Paloalto Networks PCCSE Prisma Certified Cloud Security Engineer Exam Practice Test

Build Image, Scan Image, Publish Scan, Commit to Registry (if scan result is passed)

• POST https://api.prismacloud.io/login
• GET https://api.prismacloud.io/access_keys
• PATCH https://api.prismacloud.io/access_keys//status/

To write a script that automatically deactivates access keys that have not been used for 30 days, an administrator would need to follow an ordered sequence of API calls to the Prisma Cloud platform.

The first API call must authenticate the script with the Prisma Cloud API, which is typically done using a POST request to the login endpoint. This step is necessary to establish a session and retrieve an authentication token required for subsequent API calls.

Once the script is authenticated, the next call is a GET request to the access_keys endpoint. This retrieves a list of all access keys within the environment. The script can then parse through these keys to determine which ones have not been used within the specified timeframe of 30 days.

For each access key that meets the criteria (unused for 30 days), the script must send a PATCH request to the specific access key's endpoint, which includes the access key ID and the desired status. This request will change the status of the access key to 'inactive' or a similar status that denotes deactivation.

Following this ordered sequence ensures that the script systematically authenticates, evaluates, and updates the status of access keys based on their usage, thereby maintaining security and compliance within the Prisma Cloud environment.

The RQL query in Option A is designed to identify VM hosts that are exposed to internet traffic and are affected by the Text4Shell RCE vulnerability (CVE-2022-42889). This query looks for network flow records with byte transfers indicating activity and filters for resources with host vulnerability findings sourced from 'Prisma Cloud'. It also checks for exposure to suspicious or internet IPs, satisfying the criteria for the given scenario.

While agentless scanning in Prisma Cloud can effectively assess various risks in cloud environments, including host compliance and vulnerabilities, it does not extend to container runtime risks. To inspect risks associated with container runtimes, such as real-time threat detection, behavioral monitoring, and deep visibility into container activity, deploying Prisma Cloud Defenders is necessary. These Defenders are lightweight agents that provide an additional layer of security by monitoring containerized applications in real-time, thereby offering comprehensive protection against threats that may arise during the runtime phase of containers.

When enabling Registry Scanning in Prisma Cloud for a registry that stores Windows images, it's important to note that Windows host defenders must be deployed in the environment to scan these images effectively. The Windows host defenders are specialized versions of the Prisma Cloud Defender that are designed to run on Windows operating systems. They provide the necessary functionality to scan Windows container images stored in registries, identifying vulnerabilities and ensuring the images comply with security policies before they are deployed. This requirement underscores the importance of having the appropriate Defender deployments that match the operating systems of the images being scanned.

The data security dashboard in Prisma Cloud provides a comprehensive overview of the security posture related to cloud data storage. However, certain information types, such as the identity of the bucket owner and the actual content within an object, are not typically displayed on such dashboards. This is because the dashboard focuses more on aggregated data profiles, exposure levels, and compliance-related information rather than individual ownership details or the specific content of objects, which may require separate detailed analysis or are managed through different security mechanisms.

In Prisma Cloud, the Defender type responsible for performing registry scanning is the Container Defender. Registry scanning is crucial for ensuring that container images stored in registries are free from vulnerabilities and compliance issues before they are deployed. Container Defenders scan images within container registries, identifying security risks and ensuring that only secure container images are used in deployment, thereby maintaining the integrity and security of containerized applications.

To configure serverless scanning in a cloud security platform like Prisma Cloud, the system needs to know where (Region) the serverless functions are deployed, how to access them (Credential), and on which cloud platform they are running (Provider). These settings ensure that the scanning tool can accurately locate and authenticate to the serverless functions across different cloud environments for vulnerability assessment. This aligns with the principle of providing comprehensive visibility and consistent security across multi-cloud environments as outlined in the "Guide to Cloud Security Posture Management Tools" document​​.

For upgrading Defenders with a Console v20.04 and Kubernetes deployment, the following two options are viable:

• C. Remove Defenders, and then deploy the new DaemonSet: This option involves manually removing the existing Defenders and then deploying a new DaemonSet. This method ensures that the Defenders are updated to the latest version without relying on automatic updates12.
• D. Let Defenders automatically upgrade: Prisma Cloud provides the capability for Defenders to automatically upgrade themselves. This feature simplifies the upgrade process by eliminating the need for manual intervention3.

Both methods are supported and can be used depending on the organization’s policies and preferences regarding Defender upgrades. The automatic upgrade feature is particularly useful for maintaining up-to-date security without manual oversight, while the manual removal and redeployment of a new DaemonSet can be preferred in environments where more control over the upgrade process is desired123.

The Prisma Cloud Compute Edition is identified as B. Downloadable, self-hosted software. This option indicates that Prisma Cloud Compute Edition is a solution that organizations can deploy within their own infrastructure, providing them with control over the installation, configuration, and management of the security platform.

