Paloalto Networks Practitioner Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Practitioner (PCCP) Exam Practice Test

List three advantages of serverless computing over

CaaS: - Reduce costs - Increase agility - Reduce operational overhead

Prisma Cloud comprises four pillars:

● Visibility, governance, and compliance. Gain deep visibility into the security posture of

multicloud environments. Track everything that gets deployed with an automated asset

inventory, and maintain compliance with out-of-the-box governance policies that

enforce good behavior across your environments.

● Compute security. Secure hosts, containers, and serverless workloads throughout the

application lifecycle. Detect and prevent risks by integrating vulnerability intelligence into

your integrated development environment (IDE), software configuration management

(SCM), and CI/CD workflows. Enforce machine learning-based runtime protection to

protect applications and workloads in real time.

● Network protection. Continuously monitor network activity for anomalous behavior,

enforce microservice-aware micro-segmentation, and implement industry-leading

firewall protection. Protect the network perimeter and the connectivity between

containers and hosts.

● Identity security. Monitor and leverage user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) across

your environments to detect and block malicious actions. Gain visibility into and enforce

governance p

Simplicity: Because each device is centrally managed, with routing based on application policies, WAN managers can create and update security rules in real time as network requirements change. Also, when SD-WAN is combined with zero-touch provisioning, a feature that helps automate the deployment and configuration processes, organizations can further reduce the complexity, resources, and operating expenses required to spin up new sites. ● Improved performance: By allowing efficient access to cloud-based resources without the need to backhaul traffic to centralized locations, organizations can provide a better user experience.

IoT devices often have constant internet connectivity and increased data sharing, making them more vulnerable to command-and-control (C2) attacks. Their limited security features and exposure to external networks provide attackers more opportunities to compromise and control them remotely.

As containers grew in popularity and used diversified orchestrators such as Kubernetes (and its derivatives, such as OpenShift), Mesos, and Docker Swarm, it became increasingly important to deploy and operate containers at scale.

Originally designed as a tool to assist organizations with compliance and industry-specific regulations, security information and event management (SIEM) is a technology that has been around for almost two decades

A botnet is a network of computers or devices that are infected by malware and controlled by a malicious actor, known as the botmaster or bot-herder. The botmaster uses a command and control (C2) server or channel to send instructions to the bots and receive information from them. The C2 communication is essential for the botmaster to maintain control over the botnet and use it for various malicious purposes, such as launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, stealing data, sending spam, or mining cryptocurrency. Therefore, the key to “taking down” a botnet is to prevent the bots from communicating with the C2 server or channel. This can be done by disrupting, blocking, or hijacking the C2 communication, which can render the botnet ineffective, unstable, or inaccessible. For example, security researchers or law enforcement agencies can use techniques such as sinkholing, domain name system (DNS) poisoning, or domain seizure to redirect the bot traffic to a benign server or a dead end, cutting off the connection between the bots and the botmaster. Alternatively, they can use techniques such as reverse engineering, decryption, or impersonation to infiltrate the C2 server or channel and take over the botnet, either to disable it, monitor it, or use it for good purposes. References:

What is a Botnet? - Palo Alto Networks

Botnet Detection and Prevention Techniques | A Quick Guide - XenonStack

Botnet Mitigation: How to Prevent Botnet Attacks in 2024 - DataDome

What is a Botnet? Definition and Prevention | Varonis

In anti-malware, a false positive incorrectly identifies a legitimate file or application as malware. A false negative incorrectly identifies malware as a legitimate file or application. In intrusion detection, a false positive incorrectly identifies legitimate traffic as a threat, and a false negative incorrectly identifies a threat as legitimate traffic.

To deliver secure east-west flows and secure Kubernetes workloads in a public cloud environment, you have two deployment options available: VM-Series and CN-Series.

VM-Series is a virtualized form factor of the Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall that can be deployed in public cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud. VM-Series provides comprehensive network security and threat prevention capabilities for protecting your cloud workloads and applications from cyberattacks. VM-Series can also integrate with native cloud services and third-party tools to enable automation, orchestration, and visibility across your cloud environment. VM-Series supports various deployment scenarios, such as securing internet-facing applications, protecting hybrid connectivity, segmenting internal networks, and enabling secure DevOps12.

