NSE7_PBC-7.2 Fortinet NSE 7 Public Cloud Security 7.2 (FCSS) Questions and Answers

 The Azure client secret is a one-time value that is only visible when it is created. If the administrator loses or forgets the client secret, they cannot retrieve it from the Azure portal. However, they can create a new client secret and use it to configure Terraform. To create a new client secret, they need to follow these steps12:

Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to the Azure Active Directory service.

Select the application name under the App Registrations.

Select Certificates & Secrets > New client secret to create a new client secret.

Add a description and an expiration date for the client secret and select Add.

Copy the value of the new client secret immediately as it will not be shown again.

References:

Generate new Client Secret and link to key-vault | Microsoft Learn

Azure Quickstart - Set and retrieve a secret from Key Vault using Azure portal | Microsoft Learn

Confirming to delete all the resources in Terraform will have the following impact:

D. It destroys all the resources in the state file.

Terraform State File Role: The terraform.tfstate file contains a real-time mapping of the resources that Terraform manages, including their current configuration and relationships. This file tracks the actual state of resources provisioned by Terraform.

Impact of Destruction: When Terraform prompts for confirmation to destroy resources, and 'yes' is entered, Terraform reads the state file and systematically removes all the resources that are managed as part of that state. This is not limited to a specific .tfvars file, IAM user, or resource group—it is a global action that affects all resources tracked by the state file associated with the current Terraform workspace and configuration.

References: The function of the terraform.tfstate file and the impact of resource destruction are detailed in Terraform's official documentation. This behavior is fundamental to how Terraform manages infrastructure as code.

In using Red Hat Ansible for changing the configuration of a FortiGate VM, the minimum number of files you must create and the file to configure the target FortiGate IP address are:

B. Create two files and use the hosts file.

Ansible Playbook File (YAML): The playbook file, which is typically a YAML file, contains the desired states and tasks that Ansible will execute on the target hosts.

Inventory File (Hosts): The inventory file, commonly named hosts, is where you define the target machines, including the FortiGate VM's IP address. Ansible uses this file to determine on which machines to run the playbook.

By creating these two files, you will have the necessary components to configure Ansible for the deployment. The playbook contains the automation tasks, and the hosts file lists the machines where those tasks will be executed.

References: This structure is specified in the Ansible documentation, which details the use of playbooks and inventory files to manage and configure target systems.

B. FortiGate A and FortiGate B are two independent devices. This means that they are not part of a cluster or a high availability group, and they do not share the same configuration or state information. They are configured as standalone FortiGates with standalone configuration synchronization enabled1. This feature allows them to synchronize most of their configuration settings with each other, except for some settings that identify the FortiGate to the network, such as the hostname1. D. It does not synchronize the FortiGate hostname. This is one of the settings that are excluded from the standalone configuration synchronization, as mentioned above. The hostname is a unique identifier for each FortiGate device, and it should not be changed by the synchronization process1.

The other options are incorrect because:

FortiGate-VM instances are not scaled out automatically according to predefined workload levels. This is a feature of the auto scaling solution for FortiGate-VM on Azure, which requires a different deployment and configuration than the one shown in the exhibit2. The exhibit shows a static deployment of two FortiGate-VM instances behind an Azure load balancer, which does not support auto scaling.

By default, FortiGate does not use FGCP. FGCP stands for FortiGate Clustering Protocol, which is used to synchronize configuration and state information between FortiGate devices in a cluster or a high availability group3. However, the exhibit shows that the FortiGates are not in a cluster or a high availability group, and they use standalone configuration synchronization instead of FGCP.

The correct answer is B and C. Both landing subnets in the spoke VPCs must have a 0.0.0.0/0 traffic route to the TGW. Both landing subnets in the security VPC must have a 0.0.0.0/0 traffic route to the FortiGate port2.

According to the AWS documentation for Transit Gateway, a transit gateway is a network transit hub that connects VPCs and on-premises networks. To send outbound traffic from the Linux instances to the internet through the security VPC, you need to do the following steps:

In the main subnet routing table in the spoke VPCs, add a new route with destination 0.0.0.0/0, next hop TGW. This route directs all traffic from the Linux instances to the TGW, which can then forward it to the appropriate destination based on the TGW route table.

In the main subnet routing table in the security VPC, add a new route with destination 0.0.0.0/0, next hop FortiGate port2. This route directs all traffic from the TGW to the FortiGate internal interface, where it can be inspected and allowed by the FortiGate policies.

The other options are incorrect because:

Adding a 0.0.0.0/0 traffic route to the Internet Gateway (IGW) in the spoke VPCs is not correct, as this would bypass the TGW and the security VPC and send all traffic directly to the internet.

Adding a 0.0.0.0/0 traffic route to the TGW in all the VPCs is not necessary, as only the spoke VPCs need to send traffic to the TGW. The security VPC needs to send traffic to the FortiGate port2.

Transit Gateways - Amazon Virtual Private Cloud : Fortinet Documentation Library - Deploying FortiGate VMs on AWS

When an administrator decides to use the 'Use managed identity' option for the FortiGate SDN connector with Microsoft Azure and faces a connection failure, the correct action to take is:

C. Make sure to enable the system assigned managed identity on Azure.

Managed Identity Configuration: The system assigned managed identity is a feature in Azure that provides an identity for the Azure service instance (in this case, the FortiGate SDN connector) within Azure Active Directory and eliminates the need for credentials to be stored in the configuration.

Troubleshooting Connection Issues: If the SDN connector is failing to connect, it could be because the system assigned managed identity has not been enabled or configured properly in Azure for the FortiGate service.