The Adoption Advisor uses four categories to measure adoption progress for Cloud Security Posture Management: Visibility, Compliance, Governance, and Threat Detection and Response. Visibility helps to identify the resources in the environment and to ensure that security controls are in place. Compliance helps to ensure that the environment is meeting regulatory and industry standards. Governance helps to ensure that the environment is secure and managed according to policy. Threat Detection and Response helps to detect and respond to threats quickly and effectively.

The Adoption Advisor in Prisma Cloud uses categories such as Visibility, Compliance, Governance, and Threat Detection and Response to measure adoption progress for Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM). These categories represent key areas of focus for effectively managing and securing cloud environments. Visibility refers to the ability to see and understand all cloud resources and their configurations. Compliance involves ensuring that cloud resources comply with regulatory standards and best practices. Governance encompasses the policies and procedures that control cloud resource usage and security. Threat Detection and Response involves identifying and mitigating security threats to the cloud environment. By measuring adoption progress across these categories, organizations can assess how well they are utilizing CSPM capabilities to secure their cloud environments.

In Prisma Cloud, Defender debug logs are essential for troubleshooting and understanding the Defender's operational behavior. The logs can be accessed through two primary methods:

A. The first method (B) involves using the Prisma Cloud Console's user interface. By navigating to Manage > Defenders > Manage > Defenders, administrators can select a deployed Defender from the list and access its logs by clicking Actions > Logs. This method provides a convenient way to view logs directly from the Console without the need to access the Defender host directly.

D. The second method (D) involves accessing the logs directly from the file system of the host where the Defender is deployed. The correct path for the Defender logs is /var/lib/twistlock/log/defender.log. This method is useful for situations where direct access to the host is available, and it allows for more in-depth troubleshooting by examining the raw log files.

Options A and C are incorrect because the paths and navigation steps provided do not accurately reflect the structure and functionality of Prisma Cloud's logging system.

For CI/CD plugins supported by Prisma Cloud as part of its DevOps Security, BitBucket (Option A) and CircleCI (Option C) are the correct choices. BitBucket is widely used for source code management and collaboration, while CircleCI is a popular CI/CD platform. Prisma Cloud integrates with these tools to scan code repositories and CI/CD pipelines for security issues, ensuring that vulnerabilities are identified and addressed early in the development process. Visual Studio Code (Option B) and IntelliJ (Option D) are IDEs rather than CI/CD tools, and while they are supported by Prisma Cloud for scanning and security purposes, they are not considered CI/CD plugins.

Prisma Cloud has a REST API that enables you to access Prisma Cloud features programmatically. Most actions supported on the Prisma Cloud web interface are available with the REST API, refer to the Prisma Cloud REST API Reference for details about the REST API. https://pan.dev/prisma-cloud/api/cspm/

For scripting and programmatically querying user data and associated permission levels in a Prisma Cloud Enterprise tenant, the Prisma Cloud API Reference is the most relevant documentation. This reference guide provides detailed information on the available APIs, including those for user and permissions management. It outlines the necessary attributes, endpoints, and methods required to programmatically interact with the Prisma Cloud platform.

The API Reference is designed to help developers and administrators understand how to leverage the Prisma Cloud APIs to automate tasks, such as querying existing users and their permission levels. It includes examples and explanations that are crucial for writing effective scripts that integrate with the Prisma Cloud infrastructure.

While the Administrator’s Guides provide valuable information on managing the platform, the API Reference is specifically tailored for developers looking to automate and script interactions with Prisma Cloud services. Therefore, reviewing the Prisma Cloud API Reference will provide the necessary details to fulfill the DevSecOps team’s requirement1.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/waas/waas_dos_protection

To ingest host findings and generate alerts in Prisma Cloud, integrations with Tenable (B) and Qualys (D) are supported. These integrations allow Prisma Cloud to ingest vulnerability and compliance data from Tenable and Qualys, which are renowned vulnerability management solutions. By integrating these tools, Prisma Cloud can enhance its visibility into the security posture of hosts within the cloud environment, enabling more comprehensive threat detection and response capabilities. The integration facilitates the aggregation and correlation of findings from these external sources, enriching the overall security intelligence and enabling more informed and timely decision-making regarding threat mitigation and compliance management.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/configure-external-integrations-on-prisma-cloud/integrations-feature-support

https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/blogs/what-is-changing-for-ci-cd-plugins/ba-p/461676

Visual Studio Code IntelliJ IDEA https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/blogs/what-is-changing-for-ci-cd-plugins/ba-p/461676

https://prisma.pan.dev/api/cloud/api-urls/

When accessing the Prisma Cloud API for a tenant located on app2.prismacloud.io, the correct API endpoint to use would be https://api2.prismacloud.io. This endpoint corresponds to the Prisma Cloud service instance hosted on app2.prismacloud.io, ensuring that API requests are directed to the correct instance of the service for processing.