CN-Series is a containerized form factor of the Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall that can be deployed in Kubernetes environments. CN-Series provides granular network security and threat prevention capabilities for protecting your Kubernetes pods and namespaces from cyberattacks. CN-Series can also integrate with Kubernetes network plugins and services to enable dynamic policy enforcement, service discovery, and visibility across your Kubernetes clusters. CN-Series supports various deployment scenarios, such as securing ingress and egress traffic, enforcing microsegmentation, and enabling secure DevSecOps34.

VM-Series in Public Cloud

VM-Series Deployment Guide

CN-Series in Kubernetes

CN-Series Deployment Guide

From a business perspective, XDR platforms enable organizations to prevent successful cyberattacks as well as simplify and strengthen security processes.

Tunneling is a method of transporting data across a network using protocols that are not supported by that network. Tunneling works by encapsulating packets: wrapping packets inside of other packets. Tunneling within commonly used services is a technique that uses file sharing or an instant messenger client such as Meebo running over HTTP to bypass firewalls or other network restrictions. The data packets are encapsulated within HTTP packets and sent as normal web traffic. This way, the data packets can reach their destination without being blocked or detected by the network. References: What is tunneling? | Tunneling in networking | Cloudflare, What Is Network Tunneling & How Is It Used? | Traefik Labs, networking - What is HTTP tunneling? - Stack Overflow

A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system collects data from various sources (logs, events, etc.) and uses correlation rules to analyze this data and trigger alarms when suspicious or predefined patterns are detected.

A next-generation firewall (NGFW) is a security component that can detect command-and-control (C2) traffic sent from multiple endpoints within a corporate data center. A NGFW is a network device that combines traditional firewall capabilities with advanced features such as application awareness, intrusion prevention, threat intelligence, and cloud-based analysis. A NGFW can identify and block C2 traffic by inspecting the application layer protocols, signatures, and behaviors of the network traffic, as well as correlating the traffic with external sources of threat intelligence. A NGFW can also leverage inline cloud analysis to detect and prevent zero-day C2 threats in real-time. A NGFW can provide granular visibility and control over the network traffic, as well as generate alerts and reports on the C2 activity. References:

Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET)

Command and Control, Tactic TA0011 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Advanced Threat Prevention: Inline Cloud Analysis - Palo Alto Networks

The URL Filtering service complements App-ID by enabling you to configure the next-generation firewall to identify and control access to websites and to protect your organization from websites that host malware and phishing pages.

Assessing severity levels – UEBA data helps prioritize incidents by evaluating the risk and severity based on user and entity behavior.

Detecting and correlating anomalies – UEBA continuously analyzes activity to identify abnormal behavior and correlate anomalies that may indicate insider threats or compromised accounts.

Prisma SD-WAN is a key component of a SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) solution. It provides intelligent routing, traffic optimization, and secure connectivity between users and applications, supporting the networking part of SASE alongside security services like those in Prisma Access.

Malicious Portable Executable (PE) files hidden inside PDFs represent a stealthy delivery tactic where attackers embed executable payloads within seemingly benign documents. When a user opens the PDF, the embedded PE executes, potentially installing malware. This approach combines social engineering with file obfuscation to bypass traditional detection methods. Palo Alto Networks’ Advanced WildFire sandboxing inspects such files by detonating them in isolated environments to observe behavior and identify hidden threats. This detection technique is critical for uncovering evasive malware concealed within common file types before they reach end-users.

SaaS applications are cloud-based software that users can access from anywhere and any device. This poses a challenge for organizations to ensure that their employees are using the SaaS applications in a secure and compliant manner. Therefore, organizations need to establish and enforce acceptable use policies (AUPs) for SaaS applications that define the rules and guidelines for accessing and using the applications, such as who can use them, what data can be stored or shared, and what actions are prohibited12. AUPs help organizations to protect their data, prevent unauthorized access, and comply with local regulations and standards3. References: Using Software as a Service (SaaS) securely - NCSC, Minimum Security Standards for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) | University IT, How to Secure Your SaaS Applications - CyberArk

App-ID™ technology leverages the power of the broad global community to provide continuous identification, categorization, and granular risk-based control of known and previously unknown SaaS applications, ensuring new applications are discovered automatically as they become popular.

Multiple attack vectors – APTs often use various methods (phishing, malware, lateral movement) to infiltrate and maintain access to a target.

Repeated pursuit of objective – APTs are known for their persistent nature, involving continuous efforts over time to achieve their goals, such as data theft or surveillance.

