Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a cybersecurity corporation based in Santa Clara, California. Its critical solutions are a platform with robust firewalls and cloud-based options that expand those firewalls to encompass additional security elements. Over 70,000 enterprises in over 150 countries, including 85 of the Fortune 100, are served by the company. It is the headquarters of the Unit 42 threat research team and the location of the Ignite cybersecurity conference.
Palo Alto Networks was ranked eighth in the Forbes Digital 100 in 2018. Nikesh Arora, a former Google and SoftBank employee, was appointed Chairman and CEO in June 2018.
It is a respectable corporation, but finding work at Palo Alto Networks is complex, and you must have high criteria to be considered. This article will assist you by presenting the most likely job interview questions if you are looking for a job here.
1. What Do You Know About Palo Alto Networks?
Well, I have been searching about this topic for a long time. Palo Alto Networks is a pioneer in providing Next-Generation Firewalls that can protect your system from external threats. The firm allows you to experience the next generation of network security by providing a highly innovative platform via which you may safeguard your network. Moreover, with the aid of Palo Alto Security Systems, you may allow a complicated and quickly rising number of applications effortlessly and safely. The foundation of Palo Alto Security Systems is a varied collection of next-generation firewalls that offer command and visibility over people, things, and applications. You may view all of Palo Alto’s firewall systems on their official website.
2. In Palo Alto, Identify The Various Deployment Modes.
There are four deployment models to choose from:
Tap Mode: With a tap or switch SPAN/mirror port, users may observe any traffic flow throughout the networking system.
Virtual Wire: in this deployment technique, the firewall system is installed passively on any network segment by combining two interfaces.
Layer 2 Mode: This layer mode will arrange many networking interfaces into a “virtual switch” or VLAN mode.
Layer 3 Deployment: The Palo Alto firewall directs traffic between many interfaces in layer three installations. The user should assign an IP address to each interface.
3. What Are The Possible Failover Scenarios?
The scenarios that explain the failure of triggering are as follows:
- Failure happens when one or more of the monitored interfaces fail.
- Failure happens when the active firewall cannot binge one or more specified targets.
This time failure occurs if the active device does not respond to heartbeat polling or if three consecutive heartbeats are lost over 1000 milliseconds.
4. What Is The Zone Protection Profile In Palo Alto, And What Kinds Of Protections Are In Place?
The Zone protection profile will provide you with total security against assaults such as floods, surveillance, and packet-based attacks. Flood attacks can be of the SYN, ICMP, or UDP kind, among others. The reconnaissance defenses will assist you in defending against port and host sweeps. The packet safeguards assist you in protecting against big ICMP and ICMP fragment assaults.
Palo Alto employs the following significant safeguards:
– Zone protection profile: floods, surveillance, and packet-based threats are examples.
– Network profiles and zone protections are configured under Network tab protection.
5. What Do Ha, Ha1, And Ha 2 Imply In Palo Alto?
HA: High Availability is a deployment methodology in Palo Alto. HA is used in a network to prevent a single point of failure. It comes with two firewalls with synchronized configurations. Security measures are implemented through a different firewall if the first one malfunctions, which will help to ensure uninterrupted business operations.
In HA, there are two ports: HA 1 and HA 2, known as control links; HA 2, known as a data link. They are using these ports to track status data and synchronize data.
6. In Palo Alto, What Are The Active/Passive And Active/Active Modes?
Palo Alto setup supports a wide range of modes.
Active/passive mode is available in Palo Alto deployment types such as virtual wire, layer2, and layer3. Both firewalls share the setup parameters in this mode. When the active firewalls fail, the passive firewall takes over and maintains network security.
Active/Active mode is available in Palo Alto deployment types such as virtual wire and layer 3. Both firewalls function concurrently to handle traffic in this manner.
7. In Palo Alto, What Do You Mean By Endpoint Security?
Endpoint security uses tools and technologies to safeguard users’ devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, and PCs. It is one of the world’s best network security suites, assisting in protecting users’ data and applications from corporations.