The use of api2 in the URL indicates that this is the second instance or a different geographical or functional partition of the Prisma Cloud service, which might be used for load balancing, redundancy, or serving different sets of users. It is crucial to use the correct endpoint corresponding to the Prisma Cloud console URL to ensure successful API communication and authentication.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-policies/anomaly-policies

The asset inventory in cloud security platforms like Prisma Cloud typically displays a wide range of cloud resources, including EC2 instances. EC2 instances are virtual servers in Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for running applications on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure. The asset inventory provides visibility into these instances, allowing security teams to monitor their configuration, security posture, and compliance status. This visibility is crucial for identifying misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and ensuring that all EC2 instances adhere to the organization's security policies and compliance requirements.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-dashboards/asset-inventory

Prisma Cloud includes built-in Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) permission groups to manage user access and permissions efficiently. Among the options, Group Membership Admin and Account Group Admin are two built-in RBAC permission groups. Group Membership Admins are responsible for managing user memberships within groups, while Account Group Admins have administrative privileges over specific account groups, allowing them to manage resources and policies within those groups. These roles help in delegating administrative tasks and enforcing the principle of least privilege.

In the context of calculating net effective permissions for a resource in AWS, IPTables firewall rule is not used. Net effective permissions in AWS are determined by evaluating various AWS-specific mechanisms such as IAM policies, permission boundaries, and service control policies (SCPs). IAM policies define what actions are allowed or denied for various AWS resources. Permission boundaries provide a way to delegate administration for IAM entities, setting the maximum permissions that an IAM entity can have. SCPs are part of AWS Organizations and allow for central control over the maximum available permissions for all accounts within an organization. IPTables, on the other hand, is a Linux-based application for setting up firewall rules on individual hosts and is not directly related to AWS resource permissions. Therefore, IPTables firewall rules are not considered when calculating net effective permissions in AWS, making option C the correct answer.

When you create an access key, the key is tied to the role with which you logged in and if you delete the role, the access key is automatically deleted. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-administrators/create-access-keys

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/vulnerability_management/serverless_functions You can also use the twistcli command line utility to scan your serverless functions. First download your serverless function as a ZIP file, then run: $ twistcli serverless scan

In the Prisma Cloud Web-Application and API Security (WAAS) rules, protections against OWASP-recognized vulnerabilities like Local file inclusion, SQL injection, and Shellshock are included. Local file inclusion involves unauthorized access to files on the server, potentially leading to sensitive information disclosure. SQL injection targets data-driven applications by inserting malicious SQL statements into an entry field, while Shellshock exploits vulnerabilities in Bash, a widely used Unix shell, to execute arbitrary commands. These protections are part of Prisma Cloud's comprehensive approach to securing web applications and APIs against common and severe vulnerabilities.

https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/images/prisma/owasp-top-10-protection-2.png?imwidth=3840 OWASP Top-10 Coverage - Protection against most critical security risks to web applications, including injection flaws, broken authentication, broken access control, security misconfigurations, etc.

Prisma Cloud, part of Palo Alto Networks' cloud security suite, offers Console images that can be retrieved for deployment in various environments. The correct process for obtaining these images involves using basic authentication with Docker, a widely-used containerization platform. Users must first access the official Palo Alto Networks registry at registry.paloaltonetworks.com. Here, they are required to authenticate using the "docker login" command, which prompts for credentials. Upon successful authentication, users can then use the "docker pull" command to retrieve the Prisma Cloud Console images. This method ensures secure access to the latest Console images for deployment within an organization's infrastructure, aligning with best practices for container image management and deployment.

The Cloud Security Assessment report is a PDF report that summarizes the risks from open alerts in the monitored cloud accounts for a specific cloud type. The report includes an executive summary and a list of policy violations, including a page with details for each policy that includes the description and the compliance standards that are associated with it, the number of resources that passed and failed the check within the specified time period. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-alerts/generate-reports-on-prisma-cloud-alerts

The report that includes an executive summary along with a list of policy violations and detailed pages for each policy is the "Cloud Security Assessment" report. This type of report is designed to provide organizations with a comprehensive overview of their cloud security posture, highlighting both compliance with security policies and areas needing attention.

When configuring Kubernetes to use Prisma Cloud Compute as an admission controller, a crucial step involves D. copy the admission controller configuration from the Console and apply it to Kubernetes. This step is essential for integrating Prisma Cloud Compute's security controls directly into the Kubernetes admission process, enabling real-time security assessments and policy enforcement for new or modified resources within the cluster.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/20-04/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/access_control/open_policy_agent.html step 2

1. click on compliance standard.

2. add custom compliance standard.

3. edit policies.

4. add compliance standard from drop-down menu

https://docs.prismacloudcompute.com/docs/enterprise_edition/compliance/custom_compliance_checks.html#creating-a-new-custom-check

The process of mapping a policy to a custom compliance standard in a security platform like Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks involves several specific steps. Firstly, one must access the compliance standards, which is typically done by clicking on the "Compliance Standards" section within the platform's interface. This is where all standards, including custom and predefined ones, are listed.

Next, if the custom compliance standard does not already exist, it must be created. This step involves defining the criteria and controls that make up the standard, tailored to the organization's specific requirements.

Once the custom compliance standard is in place, the policy in question needs to be edited. This editing process would involve configuring the policy to align with the compliance controls outlined in the custom standard, ensuring that the policy will enforce or check for the necessary requirements as defined by the standard.