Virtualization improves the availability of IT systems and resources by enabling features such as12:

Resource optimization: Virtualization allows multiple virtual instances to share the same physical infrastructure, reducing hardware costs and increasing resource utilization.

Scalability: Virtualization enables rapid provisioning and deprovisioning of virtual instances, allowing organizations to scale up or down their IT capacity according to demand.

Disaster recovery: Virtualization facilitates backup and replication of virtual instances, allowing organizations to restore their IT systems and data in the event of a disaster or outage.

Fault tolerance: Virtualization supports high availability and load balancing of virtual instances, ensuring that IT systems and services remain operational even if one or more virtual instances fail. References: Virtualization Benefits: How Virtualization Improves Efficiency and Security | VMware, Virtualization Security - A Complete Guide - CyberExperts.com

One of the best practices for securing sensitive data in SaaS applications is to control the access and usage of data based on the device type. Managed devices are those that are enrolled and monitored by the organization’s IT department, and have security policies and controls applied to them. Unmanaged devices are those that are not under the organization’s control, such as personal laptops or mobile phones. Allowing downloads to managed devices but blocking them from unmanaged devices prevents data leakage and unauthorized access to sensitive data. This can be achieved by using a cloud access security broker (CASB) solution, such as Prisma SaaS from Palo Alto Networks, which can enforce granular policies based on device posture, user identity, and data sensitivity 12. References: 1: Securing SaaS applications on the cloud is a critical aspect of protecting sensitive data and maintaining the trust of customers. By implementing best practices, such as enhanced authentication, data encryption, Break Glass, and oversight, organizations can mitigate the security risks associated with SaaS applications2: Prisma SaaS - Palo Alto Networks

Xpanse is a tool from Palo Alto Networks that provides attack surface management by analyzing exposed services and internet-facing assets, giving security operations teams visibility into environmental risks and helping prioritize remediation of vulnerabilities.

"Weaponization: Next, attackers determine which methods to use to compromise a target endpoint. They may choose to embed intruder code within seemingly innocuous files such as a PDF or Microsoft Word document or email message."

PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, which is a set of requirements intended to ensure that all companies that process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment1. The standard is administered by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, and its use is mandated by the major card brands2. PCI DSS covers 12 requirements for compliance, organized into six control objectives, such as building and maintaining a secure network and systems, protecting cardholder data, and implementing strong access control measures3. References: Payment Card Industry Security Standards, PCI Security Standards Council – Protect Payment Data with Industry-driven Security Standards, Training, and Programs, What is PCI Compliance? 12 Requirements & More - Digital Guardian

Application (Layer 4 or L4): This layer loosely corresponds to Layers 5 through 7 of the OSI model.

Transport (Layer 3 or L3): This layer corresponds to Layer 4 of the OSI model.

Internet (Layer 2 or L2): This layer corresponds to Layer 3 of the OSI model.

Network Access (Layer 1 or L1): This layer corresponds to Layers 1 and 2 of the OSI model

 A rootkit is a type of malware that enables cyber criminals to gain access to and infiltrate data from machines without being detected. It covers software toolboxes designed to infect computers, give the attacker remote control, and remain hidden for a long period of time1 One of the most prominent characteristics of a rootkit is that it cannot be detected by antivirus because of its masking techniques. A rootkit may be able to subvert the software that is intended to find it, such as by hooking system calls, modifying kernel objects, or tampering with the registry2 Another prominent characteristic of a rootkit is that it takes control of the operating system. A rootkit may install itself in the kernel or the firmware of the device, giving it the highest level of privilege and access. A rootkit may also replace the bootloader or the BIOS of the machine, making it difficult to remove. A rootkit can use its control over the operating system to launch other malware, such as ransomware, bots, keyloggers, or trojans34 References:

1: What Is a Rootkit? How to Defend and Stop Them? | Fortinet

2: Rootkit - Wikipedia

3: What Is a Rootkit? – Microsoft 365

4: What is Rootkit? Attack Definition & Examples - CrowdStrike

"Remember that a trust zone is not intended to be a “pocket of trust” where systems (and therefore threats) within the zone can communicate freely and directly with each other. For a full Zero Trust implementation, the network would be configured to ensure that all communications traffic, including traffic between devices in the same zone, is intermediated by the corresponding Zero Trust Segmentation Platform."