8. Could You Please Provide Me With A Quick Overview Of The Single Pass And Processing Architecture? Palo Alto Employs This Architecture.
Single-pass processing involves performing all operations just once per packet. Application identification, networking functions, policy lookup, decoding, and signature matching for any material or threats are among the services provided. In simplest terms, single-pass software provides single-time scanning in a stream-based approach rather than needing several engines.
Parallel processing: The operations involve a few separate processing groups. Networking, app ID, content ID analysis, and other features are available.
Single Pass Parallel Processing is the foundation of the Palo Alto design (SP3).
9. What Is The Distinction Between A Next-Generation And A Traditional Firewall?
A next-generation firewall (NGFW) is a network security solution that is more capable than a typical stateful firewall. On the other hand, a standard firewall inspects all incoming and outgoing network traffic in real-time. A next-generation firewall employs application awareness and control, integrated intrusion prevention, and cloud-delivered threat intelligence.
10. What’s The Distinction Between Palo Alto NGFW And WAF?
App-ID, User-ID, and Material-ID are three distinct identification technologies that Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) use to offer policy-based access and control over apps, users, and content. The information on which applications are traversing the network and who is using them creates firewall security policies such as access control, SSL decryption, threat prevention, and URL filtering. Every business needs a firewall.
On the other hand, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) means to examine web applications and track them for security issues that may arise due to code flaws. The only thing the two systems have in common is that they all have the term firewall in their titles.
11. What Ha Configuration Options Are There For Palo Alto Firewall?
One of two configuration options is available for the firewalls for HA:
Active/Passive—While one firewall actively manages traffic, the other is synced and prepared to take over in case of an issue. Each firewall operates in this mode with identical configuration settings, with one actively managing traffic until a route, connection, system, or network breaks. The passive firewall quickly changes to active mode and applies the same rules to maintain network security when the active firewall fails. Layer 2, 3, and virtual wire installations allow active/passive HA.
Active/Active – Both firewalls in the pair are operational, controlling traffic and synchronously processing session configuration and ownership. Both firewalls sync with one another while maintaining separate session and routing tables. Layer 3 and virtual wire support Active/active installations.
12. What Options Are There For URL Filtering?
The following tasks are completed when screening URLs.
The URL filtering log creates a log entry indicating that the website is authorized.
Allow: The website is allowed, and there is no log record.
Block: The user will receive a response page and cannot visit the website since it is forbidden. The URL filtering log creates a log entry.
Continue: The user will have an offer the option to visit the website after obtaining a response page alerting them that the request has been declined due to a violation of corporate policy.
Override: In this case, the security administrator or helpdesk representative would accept a password for temporary access to all websites in the chosen category.
13. How May The Palo Alto Firewall Be Configured For Stateful Failover In A HA Cluster?
Failover is an occurrence that happens when one firewall fails, and the peer takes up the responsibility of safeguarding traffic. For instance, a monitored metric on a firewall in the HA pair failing results in a failover. The metrics used to monitor and identify a firewall failure are as follows:
- Greetings and heartbeat polling.
- Link Inspection.
- Link Inspection.
14. How Do Dynamic Updates Work, And How Are They Scheduled?
You may choose the frequency at which the firewall looks for, downloads, and installs new updates by creating a schedule for dynamic updates. You may select the “Recurrence” and “Time” parameters, as well as whether you want to “Download Only” or “Download and Install” planned updates.
15. In Palo Alto, What Is SS Ha Lite? For What Is It Capable? What Are The Features Missing From HA Lite?
The PA-200’s high-availability capability is known as HA Lite in Palo Alto. HA Lite provides a more streamlined version of HA features. HA Lite includes capabilities such as A/P high availability without session synchronization, IPSec tunnel failover, configuration synchronization, and Layer 3 forwarding tables. HA does not contain features such as Jumbo Frames, Link Aggregation, A/A High Availability, and A/P High Availability with session synchronization.