Finally, the last step is to formally associate or map the edited policy with the custom compliance standard. This is typically done by adding the policy to the standard, which may involve selecting the custom compliance standard from a drop-down menu within the policy settings, confirming that this particular policy should be enforced as part of the compliance checks for that standard.

This ordered process ensures that policies are properly aligned with the organization's compliance goals and can be enforced and reported on accurately within the security platform.

Based on the information available in the provided documents, specifically from the "code-to-cloud-intelligence (1).pdf", Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks offers integration with multiple cloud service providers. While the document does not explicitly mention the ability to receive new API release information for Prisma Cloud, it does list integrations with various cloud service providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud (GCP), Oracle Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud. Therefore, the answer would be C: AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle, Alibaba.

Managing Defender upgrades in a Prisma Cloud environment requires careful planning, especially in scenarios where not all Defenders can be upgraded simultaneously due to maintenance window constraints.

• Option C: Upgrade a subset of the Defenders by clicking the individual Actions > Upgrade button in the row that corresponds to the Defender that should be upgraded during the maintenance window is the recommended approach in this situation. This option allows administrators to manually select specific Defenders for upgrade within the available maintenance window, providing control over the upgrade process and ensuring that upgrades are aligned with operational requirements and maintenance schedules.

References:

• Prisma Cloud Defender Management Documentation: Details the procedures for managing and upgrading Prisma Cloud Defenders, including manual upgrade processes for individual Defenders.
• Best Practices for Managing Defender Upgrades: Offers guidelines on effectively planning and executing Defender upgrades, emphasizing the importance of aligning upgrade activities with maintenance windows to minimize disruption to the development environment.

When configuring Single Sign-On (SSO) in Prisma Cloud, the platform acts as the Service Provider (SP). In the SSO process, the Service Provider relies on an Identity Provider (IdP) to authenticate users. Prisma Cloud, as the SP, integrates with an IdP to allow users to log in using their existing credentials managed by the IdP. This setup simplifies the authentication process, enhances security by centralizing user credentials, and provides a seamless user experience.

Adoption Advisor is a feature within Prisma Cloud that provides organizations with guidance on adopting various security capabilities based on their unique needs and the stage they are at in their cloud security journey. It doesn't enforce a fixed pace but rather suggests a tailored path for enhancing security posture, taking into account the organization's specific requirements and the complexity of their cloud environment. The Adoption Advisor supports a broad range of security capabilities, encompassing Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Cloud Workload Protection (CWP), Cloud Code Security (CCS), Out-of-Band (OEM), and Data Security. This comprehensive approach ensures that organizations can secure their cloud environments effectively across different phases of the application lifecycle, from development to deployment, and across various cloud resources and services.

In the MITRE ATT&CK framework, the tactic "Exploit Public-Facing Application" is categorized under Initial Access. This tactic involves leveraging vulnerabilities in public-facing applications to gain unauthorized access to an organization's external services or applications. Initial Access tactics are concerned with the methods adversaries use to gain an initial foothold within a network, and exploiting public-facing applications is a common approach used by attackers to breach external defenses and establish a presence within a target network.

To detect and alert on activities performed by a root account, an audit event policy should be used. An audit event policy is a type of policy that can be used to detect suspicious activities or events that may be related to security threats. This type of policy will allow the administrator to monitor and alert on any activities performed by a root account.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-policies/prisma-cloud-threat-detection

The correct policy type to use in order to detect and alert on any activities performed by a root account is an "audit event" policy. An audit event policy is designed to monitor and record a series of chronological events in the order they occur, typically used to track user activities and changes within the system. When a root account performs any actions, an audit event policy will log these events, allowing the administrator to review and potentially set up alerts if suspicious or unauthorized activities are detected. This type of policy is crucial for security and compliance purposes as it helps ensure that all actions performed with root privileges are legitimate and authorized.

Reference to this can be found in most cloud security platforms that offer CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management) solutions. For example, within Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks, audit events are a part of the Activity Monitoring features, which track user activities and system changes to facilitate investigations into suspicious or unauthorized actions.

Log into Console. / Go to Manage > Alerts > Logging. / Configure Prisma Cloud to send audit event records to syslog, stdout and Prometheus.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/audit/logging

To ingest all Console and Defender logs into Splunk within Prisma Cloud Compute, the most effective method is to enable the syslog option in the Console. This configuration allows the direct export of logs in a format compatible with Splunk, facilitating real-time log analysis and monitoring. This setup supports continuous security monitoring and advanced threat detection capabilities by utilizing Splunk's extensive data processing and visualization tools.

The question focuses on valid host compliance policies within a cloud environment. Among the given options, the most relevant to host compliance is ensuring compliant Docker daemon configuration. Docker daemon configurations are critical for securing the host environment where containers are run. A compliant Docker daemon configuration involves setting security-related options to ensure the Docker engine operates securely. This can include configurations related to TLS for secure communication, logging levels, authorization plugins, and user namespace remapping for isolation.