"In serverless apps, the developer uploads only the app package itself, without a full container image or any OS components. The platform dynamically packages it into an image, runs the image in a container, and (if needed) instantiates the underlying host OS and VM and the hardware required to run them."

Stateful packet inspection firewalls Second-generation stateful packet inspection (also known as dynamic packet filtering) firewalls have the following characteristics:

● They operate up to Layer 4 (Transport layer) of the OSI model and maintain state information about the communication sessions that have been established between hosts on the trusted and untrusted networks.

● They inspect individual packet headers to determine source and destination IP address, protocol (TCP, UDP, and ICMP), and port number (during session establishment only) to

determine whether the session should be allowed, blocked, or dropped based on configured

firewall rules.

● After a permitted connection is established between two hosts, the firewall creates and

deletes firewall rules for individual connections as needed, thus effectively creating a tunnel that allows traffic to flow between the two hosts without further inspection of individual packets during the session.

● This type of firewall is very fast, but it is port-based and it is highly dependent on the

trustworthiness of the two hosts because individual packets aren’t inspected after the

connection is established.

A directory service is a database that contains information about users, resources, and services in a network.

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is a cloud computing model that delivers on-demand infrastructure resources to organizations via the cloud, such as compute, storage, networking, and virtualization1. Customers do not have to manage, maintain, or update their own data center infrastructure, but are responsible for the operating system, middleware, virtual machines, and any apps or data1. Therefore, IaaS gives customers full control over the operating system(s) running on their cloud computing platform, as well as the flexibility to customize and configure their infrastructure according to their needs2. References: What are the different types of cloud computing? | Google Cloud, PaaS vs IaaS vs SaaS: What’s the difference? | Google Cloud

Cortex XDR is an endpoint product from Palo Alto Networks that can help with SOC visibility by allowing you to rapidly detect and respond to threats across your networks, endpoints, and clouds. It assists SOC analysts by allowing them to view all the alerts from all Palo Alto Networks products in one place, and to perform root cause analysis and automated response actions. Cortex XDR also integrates with other Palo Alto Networks products, such as WildFire, AutoFocus, and Cortex Data Lake, to provide comprehensive threat intelligence and data enrichment12. References:

SOC Services - Palo Alto Networks

Endpoint Protection - Palo Alto Networks

Security Operations | Palo Alto Networks

Cortex - Palo Alto Networks

 Connectors and interfaces are the components that enable a SIEM to collect, process, and analyze data from various sources, such as Microsoft 365 services and applications1, cloud platforms, network devices, and security solutions. Connectors are responsible for extracting and transforming data from the source systems, while interfaces are responsible for sending and receiving data to and from the SIEM server. Without connectors and interfaces, a SIEM cannot operate correctly and ensure a translated flow from the system of interest to the SIEM data lake. References:

SIEM server integration with Microsoft 365 services and applications

What Is SIEM Integration? 2024 Comprehensive Guide - SelectHub

SIEM Connector - docs.metallic.io

SIEM Connector

Prisma SaaS connects directly to the applications themselves, therefore providing continuous silent monitoring of the risks within the sanctioned SaaS applications, with detailed visibility that is not possible with traditional security solutions.

Selective network security virtualization: Intra-host communications and live migrations are architected at this phase. All intra-host communication paths are strictly controlled to ensure that traffic between VMs at different trust levels is intermediated either by an on-box, virtual security appliance or by an off-box, physical security appliance.

To find the subnet that the host 192.168.19.36/27 belongs to, we need to convert the IP address and the subnet mask to binary form and perform a logical AND operation. The /27 notation means that the subnet mask has 27 bits of ones and 5 bits of zeros. In decimal form, the subnet mask is 255.255.255.224. The binary form of the IP address and the subnet mask are:

IP address: 11000000.10101000.00010011.00100100 Subnet mask: 11111111.11111111.11111111.11100000

The logical AND operation gives us the network prefix:

Network prefix: 11000000.10101000.00010011.00100000

To get the subnet address, we convert the network prefix back to decimal form:

Subnet address: 192.168.19.32

The subnet address is the first address in the subnet range. To find the last address in the subnet range, we flip the bits of the subnet mask and perform a logical OR operation with the network prefix:

Flipped subnet mask: 00000000.00000000.00000000.00011111 Logical OR: 11000000.10101000.00010011.00111111

The last address in the subnet range is:

Last address: 192.168.19.63

The subnet range is from 192.168.19.32 to 192.168.19.63. The host 192.168.19.36 belongs to this subnet. Therefore, the correct answer is B. 192.168.19.16, which is the second address in the subnet range.