16. What Is Palo Alto’s App ID?
You may use App-ID to explore the apps on your network and learn about their features, personality traits, and hazard level. We identify applications and services using application signatures, decryption (if required), protocol decoding, and heuristics. That situation enables fine-grained management, such as permitting approved Office 365 accounts or Slack for instant conversation but not file sharing.
17. Palo Alto Content ID: What Is It?
Content-ID combines a real-time threat prevention engine with an extensive URL database and application identification features to do the following:
- Unauthorized data and file transfers should be restricted.
- Malware, exploits, and malware communications should all be recognized and prevented.
- Control unauthorized internet use.
The visibility and management of the App-application ID, together with the examination of the Content-content ID, enable your IT staff to regain control over application traffic and related content.
18. What Is The Latest Palo Alto Content Update?
Palo Alto Network’s next-generation firewalls offer the most up-to-date threat prevention and identification technologies thanks to applications and threat updates. The firewall obtains the most recent application and threat signatures through content updates for Applications and Threats.
19. What Are The Advantages Of Panorama In Palo Alto?
There are several advantages to utilizing Panorama. Among these advantages are:
- With a simple click, you may update the program in mass.
- You may obtain a comprehensive report that allows you to validate the compliance status.
- To debug logging difficulties, utilize Panorama logs from managed services.
20. In Palo Alto, What Are U-Turn NAT, A Virtual Router, And A Virtual System?
A U-turn NAT is a logical route in a network. Users must use U-turn NAT to connect to the internal DMZ server, and they do this using the server’s external IP address. In Palo Alto, a virtual router is a function of the firewall that is part of Layer 3 routing, and a virtual system is an exclusive and logical firewall. A virtual system’s traffic is kept distinct by an independent firewall.
21. What Are The Most Common Forms Of NAT In Palo Alto?
Dynamic Ip And Port (Dipp): Several hosts’ source IP addresses can be converted to the same public IP address with multiple port numbers using Dynamic IP and Port (DIPP).
Dynamic IP enables one-to-one dynamic translation of a source IP address alone (no port number) to the following available address in the NAT address pool.
Static Ip: Allows for a one-to-one static translation of a source IP address but does not alter the source port.
22. What Are Your Weaknesses?
I make snap judgments without considering all of the variables. Unsurprisingly, it had an impact on the quality of my work. Now, I wait before making a choice and consult with others to see if I missed anything in my thought process. And because I am an introvert, I prefer to keep to myself. But, after being passed up for a promotion because I didn’t suit the character, I started attending improv lessons to get more comfortable spending time with people. Also, because I am emotional, it might not be easy to think logically about a scenario. But I’ve been working with a coach to learn how to separate my emotions while deciding.
23. What Are Your Strengths?
I believe my biggest talent is my ability to solve problems. I can see a situation from several angles and complete my task even when faced with significant challenges. My communication abilities are also excellent, in my opinion. I’m at ease presenting to top executives as I resolve a dispute amongst junior team members. I used to be a coder, so I have that perspective, and I believe people appreciate me for it.
24. How Do You Deal With An Angry Coworker?
You can’t please everyone because people will always condemn you. Disputes with coworkers happen in almost every employment. If I disagree with one of my employees, I will try to talk with him to figure out what is wrong. We will try to solve the problem if my coworker is willing to work on it. But even if we can’t agree, I’ll always respect him because we’ve been working together for a long time.
25. How Do You Keep Yourself Motivated To Do Your Best?
I’m very motivated by outcomes, and I prefer having a specific objective to work toward and enough time to devise a solid strategy for achieving it. Our yearly targets at my previous employment were highly ambitious, but I worked with my manager and the rest of my team to develop a month-by-month strategy for hitting the year-end statistics. It was an incredible feeling to do it. The drive to reach a deadline has always motivated me. Setting and meeting deadlines make me feel so accomplished. I enjoy creating an orderly timetable for finishing a task and meeting my deadlines.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have provided the most critical questions possible in the interview; as you can see, you should know almost everything about this industry. Preparing these questions before your interview might help you to clear the interview and get your desired job. Follow our page regularly to learn about different courses, training and career opportunities. Lots of luck!