minutes
D) Between 5 and 10 minutes
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
In a Palo Alto Networks environment, the integration with WildFire provides automated threat detection. Suspicious files are sent to the WildFire cloud for analysis, and WildFire generates a verdict after reviewing the file. However, the firewall doesn’t check for the verdict continuously in real-time but instead polls the WildFire service at intervals, as defined in its configuration.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how this process unfolds:
Minute 0: The firewall submits the suspicious file to WildFire for analysis.
Minute 5: WildFire completes the analysis and the verdict is ready. At this point, the analysis has finished, and WildFire has determined if the file is benign, malware, or grayware.
Minutes 5–10: The firewall does not immediately retrieve the verdict. Since it is configured to poll WildFire every 5 minutes, it will have to wait until the next polling cycle. This means the verdict is not received right after analysis completion but after the firewall checks WildFire during the next cycle.
Minute 10: The firewall polls WildFire, and since the verdict is now available, it retrieves the result.
The critical factor here is the polling interval. Even though WildFire completes the analysis within 5 minutes, the firewall doesn’t check the service until the next polling cycle, which could be an additional 5 minutes after the verdict is ready.
So, while the analysis itself is quick (within 5 minutes), the firewall could end up waiting for an additional 5 minutes to retrieve the verdict, depending on the timing of the polling cycle. As a result, the total time from submission to verdict retrieval can range from just over 5 minutes to about 10 minutes, making D (Between 5 and 10 minutes) the most accurate estimate.
This timing becomes essential to understand in scenarios where rapid response times are crucial for threat detection and prevention. Delays in retrieving verdicts can impact network security operations, so knowing how to optimize polling intervals can be key to improving the efficiency of threat management.
Question No 8:
When configuring security policy rules on a firewall, what is the primary distinction between using “service” and “application” objects, especially in how they affect traffic matching and enforcement decisions?
A) When using a service object, the firewall can immediately process the first packet based on predefined port numbers. In contrast, when using an application object, the firewall can only act immediately if the application is using its standard port.
B) There is no significant difference between using service and application objects; application objects primarily simplify configurations by using friendly names instead of port numbers.
C) A service object allows the firewall to enforce policy based on the port of the first packet. An application object requires the firewall to inspect multiple packets until App-ID identifies the application, regardless of the port used.
D) A service object delays action until the firewall identifies the application using App-ID.
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
When setting up security policies on next-generation firewalls (NGFWs), administrators can choose between using "service" or "application" objects to define the traffic rules. These two methods serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics that influence how traffic is processed and policies are enforced.
Service objects rely on static parameters like TCP/UDP port numbers. Once a packet is received by the firewall, it is immediately inspected for the destination port. If the port matches a service object, the firewall can act on the packet right away—either allowing or denying it. This process is quick and efficient but lacks deeper insight into the actual application making use of the port. As a result, there could be security risks if an unauthorized application is using a standard port like HTTP (port 80) or HTTPS (port 443).
On the other hand, application objects utilize the firewall's App-ID technology, which allows it to inspect the packet's payload and behavioral patterns rather than just the port number. This approach offers much deeper visibility into the actual application using the traffic, regardless of the port. However, this method requires the firewall to observe enough packets to accurately identify the application, which could introduce a slight delay before enforcement. This additional inspection ensures that only the intended application is allowed, even if it uses a non-standard port.
Therefore, service objects are faster because they only rely on port numbers, but they lack the ability to identify what is actually generating the traffic. On the other hand, application objects offer more precise and secure control, but they require more data to be inspected before making a decision.
In modern network security, application-based policies are preferred as they provide more accurate control over traffic, ensuring that only legitimate applications are allowed, even if they use non-standard ports.
Question No 9:
Which of the following is an officially recognized and valid model in the Palo Alto Networks VM-Series firewall lineup?