IP Subnet Calculator

Subnet Calculator - IP and CIDR

Which subnet does the host 192.168.19.36/27 belong? - VCEguide.com

 A cloud native security platform (CNSP) is a set of security practices and technologies designed specifically for applications built and deployed in cloud environments. It involves a shift in mindset from traditional security approaches, which often rely on network-based protections, to a more application-focused approach that emphasizes identity and access management, container security and workload security, and continuous monitoring and response. A CNSP offers three main benefits for cloud native applications:

Agility: A CNSP enables faster and more frequent delivery of software updates, as security is built into the application and infrastructure from the ground up, rather than added on as an afterthought. This allows for seamless integration of security controls into the continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline, reducing the risk of security gaps or delays. A CNSP also leverages automation and orchestration to simplify and streamline security operations, such as configuration, patching, scanning, and remediation.

Digital transformation: A CNSP supports the adoption of cloud native technologies, such as microservices, containers, serverless, and platform as a service (PaaS), which enable greater scalability, deployability, manageability, and performance of cloud applications. These technologies also allow for more innovation and experimentation, as developers can easily create, test, and deploy new features and functionalities. A CNSP helps to protect these cloud native architectures from threats and vulnerabilities, while also ensuring compliance with regulations and standards.

Flexibility: A CNSP provides consistent and comprehensive security across different cloud environments, such as public, private, and multi-cloud. It also allows for customization and adaptation of security policies and controls to suit the specific needs and preferences of each application and organization. A CNSP can also integrate with other security tools and platforms, such as firewalls, endpoint protection, threat intelligence, and security information and event management (SIEM), to provide a holistic and unified view of the security posture and risk level of cloud applications.

What Is a Cloud Native Security Platform?

What Is Cloud-Native Security?

All You Need to Know About Cloud Native Security

Top Five Benefits of Cloud Native Application Security

A SASE solution converges networking and security services into one unified, cloud-delivered solution (see Figure 3-12) that includes the following:

● Networking

○ Software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WANs)

○ Virtual private networks (VPNs)

○ Zero Trust network access (ZTNA)

○ Quality of Service (QoS)

● Security

○ Firewall as a service (FWaaS)

○ Domain Name System (DNS) security

○ Threat prevention

○ Secure web gateway (SWG)

○ Data loss prevention (DLP)

○ Cloud access security broker (CASB)

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools monitor, record, and analyze endpoint activity to detect suspicious behavior, investigate incidents, and respond to threats on user devices such as laptops and desktops.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) technologies provide comprehensive visibility and real-time threat prevention directly on endpoint devices. EDR continuously monitors process activities, file executions, and system calls to detect malware, suspicious behaviors, and zero-day threats at the source. Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex XDR platform exemplifies this by correlating endpoint telemetry with network and cloud data to provide a holistic defense against attacks. Operating locally on endpoints allows EDR to prevent lateral movement and respond to threats quickly, filling security gaps that network-centric tools alone cannot address. This endpoint-level insight is critical to identifying sophisticated threats that initiate or manifest on user devices.

Scanning for excessive logins – ITDR identifies suspicious patterns such as unusual or excessive login attempts, which may indicate credential abuse.

Analyzing access management logs – ITDR tools analyze identity-related logs, including authentication and authorization events, to detect threats tied to user behavior and access anomalies.

Device security and signature matching are not core functions of ITDR; they fall under endpoint protection and traditional threat detection respectively.

 An exploit is a type of malware that takes advantage of a vulnerability on an endpoint or server to execute malicious code, gain unauthorized access, or perform other malicious actions. Exploits can be categorized into known and unknown (i.e., zero-day) exploits, depending on whether the vulnerability is publicly disclosed or not12. Exploits can target various types of software, such as operating systems, browsers, applications, or network devices3. References: Malware vs. Exploits, Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities, 12 Types of Malware + Examples That You Should Know, Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician

According to the NIST definition, cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction1. One of the essential characteristics of cloud computing is on-demand self-service, which means that users can request and obtain computing resources as needed, without requiring human intervention from the service provider2. On-demand network services are an example of this characteristic, as they allow users to access network resources such as bandwidth, routing, firewall, or load balancing, on demand and in a scalable manner3. References:

The NIST definition of cloud computing

SP 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing | CSRC

On-Demand Network Services - Palo Alto Networks

A “ports first” data security solution is a traditional approach that relies on port numbers to identify and filter network traffic. This approach has several limitations and security weaknesses, such as12:

Port numbers are not reliable indicators of the type or content of network traffic, as they can be easily spoofed or changed by malicious actors.