Ensuring functions are not overly permissive (Option A) and ensuring images are created with a non-root user (Option C) are more directly related to the security best practices for serverless functions and container images, respectively, rather than host-specific compliance checks. Ensuring host devices are not directly exposed to containers (Option B) is also important for security, but it falls under the broader category of container runtime security rather than host-specific compliance.

Thus, the most valid host compliance policy from the given options is to ensure a compliant Docker daemon configuration, as it directly impacts the security posture of the host environment in a containerized infrastructure. This aligns with best practices for securing Docker environments and is a common recommendation in container security guidelines, including those from Docker and cybersecurity frameworks.

References:

• Docker Documentation: Security configuration and best practices for Docker engine: https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/
• CIS Docker Benchmark: Providing consensus-based best practices for securing Docker environments: https://www.cisecurity.org/benchmark/docker/

Prisma Cloud supports Single Sign-On (SSO) integration through Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), enabling users to authenticate using their existing identity providers (IdPs) such as Okta, Azure Active Directory, PingID, among others. This SSO integration allows for a seamless user authentication experience, where users can log in to Prisma Cloud using their credentials managed by their organization's IdP. The SAML protocol facilitates this by allowing secure exchange of authentication and authorization data between the IdP and Prisma Cloud.

This integration enhances security by centralizing user authentication, reducing the number of passwords users need to remember, and enabling organizations to enforce their security policies, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password complexity, across their cloud security tools. SAML support is a common feature in cloud security platforms for integrating with various IdPs, making it a verified approach for Prisma Cloud as well.

In Prisma Cloud Enterprise Edition, Palo Alto Networks hosts and runs the Console component. The Console serves as the central management interface for Prisma Cloud, allowing customers to configure policies, view alerts, and manage their cloud security posture without the need to host this component themselves.

During the creation of a custom config query in Prisma Cloud, the "api.name" field is required. This field specifies the API endpoint that the query will target, essentially defining the scope of the query within the cloud environment. The "api.name" serves as a critical identifier that allows the query to retrieve specific information or perform actions related to the chosen API endpoint. By specifying the "api.name," users can create tailored queries that address their specific security, compliance, or governance needs, enabling more precise and effective management of cloud resources and security posture.

This section describes the incident types surfaced in Incident Explorer.

Altered binary

Backdoor admin accounts

Backdoor SSH access

Brute force

Crypto miners

Execution flow hijack attempt

Kubernetes attack

Lateral movement

Malware

Port scanning

Reverse shell

Suspicious binary

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/runtime_defense/incident_types

When you have one or more tenant or scale Projects, upgrade all Supervisors before upgrading the Central Console. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/20-09/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/upgrade/upgrade_process

Prisma Cloud Compute Compliance enforcement for hosts covers several aspects to ensure a secure and compliant host environment, particularly within containerized environments. These include:

• Docker daemon configuration files: Ensuring that Docker daemon configuration files are set up according to best security practices is crucial. These files contain various settings that control the behavior of the Docker daemon, and misconfigurations can lead to security vulnerabilities.
• Docker daemon configuration: Beyond just the configuration files, the overall configuration of the Docker daemon itself is critical. This encompasses runtime settings and command-line options that determine how Docker containers are executed and managed on the host.
• Host configuration: The security of the underlying host on which Docker and other container runtimes are installed is paramount. This includes the configuration of the host's operating system, network settings, file permissions, and other system-level settings that can impact the security of the containerized applications running on top.

By focusing on these areas, Prisma Cloud ensures that not just the containers but also the environment they run in is secure, adhering to compliance standards and best practices to mitigate risks associated with containerized deployments.

Prisma Cloud, developed by Palo Alto Networks, is known for its comprehensive cloud security capabilities across various cloud service providers (CSPs). The integration and support extend to major CSPs, including AWS (Amazon Web Services), Azure (Microsoft's Cloud), GCP (Google Cloud Platform), Oracle Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud. This wide range of support ensures that organizations leveraging multi-cloud environments can maintain consistent security postures across all their cloud assets. The information regarding supported CSPs by Prisma Cloud can typically be found in their official documentation and release notes, which detail the features, integrations, and enhancements specific to each CSP.

After the Console has been upgraded, check and upgrade any of the Defenders that have reached the end of their support lifecycle (Defenders are backward compatible for N-2 releases). The Defender release image is built from the UBI8-minimal base image and on upgrade it is a full container image upgrade, which means that the old Defender container is replaced with a new container. Then, upgrade all other Prisma Cloud components, such as the Jenkins plugin. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/upgrade/upgrade_process_saas

In Prisma Cloud, configuration policies are categorized to align with the different phases of the cloud security lifecycle, emphasizing a holistic approach to cloud security management. The subtypes "Build and Run" encapsulate this approach by covering both the development phase (Build) - where cloud resources and applications are designed and created, and the operational phase (Run) - where these resources and applications are deployed and actively used. This categorization ensures that security and compliance are integral throughout the lifecycle, from the initial creation of cloud infrastructure and applications to their deployment and day-to-day operation, thereby enhancing the overall security posture.

