To monitor traffic for Internet of Things (IoT) devices that may not otherwise be visible, the network design should place the firewall outside the DHCP path and use traffic mirroring from the switch to a TAP (Test Access Point) interface on the firewall.
Traffic Mirroring: Switches mirror the traffic to the firewall's TAP interface, enabling the firewall to inspect the traffic without directly interfering with the device communication.
IoT Monitoring: Many IoT devices use lightweight communication protocols or non-standard methods, making direct interception difficult. Traffic mirroring allows passive monitoring for behavioral analysis, anomaly detection, and threat prevention.
Firewall Placement: Keeping the firewall outside the DHCP path ensures that monitoring does not disrupt IoT device communications while still providing visibility into their network activity.
Reference:
Palo Alto Networks IoT Security Best Practices
Traffic Mirroring and TAP Interfaces

An NGFW (Next-Generation Firewall) determines whether new session setups are legitimate or illegitimate by using SYN flood protection, which is a key component of DoS/DDoS mitigation.
How SYN Flood Protection Works in an NGFW:
Detects High SYN Traffic Rates - SYN flood attacks occur when a large number of half-open TCP connections are created, overwhelming a server or firewall.
Implements SYN Cookies or Rate-Limiting - To mitigate attacks, the NGFW applies SYN cookies or connection rate limits to filter out illegitimate connection attempts.
Maintains a Secure State Table - The firewall tracks legitimate and suspicious SYN requests, ensuring only genuine connections are allowed through.
Protects Against TCP-Based Attacks - Prevents resource exhaustion caused by attackers flooding SYN packets without completing the TCP handshake.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect?
B . SYN bit ❌
Incorrect, because the SYN bit is just a flag in the TCP header used to initiate a connection-it does not help distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate sessions.
C . Random Early Detection (RED) ❌
Incorrect, because RED is used in congestion avoidance for queuing mechanisms, not for TCP session validation.
D . SYN cookies ❌
Incorrect, because SYN cookies are a method used within SYN flood protection, but they are just one part of the larger SYN flood protection mechanism implemented in NGFWs.
Reference to Firewall Deployment and Security Features:
Firewall Deployment - SYN flood protection is a core feature of Palo Alto NGFWs.
Security Policies - Helps enforce rate-limiting and SYN cookie mechanisms to prevent DoS attacks.
VPN Configurations - Prevents SYN flood attacks from affecting IPsec VPN gateways.
Threat Prevention - Works alongside intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to block TCP-based attacks.
WildFire Integration - Not directly related but ensures malware-infected bots don't launch SYN flood attacks.
Zero Trust Architectures - Protects trusted network zones by preventing unauthorized connection attempts.
Thus, the correct answer is:
✅ A. SYN flood protection

Prisma Access, a cloud-delivered security platform by Palo Alto Networks, supports specific predefined zones to streamline policy creation and enforcement. These zones are integral to how traffic is managed and secured within the service.
Available Zones in Prisma Access:
Trust Zone:
This zone encompasses all trusted and onboarded IP addresses, service connections, or mobile users within the corporate network. Traffic originating from these entities is considered trusted.
Untrust Zone:
This zone includes all untrusted IP addresses, service connections, or mobile users outside the corporate network. By default, any IP address or mobile user that is not designated as trusted falls into this category.
Clientless VPN Zone:
Designed to provide secure remote access to common enterprise web applications that utilize HTML, HTML5, and JavaScript technologies. This feature allows users to securely access applications from SSL-enabled web browsers without the need to install client software, which is particularly useful for enabling partner or contractor access to applications and for safely accommodating unmanaged assets, including personal devices. Notably, the Clientless VPN zone is mapped to the trust zone by default, and this setting cannot be changed.
Analysis of Options:
A . DMZ:
A Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a physical or logical subnetwork that separates an internal local area network (LAN) from other untrusted networks, typically the internet. While traditional network architectures often employ a DMZ to add an extra layer of security, Prisma Access does not specifically define or utilize a DMZ zone within its predefined zone structure.
B . Interzone:
In the context of Prisma Access, "interzone" is not a predefined zone available for user configuration. However, it's worth noting that Prisma Access logs may display a zone labeled "inter-fw," which pertains to internal communication within the Prisma Access infrastructure and is not intended for user-defined policy application.
C . Intrazone:
Intrazone typically refers to traffic within the same zone. While security policies can be configured to allow or deny intrazone traffic, "Intrazone" itself is not a standalone zone available for configuration in Prisma Access.
D . Clientless VPN:
As detailed above, the Clientless VPN is a predefined zone in Prisma Access, designed to facilitate secure, clientless access to web applications.
Conclusion:
Among the options provided, D. Clientless VPN is the correct answer, as it is an available predefined zone in Prisma Access.
Reference:
Palo Alto Networks. "Prisma Access Zones." https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma-access/administration/prisma-access-setup/prisma-access-zones

In Panorama centralized management, Plugins enable native and third-party integrations to monitor VM-Series NGFW logs and objects.
How Plugins Enable Integrations in Panorama
Native Integrations - Panorama plugins provide built-in support for cloud environments like AWS, Azure, GCP, as well as VM-Series firewalls.
Third-Party Integrations - Plugins allow Panorama to send logs and security telemetry to third-party systems like SIEMs, SOARs, and IT automation tools.
Log Monitoring & Object Management - Plugins help export logs, monitor firewall events, and manage dynamic firewall configurations in cloud deployments.
Automation and API Support - Plugins extend Panorama's capabilities by integrating with external systems via APIs.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect?
B . Template ❌
Incorrect, because Templates are used for configuring firewall settings like network interfaces, not for log monitoring or third-party integrations.
C . Device Group ❌
Incorrect, because Device Groups manage firewall policies and objects, but do not handle log forwarding or third-party integrations.
D . Log Forwarding Profile ❌
Incorrect, because Log Forwarding Profiles define how logs are sent, but do not provide integration capabilities with third-party tools.
Reference to Firewall Deployment and Security Features:
Firewall Deployment - Panorama uses plugins to integrate VM-Series NGFWs with cloud platforms.
Security Policies - Plugins support policy-based log forwarding and integration with external security tools.
VPN Configurations - Cloud-based VPNs can be managed and monitored using plugins.
Threat Prevention - Plugins enable SIEM integration to monitor threat logs.
WildFire Integration - Some plugins support automated malware analysis and reporting.
Zero Trust Architectures - Supports log-based security analytics for Zero Trust enforcement.
Thus, the correct answer is:
✅ A. Plugin