Port numbers do not provide any visibility into the application layer, where most of the attacks occur.

Port numbers do not account for the dynamic and complex nature of modern applications, which often use multiple ports or protocols to communicate.

Port numbers do not support granular and flexible policies based on user identity, device context, or application behavior. One of the security weaknesses that is caused by implementing a “ports first” data security solution in a traditional data center is that you may have to open up multiple ports and these ports could also be used to gain unauthorized entry into your datacenter. For example, if you have a web server that runs on port 80, you may have to open up port 80 on your firewall to allow incoming traffic. However, this also means that any other service or application that uses port 80 can also access your datacenter, potentially exposing it to attacks. Moreover, opening up multiple ports increases the attack surface area of your network, as it creates more entry points for attackers to exploit34. References: Common Open Port Vulnerabilities List - Netwrix, Optimize security with Azure Firewall solution for Azure Sentinel | Microsoft Security Blog, Which item accurately describes a security weakness that is caused by …, Which item accurately describes a security weakness … - Exam4Training

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platforms are designed to automate the remediation of confirmed cybersecurity breaches by executing predefined response playbooks, reducing response time and manual effort during incidents.

An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a sophisticated, sustained cyberattack in which an intruder establishes an undetected presence in a network in order to steal sensitive data over a prolonged period of time. APTs are usually carried out by well-funded, experienced teams of cybercriminals that target high-value organizations, such as governments, military, or corporations. APTs have the skills and resources to launch additional attacks, as they often use advanced techniques to evade detection, move laterally within the network, and establish multiple entry points and backdoors. APTs are not interested in causing immediate damage or disruption, but rather in achieving long-term goals, such as espionage, sabotage, or theft of intellectual property. Therefore, option B is the correct answer among the given choices123 References:

1: Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician - Palo Alto Networks

2: 10 Palo Alto Networks PCCET Exam Practice Questions - CBT Nuggets

3: What Is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? - Cisco

4: What is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? - CrowdStrike

5: What Is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? - Kaspersky

The IP stack adds source (sender) and destination (receiver) IP addresses to the TCP segment (which now is called an IP packet) and notifies the server operating system that it has an outgoing message ready to be sent across the network.

Serverless architecture is primarily implemented through Function as a Service (FaaS), where developers write and deploy individual functions without managing the underlying infrastructure. The cloud provider handles scaling, resource allocation, and execution on demand.

A physical firewall is ideal for environments like a company headquarters that require redundant power, high throughput, and dedicated hardware for maximum reliability and performance. It supports more robust failover and scalability compared to virtual or containerized options.

● Reduce the attack surface: Best-of-breed technologies that are natively integrated provide a prevention architecture that inherently reduces the attack surface. This type of architecture allows organizations to exert positive control based on applications, users, and content, with support for open communication, orchestration, and visibility.

● Prevent all known threats, fast: A coordinated security platform accounts for the full scope of an attack across the various security controls that compose the security posture, thus enabling organizations to quickly identify and block known threats.

● Detect and prevent new, unknown threats with automation: Security that simply detects

threats and requires a manual response is too little, too late. Automated creation and

delivery of near-real-time protections against new threats to the various security solutions in the organization’s environments enable dynamic policy updates. These updates are

designed to allow enterprises to scale defenses with technology, rather than people.

Command and Control: Attackers establish encrypted communication channels back to command-and-control (C2) servers across the internet so that they can modify their attack objectives and methods as additional targets of opportunity are identified within the victim network, or to evade any new security countermeasures that the organization may attempt to deploy if attack artifacts are discovered.

A Jasager attack is a type of wireless man-in-the-middle attack that exploits the way mobile devices search for known wireless networks. A Jasager device will respond to any beacon request from a mobile device by saying “Yes, I’m here”, pretending to be one of the preferred networks. This way, the Jasager device can trick the mobile device into connecting to it, without the user’s knowledge or consent. The Jasager device can then intercept, modify, or redirect the traffic of the victim. For this attack to work, the attacker needs to be within close proximity of the victim, and the victim must have at least one known network in their preferred list. The victim does not need to manually choose the attacker’s access point, nor does the attacker try to get victims to connect at random. References: Wireless Man in the Middle - Palo Alto Networks, Man-in-the-middle attacks with malicious & rogue Wi-Fi access points - Privacy Guides

Advanced malware is designed to evade detection and persist within a system, often using stealthy techniques to spread laterally across multiple hosts in a network without triggering alerts, making it especially dangerous and difficult to remove.