A) VM-25
B) VM-800
C) VM-50
D) VM-400
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Palo Alto Networks offers a series of virtual firewalls, known as the VM-Series, designed specifically for use in virtualized environments such as data centers and public clouds. These firewalls provide the same advanced security features as their physical counterparts, including threat prevention, application visibility, and secure network segmentation. The VM-Series models are scalable and versatile, catering to a wide range of network security needs.
Among the available models in the VM-Series, the correct and officially supported model is the VM-50. The VM-50 is an entry-level virtual firewall that is designed for environments with low throughput requirements. It is suitable for use in small-scale deployments, such as development, testing, or branch offices, where the traffic volume is not as high as in larger, enterprise environments. The VM-50 is part of a larger lineup of VM-Series firewalls that includes various models to cater to different deployment scales, including:
VM-100
VM-300
VM-500
VM-700
The VM-50 is the ideal choice for smaller deployments, as it offers essential security features while maintaining cost efficiency for low-throughput environments.
The other options listed are incorrect and do not correspond to official models in the Palo Alto Networks portfolio:
VM-25: This model does not exist and is not part of Palo Alto's VM-Series lineup.
VM-800: No such model exists. The VM-700 is the highest model in the current VM-Series lineup.
VM-400: This model is also non-existent in Palo Alto Networks’ virtual firewall offerings.
Understanding which models are officially supported is crucial for deploying the right firewall for your environment. Correctly identifying the appropriate model ensures compatibility with your network infrastructure and guarantees proper vendor support. Using a non-existent or incorrect model can lead to configuration issues, licensing errors, and problems during deployment. Always consult Palo Alto Networks’ official documentation or website to verify available models and make informed decisions based on your specific security requirements.
Question No 10:
A company is planning to implement Palo Alto Networks' next-generation firewall (NGFW) to improve its network security posture. The firewall needs to block malware, prevent unauthorized access, and ensure minimal disruption to the network.
Which of the following features would be most effective in securing the network while maintaining performance and user experience?
A) URL Filtering
B) Threat Prevention
C) Application Control
D) GlobalProtect
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
In this scenario, the company needs to implement robust security measures without sacrificing performance. Let’s break down the features mentioned:
A) URL Filtering:
URL Filtering is an effective method of blocking websites that are known to host malicious content or violate company policies. While it helps protect against certain threats, it does not offer comprehensive protection against malware, unauthorized access, or application-layer attacks. It mainly focuses on the categorization of URLs, which can be a valuable part of the overall security strategy, but on its own, it may not fully address all the requirements for a strong network security posture.B) Threat Prevention:
Threat Prevention is a comprehensive suite of security features that includes anti-virus (AV), anti-spyware, intrusion prevention (IPS), and vulnerability protection. This is one of the most critical features of a next-generation firewall (NGFW) like Palo Alto Networks because it addresses a wide range of security threats, including malware, exploits, and malicious activity. It can block known malware, prevent unauthorized access attempts, and provide real-time threat intelligence. This functionality is designed to keep systems secure without severely impacting performance. It aligns with the goal of minimizing disruptions while enhancing network security.C) Application Control:
Application Control helps administrators identify and control applications running on the network, allowing them to block or limit potentially harmful applications. While it is useful for controlling traffic based on the application, it does not provide the comprehensive protection that Threat Prevention does. In scenarios where malware, unauthorized access, and a broader set of threats need to be mitigated, Threat Prevention is more versatile.D) GlobalProtect:
GlobalProtect is a VPN solution provided by Palo Alto Networks that ensures secure access to corporate resources for remote users. It is an essential tool for enabling secure connectivity for remote employees, but it is not focused on blocking malware or unauthorized access within the corporate network. It is more about ensuring secure access for external users rather than protecting the internal network from threats.
In summary, Threat Prevention (B) is the most effective option here because it offers the broadest protection against various types of security risks, such as malware, unauthorized access, and other vulnerabilities, while ensuring that network performance and user experience are not significantly impacted.