The external ID plays a crucial role when onboarding a new Amazon Web Services (AWS) account in Prisma Cloud. It serves as a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) that establishes a trust relationship between the Prisma Cloud account and the AWS account. This trust relationship is essential for allowing Prisma Cloud to securely extract data and perform security monitoring and compliance checks within the AWS environment. The use of an external ID ensures that Prisma Cloud can access the necessary information from the AWS account without compromising the security of the AWS account's credentials, adhering to the principle of least privilege and enhancing the overall security posture.

Within Prisma Cloud, when creating compliance reports, administrators have the flexibility to schedule the generation of these reports based on their specific needs. The available frequency options include "One-time," where a report is generated once at a specified time, and "Weekly," which allows for the recurring generation of reports on a weekly basis. These options provide organizations with the ability to tailor their compliance reporting to their operational requirements, ensuring that they have regular and up-to-date insights into their compliance posture.

Prisma Cloud supports configuring Single Sign-On (SSO) with Identity Providers (IdPs) to streamline user authentication processes. However, for all the cloud accounts monitored by Prisma Cloud, only one IdP provider can be enabled at any given time. This limitation ensures a unified authentication mechanism across the platform, reducing complexity and potential security risks associated with managing multiple IdP configurations.

In Kubernetes environments, deploying Defenders to protect nodes involves leveraging DaemonSets, which ensure that every node in the cluster runs a copy of a specific pod. When the Console is running within a Kubernetes cluster, it's essential to correctly reference the Console service to ensure seamless communication between Defenders and the Console. Option A is the most straightforward and Kubernetes-native method for deploying Defenders. By choosing "twistlock-console" as the Console identifier on the deployment page within the Console, users can generate a DaemonSet configuration file tailored for the Twistlock namespace. This approach ensures that the Defenders are correctly configured to communicate with the Console, providing comprehensive security coverage across the Kubernetes nodes. This method aligns with best practices for deploying security agents in Kubernetes and is supported by Prisma Cloud (formerly Twistlock) documentation, which provides step-by-step instructions for deploying Defenders using DaemonSets.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/22-06/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/install/install_defender/install_host_defender

Enabling the "block" option under compliance checks on a host in Prisma Cloud signifies a strict enforcement policy, where any container that violates specified compliance checks will be prevented from starting on that host. This preventive measure is crucial for maintaining a secure and compliant cloud environment, ensuring that only containers that meet the organization's compliance and security standards are allowed to run. This approach aligns with Prisma Cloud's proactive security posture management, where potential risks are mitigated before they can impact the cloud environment​​.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/compliance/manage_compliance

The protection in the runtime rule that would cause the audit message indicating "/bin/ls launched and is explicitly blocked in the runtime rule" is related to "Processes". In container security, a runtime rule set to monitor and restrict processes can block specific executables or commands from running within a container. If the rule is triggered, it indicates that a process that is explicitly denied by the policy attempted to execute, which in this case is the 'ls' command.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/22-12/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/runtime_defense/runtime_audits

1) Select Policies 2) Select the policy rule to edit, on 3 Compliance Standards click + and associate the policy with the compliance standard (https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-compliance/create-a-custom-compliance-standard )

The installation of the Prisma Cloud Console in a Kubernetes cluster involves a series of steps that start with preparing the necessary deployment configurations, typically provided as YAML files. The process begins by downloading and extracting the release tarball, which contains the necessary files and instructions for the deployment. After extracting the tarball, you generate YAML files for the Console deployment. These YAML files define the Kubernetes resources needed to deploy and run the Console, such as Deployments, Services, and ConfigMaps. Finally, you deploy the Console by applying the generated YAML files using the kubectl command, which communicates with the Kubernetes API to create the specified resources in your cluster.

This process is aligned with Kubernetes best practices for deploying applications and is indicative of the steps required for deploying complex applications like the Prisma Cloud Console. The method ensures that all necessary configurations and dependencies are correctly defined and deployed in the Kubernetes environment.

Configuring Single Sign-On (SSO) in Prisma Cloud requires the Identity Provider Issuer (Option B) and Certificate (Option C). The Identity Provider Issuer is a unique identifier for the SSO identity provider and is used by Prisma Cloud to establish trust and validate SSO responses. The Certificate, typically an X.509 certificate, is used to sign SSO assertions and ensure the security of the SSO communication. The Prisma Cloud Access SAML URL (Option A) is provided by Prisma Cloud to configure the SSO on the identity provider's side, not the other way around. The Identity Provider Logout URL (Option D) is used for single logout configurations but is not a required field for basic SSO configuration in Prisma Cloud.

The Cloud Discovery feature in Prisma Cloud allows engineers to monitor accounts continuously and report on cloud-native services that are unprotected across different cloud service providers. This feature requires specific permissions to access and assess the cloud environment's configuration and security posture. Thus, the correct answer is D: It enables engineers to continuously monitor all accounts and report on the services that are unprotected.

https://docs.prismacloud.io/en/classic/compute-admin-guide/cloud-service-providers/cloud-accounts-discovery-pcee

When automated remediation is enabled in Prisma Cloud, it is designed to address all applicable open alerts, regardless of when they were generated. The system automatically applies remediation actions to resolve the identified security issues or compliance violations that triggered the alerts. Once the remediation actions are successfully completed, the system updates the status of the affected alerts to "resolved," indicating that the security issues have been addressed. This feature helps streamline the remediation process, reducing the manual effort required by security teams and ensuring that security issues are promptly resolved to maintain the integrity and security of the cloud environment.