Signature-based malware detection relies on a constantly updated database of known threat signatures to identify malicious files or activity. Without frequent updates, it becomes ineffective against newly emerging threats.

SaaS financial botnets are often sold as kits, enabling attackers to license and reuse the malicious code easily.

These kits allow attackers to build and operate their own botnets, often targeting financial data or systems.

Financial botnets are typically smaller but more targeted than spamming or DDoS botnets. Botnets are not a defense mechanism, but rather a threat.

Advanced WildFire is a Cloud-Delivered Security Service (CDSS) that detects zero-day malware using inline cloud machine learning (ML) and sandboxing techniques. It analyzes unknown files in real-time to identify and block new threats before they can cause harm.

Cortex XDR is a detection and response platform that natively integrates network, endpoint, and cloud data to stop sophisticated attacks. A key benefit of Cortex XDR is that it acts as a safety net during an attack while patches are developed. Cortex XDR uses machine learning and behavioral analytics to detect and validate threats, and automatically reveals the root cause of alerts to speed up investigations. Cortex XDR also enables flexible and rapid response actions to contain and remediate threats across the environment. References: Cortex XDR- Extended Detection and Response - Palo Alto Networks, What is Cortex XDR | Palo Alto Networks, Cortex XDR Datasheet - Palo Alto Networks

802.11ax, also known as Wi-Fi 6, is an internet of things (IoT) connectivity technology that operates on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, as well as all bands between 1 and 6GHz when they become available for 802.11 use, at ranges up to 11 Gbit/s. 802.11ax is designed to improve the performance, efficiency, and capacity of wireless networks, especially in high-density environments such as smart homes, smart cities, and industrial IoT. 802.11ax uses various techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO), target wake time (TWT), and 1024 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) to achieve higher data rates, lower latency, longer battery life, and reduced interference for IoT devices. References:

•Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) - Palo Alto Networks

•What is Wi-Fi 6? | Wi-Fi 6 Features and Benefits | Cisco

•What is Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)? - Definition from WhatIs.com

Detection of threats using data analysis – SIEM platforms analyze collected data to identify suspicious patterns and detect threats.

Ingestion of log data – SIEM systems collect and centralize log data from various sources, which is essential for analysis, correlation, and alerting.

Automation and prevention are more aligned with SOAR and firewall/EDR functionalities, not the core operations of SIEM.

Prisma Access is a cloud-delivered security platform that provides policy enforcement, secure access, and threat prevention for mobile users and remote networks, ensuring consistent security regardless of location.

Signature-based antivirus software is a type of security software that uses signatures to identify malware. Signatures are bits of code that are unique to a specific piece of malware. When signature-based antivirus software detects a piece of malware, it compares the signature to its database of known signatures12. If a match is found, the software can do three things to provide protection:

Alert system administrators: The software can notify the system administrators or the users about the malware detection, and provide information such as the name, type, location, and severity of the malware. This can help the administrators or the users to take appropriate actions to prevent further damage or infection3.

Quarantine the infected file: The software can isolate the infected file from the rest of the system, and prevent it from accessing or modifying any other files or processes. This can help to contain the malware and limit its impact on the system4.

Delete the infected file: The software can remove the infected file from the system, and prevent it from running or spreading. This can help to eliminate the malware and restore the system to a clean state4.

What is a signature-based antivirus? - Info Exchange

What is a Signature and How Can I detect it? - Sophos

How Does Heuristic Analysis Antivirus Software Work?

What Is Signature-based Malware Detection? | RiskXchange

Knowledge-based systems and behavior-based systems are two types of artificial intelligence systems that can be used for security purposes. Knowledge-based systems use a predefined database of rules, facts, and patterns that distinguish “bad” or malicious activities from normal ones. They compare the incoming data with the stored knowledge and flag any anomalies or matches. Behavior-based systems, on the other hand, learn from the observed data and establish a baseline of normal behavior. They then monitor the data for any deviations or changes from the baseline and alert on any suspicious or abnormal activities. References:

•Types of Knowledge-Based Systems - Springer

•Difference between Knowledge-based IDS and behavior-based IDS

•Behaviour-based Knowledge Systems: An Epigenetic Path from Behaviour to …

Phishing is a type of attack that involves sending fraudulent emails that appear to be from legitimate sources, such as banks, companies, or individuals, in order to trick recipients into clicking on malicious links, opening malicious attachments, or providing sensitive information12. The link to a malware website in the email is an example of a malicious link, which may lead to the installation of malware, ransomware, spyware, or other malicious software on the user’s device, or the redirection to a fake website that mimics a legitimate one, where the user may be asked to enter their credentials, personal information, or financial details34. Phishing emails often use social engineering techniques, such as creating a sense of urgency, curiosity, or fear, to persuade the user to click on the link or attachment, or to reply to the email5. Phishing emails may also spoof the sender’s address, domain, or logo, to make them look more authentic and trustworthy6.

Whaling, pharming, and spam are not the correct answers for this question. Whaling is a specific type of phishing that targets high-profile individuals, such as executives, celebrities, or politicians, with the aim of stealing their confidential information or influencing their decisions7. Pharming is a type of attack that involves redirecting the user’s web browser to a fake website, even if they enter the correct URL, by modifying the DNS server or the user’s hosts file. Spam is the unsolicited or unwanted electronic messages, such as emails, texts, or instant messages, that are sent in bulk to a large number of recipients, usually for advertising, marketing, or scamming purposes. References:

What is phishing? | Malwarebytes

Phishing - Wikipedia

Don’t Panic! Here’s What To Do If You Clicked On A Phishing Link

How can Malware spread through Email and How to Protect

What is phishing? How this cyber attack works and how to prevent it …

Identifying Illegitimate Email Links | Division of Information Technology

What is whaling? | NortonLifeLock

[What is pharming? | NortonLifeLock]

[What is spam? | NortonLifeLock]

Pharming is an attack that redirects traffic from a legitimate website to a malicious fake website, typically by corrupting the DNS system or modifying host files, with the intent of stealing user credentials or sensitive data.

Prisma SaaS is a cloud access security broker (CASB) solution that helps secure and manage SaaS applications. It provides advanced capabilities in risk discovery, data loss prevention, compliance assurance, data governance, user behavior monitoring, and advanced threat prevention12. The three services that are part of Prisma SaaS are:

Data Loss Prevention: This service helps prevent the leakage or exposure of sensitive data stored in SaaS applications. It allows you to define data patterns, policies, and actions to protect your data from unauthorized access or sharing3.

Data Exposure Control: This service helps identify and remediate data exposure risks in SaaS applications. It scans your data at rest and classifies it based on its sensitivity and exposure level. It also provides recommendations and remediation actions to reduce the risk of data breaches4.

Threat Prevention: This service helps detect and block malicious activities and threats in SaaS applications. It leverages the WildFire and AutoFocus threat intelligence services to analyze user and file activity and identify indicators of compromise. It also provides alerts and response actions to mitigate the impact of threats5.

Prisma SaaS Overview

Prisma SaaS - Palo Alto Networks

Data Loss Prevention

Data Exposure Control

Threat Prevention

A perimeter-based network security strategy relies on firewalls, routers, and other devices to create a boundary between the internal network and the external network. This strategy assumes that every internal endpoint can be trusted, and that any threat comes from outside the network. However, this assumption is flawed, as internal endpoints can also be compromised by malware, phishing, insider attacks, or other methods. Once an attacker gains access to an internal endpoint, they can use it to move laterally within the network, bypassing the perimeter defenses. Therefore, a perimeter-based network security strategy is not sufficient to protect an organization’s endpoint systems, and a more comprehensive approach, such as Zero Trust, is needed. References:

Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET)

Traditional perimeter-based network defense is obsolete—transform to a Zero Trust model

What is Network Perimeter Security? Definition and Components | Acalvio

● Benign: Safe and does not exhibit malicious behavior

● Grayware: No security risk but might display obtrusive behavior (for example, adware,

spyware, and browser helper objects)

● Malware: Malicious in nature and intent and can pose a security threat (for example,

viruses, worms, trojans, root kits, botnets, and remote-access toolkits)

● Phishing: Malicious attempt to trick the recipient into revealing sensitive data