The Prisma Cloud documentation specifies the actions that can be taken for container image scanning compliance rules as:

• C. Block: This action prevents the use of a container image if it fails to meet the defined compliance criteria.
• D. Ignore: This action allows the image to bypass the compliance check, effectively overlooking the identified issues.
• E. Alert: This action triggers an alert to notify the relevant stakeholders about the compliance status of the container image.

These actions are integral to Prisma Cloud’s governance capabilities, allowing organizations to enforce their security and compliance policies effectively. By setting up these rules, teams can ensure that only images that comply with their standards are deployed, while also having the flexibility to ignore certain images or receive alerts for further investigation.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/compliance/trusted_images

The Container Runtime Model in Prisma Cloud typically includes states such as Learning, Active, and Archived. The Learning state is where Prisma Cloud observes container behaviors to understand normal operations and establish a baseline. During this phase, the system is not actively enforcing security policies but is learning the typical behaviors and patterns of container activity. The Active state is where the system actively enforces security policies based on the learned behaviors and detected anomalies. Containers that exhibit suspicious or malicious activity that deviates from the baseline may trigger alerts or actions based on configured policies. The Archived state refers to containers that are no longer active but whose data and activity logs are retained for historical analysis or compliance purposes.

In Azure, to enable Prisma Cloud to calculate net effective permissions across Management Groups, the necessary permission is "Microsoft.Management/managementGroups/descendants/read." This permission grants Prisma Cloud the ability to read the management group hierarchy and the related details, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the effective permissions applied across different levels of the management group structure. By having this level of access, Prisma Cloud can accurately assess and report on the permissions assigned to various resources and identities within the Azure environment, facilitating better security and compliance management.

To immediately see all alerts associated with a newly onboarded public cloud account based on existing enabled policies, it is essential to assign the account to an account group and then create an alert rule that applies to this account group. By selecting "select all policies," the alert rule will trigger alerts for all existing enabled policies without the need to specify individual policies or add alert notifications for downstream applications.

In the context of DoS protection, enforcing a rate limit is a common strategy to prevent abuse and ensure service availability. The scenario described involves limiting the rate at which users can post ".tar.gz" files to five within five seconds. The correct ban configuration for this requirement would be one that specifies an average rate of 5 with a file extension match on “.tar.gz" within the Web Application and API Security (WAAS) component of a security solution like Prisma Cloud. WAAS is designed to protect web applications and APIs from various threats, including DoS attacks, by applying policies that can limit actions based on specific criteria, such as file types and request rates. This configuration ensures that any attempt to upload more than five ".tar.gz" files within a five-second window would be detected and blocked, mitigating the risk of DoS attacks targeting this particular file upload functionality.

To automate vulnerability scanning for images deployed to Fargate, the customer should set up a vulnerability scanner on the container registry where the images are stored before they are deployed. By scanning the images in the registry, any vulnerabilities can be identified and addressed before the images are used to create Fargate tasks. This proactive approach to vulnerability management is crucial in cloud-native environments to ensure that deployed containers are free from known vulnerabilities​​.

CloudFormation templates, used to describe and provision all the infrastructure resources in cloud environments, support various elements including resources, mappings, parameters, and outputs. However, scan support for CloudFormation templates does not currently exist for nested references, macros, or intrinsic functions (option A). These advanced CloudFormation features can introduce complexity in scanning and interpreting the templates accurately for security and compliance checks.

When setting up Single Sign-On (SSO) in Prisma Cloud on the Identity Provider (IdP) side, it is essential to configure the Assertion Consumer Service (ACS) URL and the Service Provider (SP) Entity ID. The ACS URL is the endpoint to which the IdP will send the SAML assertion, and the SP Entity ID is a unique identifier for the service provider that often resembles a URL but does not necessarily point to a location. These elements are crucial for establishing the trust relationship between the IdP and the service provider, enabling secure user authentication and authorization.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/manage-prisma-cloud-alerts/prisma-cloud-alert-resolution-reasons

In Prisma Cloud, POLICY_UPDATED is a valid reason for the dismissal of an alert. This reason indicates that an alert can be dismissed if the policy that triggered the alert has been updated. When a policy is updated to no longer apply to certain resources or conditions, any open alerts that were generated based on the previous version of the policy may be dismissed as they are no longer relevant.

The other options, such as SNOOZED_AUTO_CLOSE, ALERT_RULE_ADDED, and USER_DELETED, are not standard reasons for the dismissal of an alert in Prisma Cloud. SNOOZED_AUTO_CLOSE refers to the temporary suspension of an alert, ALERT_RULE_ADDED is related to the creation of a new alert rule, and USER_DELETED would pertain to the removal of a user account, not directly to alert dismissal.

To receive daily email alerts for all policy violations, the SOC team should configure an alert rule that encompasses all policies and sets the notification frequency to once per day. This can be achieved by:

• Navigating to the “Policies” tab within the alert rule configuration and selecting “All Policies” to ensure that the rule applies to every policy.
• Moving to the “Set Alert Notifications” tab and choosing the “Email” notification method.
• Setting the notification to “Recurring” with a frequency of every 1 day.
• Enabling the email notification by specifying the recipient’s email address.

This configuration ensures that the SOC team will receive a consolidated email once a day that includes information on all policies that have been violated, rather than receiving multiple alerts throughout the day as new violations occur. It allows the team to review the compliance status efficiently and prioritize their response accordingly.

Both Console’s API and web interfaces, served on port 8083 (HTTPS), require authentication over a different channel with different credentials (e.g. username and password, access key, and so on), none of which Defender holds. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/22-06/prisma-cloud-compute-edition-admin/technology_overviews/defender_architecture

Reference tech docs: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/continuous_integration/set_policy_ci_plugins.html

Vulnerability rules that target the build tool can allow specific vulnerabilities by creating an exception and setting the effect to 'ignore'. Block them by creating an exception and setting hte effect to 'fail'. For example, you could create a vulnerability rule that explicitly allows CVE-2018-1234 to suppress warnings in the scan results.

To fail CI jobs based on a specific CVE contained within an image, the development team should configure the policy within Prisma Cloud's Console, specifically within the Continuous Integration (CI) policy settings. By setting a specific CVE exception in the CI policy, the team can define criteria that will cause the CI process to fail if the specified CVE is detected in the scanned image. This approach allows for granular control over the build process, ensuring that images with known vulnerabilities are not promoted through the CI/CD pipeline, thereby maintaining the security posture of the deployed applications. This method is in line with best practices for integrating security into the CI/CD process, allowing for automated enforcement of security standards directly within the development pipeline.

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA14u000000oMkpCAE &lang=en_US%E2%80%A9&refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fknowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com%2FKCSArticleDetail

To protect the pods hosting a web front end from Layer 7 attacks, the development team should create a Web Application and API Security (WAAS) rule targeted at the image name of the pods. This approach allows the policy to specifically protect the applications running within the pods against sophisticated attacks that target the application layer.

https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin-compute/waas/deploy_waas

The correct RQL query to view users who have sufficient permissions to create security groups within Azure AD and create applications is option D. This query is specifically designed to assess policies within Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) by checking the authorization policy settings related to user default role permissions. The query targets the azure-active-directory-authorization-policy API to fetch configurations (config from cloud.resource) and then filters those configurations based on the JSON rules that dictate whether users are allowed to create security groups (defaultUserRolePermissions.allowedToCreateSecurityGroups is true) and applications (defaultUserRolePermissions.allowedToCreateApps is true). This query provides a comprehensive check by ensuring both conditions are met, which is necessary for users to have the combined capabilities of creating security groups and applications within Azure AD.

In the context of Prisma Cloud and cloud security principles, the RQL (Resource Query Language) is utilized for querying the configuration state of resources within cloud environments to ensure compliance with security policies. The RQL syntax in option D precisely aligns with the requirements for identifying users with specific permissions, leveraging Prisma Cloud's capability to provide visibility and control over cloud resources, as emphasized in various resources like the "Prisma Cloud Visibility and Control Qualification Guide" and the "Guide to Cloud Security Posture Management Tools." These documents highlight the importance of continuous monitoring and validation of cloud resource configurations to maintain a secure and compliant cloud environment, which is effectively achieved through targeted RQL queries like the one in option D.

References:

• "Prisma Cloud Visibility and Control Qualification Guide" discusses the importance of visibility and compliance in cloud environments, which is directly applicable to the use of RQL for querying resource configurations.
• "Guide to Cloud Security Posture Management Tools" emphasizes the need for comprehensive visibility and governance across cloud environments, further supporting the rationale behind the specific RQL query used to assess user permissions in Azure AD.

The Run policies monitor resources and check for potential issues once these cloud resources are deployed Build policies enable you to check for security misconfigurations in the IaC templates and ensure that these issues do not make their way into production. https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-cloud/prisma-cloud-admin/prisma-cloud-policies/create-a-policy

• B. Build policies: These are designed to identify insecure configurations in your Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates, such as AWS CloudFormation, HashiCorp Terraform, and Kubernetes App manifests. The goal of build policies is to detect security issues early in the development process, before the actual resources are deployed in runtime environments. This helps ensure that security issues are identified and remediated before they can affect production1.
• D. Run policies: These policies are focused on monitoring the deployed cloud resources and checking for potential issues during their operation. Run policies are essential for ongoing security and compliance in the production environment, as they provide visibility into the actual state of resources and their activities1.

Run and Network policies (A) are indeed part of the configuration policy set, but they do not highlight the difference between build and run policies. Similarly, while Run policies do monitor network activities ©, this statement does not contrast them with Build policies.