References: Azure documentation on managed identities explains the need to enable and configure this feature for services to authenticate and interact securely with Azure resources.

B. It is recommended to enable NAT on FortiGate policies. This is because the Azure load balancer uses a hash-based algorithm to distribute traffic to the FortiGate instances, and it relies on the source and destination IP addresses and ports of the packets1. If NAT is not enabled, the source IP address of the packets will be the same as the load balancer’s frontend IP address, which will result in uneven distribution of traffic and possible asymmetric routing issues1. Therefore, it is recommended to enable NAT on the FortiGate policies to preserve the original source IP address of the packets and ensure optimal load balancing and routing1. D. It supports session synchronization for handling asynchronous traffic. This means that the FortiGate instances can synchronize their session tables with each other, so that they can handle traffic that does not follow the same path as the initial packet of a session2. For example, if a TCP SYN packet is sent to FortiGate A, but the TCP SYN-ACK packet is sent to FortiGate B, FortiGate B can forward the packet to FortiGate A by looking up the session table2. This feature allows the FortiGate instances to handle asymmetric traffic that may occur due to the Azure load balancer’s hash-based algorithm or other factors.

The other options are incorrect because:

It does not use the vdom-exception command to exclude the configuration from being synced. The vdom-exception command is used to exclude certain configuration settings from being synchronized between FortiGate devices in a cluster or a high availability group3. However, in this scenario, the FortiGate devices are not in a cluster or a high availability group, but they are standalone devices with standalone configuration synchronization enabled. This feature allows them to synchronize most of their configuration settings with each other, except for some settings that identify the FortiGate to the network, such as the hostname.

It does not use the FGCP protocol. FGCP stands for FortiGate Clustering Protocol, which is used to synchronize configuration and state information between FortiGate devices in a cluster or a high availability group. However, in this scenario, the FortiGate devices are not in a cluster or a high availability group, and they use standalone configuration synchronization instead of FGCP.

The correct answer is A and C. A transport attachment and a connect attachment are necessary to connect a transit gateway to an existing VPC with BGP.

According to the AWS documentation for Transit Gateway, a transit gateway is a network transit hub that connects VPCs and on-premises networks. To connect a transit gateway to an existing VPC with BGP, you need to do the following steps:

Create a transport attachment. A transport attachment is a resource that connects a VPC or VPN to a transit gateway. You can specify the BGP options for the transport attachment, such as the autonomous system number (ASN) and the BGP peer IP address.

Create a connect attachment. A connect attachment is a resource that enables you to use your own appliance to provide network services for traffic that flows through the transit gateway. You can use a connect attachment to route traffic between the transport attachment and your appliance using GRE tunnels and BGP.

The other options are incorrect because:

A BGP attachment is not a valid type of attachment for a transit gateway. BGP is a protocol that enables dynamic routing between the transit gateway and the VPC or VPN.

A GRE attachment is not a valid type of attachment for a transit gateway. GRE is a protocol that encapsulates packets for tunneling purposes. GRE tunnels are established between the connect attachment and your appliance.

[Transit Gateways - Amazon Virtual Private Cloud] : [Transit Gateway Connect - Amazon Virtual Private Cloud]

When deploying resources in multiple places and regions in the public cloud using Terraform, the most efficient way is:

A. Use multiple terraform.tfvars files with a variables.tf file.

Terraform.tfvars File: This file is used to assign values to variables defined in your Terraform configuration. By having multiple .tfvars files, you can define different sets of values for different deployments, such as for different regions or environments, without changing the main configuration.

Variables.tf File: This file contains the definition of variables that will be used within your Terraform configuration. It works in conjunction with terraform.tfvars files, allowing you to parameterize your configuration so that you can deploy the same template in multiple environments with different variables.

References: This method is outlined in Terraform's official documentation and is a best practice for reusing code for different environments in infrastructure as code (IaC) deployments.

Securing container environments from newly emerged security threats involves employing specific security mechanisms tailored to the technology and structure of containers. In this context, the use of Docker-related application control signatures (Option D) is critical for effectively managing and mitigating threats in containerized environments.

Docker-Specific Threats: Docker containers, being a prevalent form of container technology, are targeted by various security threats, including those that exploit vulnerabilities specific to the Docker environment and runtime. Using Docker-related application control signatures means implementing security measures that are specifically designed to detect and respond to anomalies and threats that are unique to Docker containers.

Application Control Signatures: These are sets of definitions that help identify and block potentially malicious activities within application traffic. By focusing on Docker-related signatures, administrators can ensure that the security tools are finely tuned to the operational specifics of Docker containers, thereby providing a robust defense against exploits that target container-specific vulnerabilities.

References: The recommendation to use Docker-related application control signatures is based on best practices for securing container environments, emphasizing the need for specialized security measures that address the unique challenges posed by container technologies.

To configure a FortiGate VM to add to FortiCNP, you need to perform three steps on FortiGate:

Enable send logs in FortiGate to allow FortiCNP to receive the IPS logs from FortiGate.

Create an SSL/SSH inspection profile on FortiGate to inspect the encrypted traffic and apply IPS protection.

Create an IPS sensor and a firewall policy on FortiGate to enable IPS detection and prevention for the traffic.

References:

FortiCNP 22.4.a Administration Guide, page 22-24

FortiGate IPS Administration Guide, page 9-10

To deploy a FortiGate HA solution in AWS using Terraform, you need to create an AWS IAM user with permissions to access the AWS resources and services required by the FortiGate-VM. You also need to use CloudShell to install Terraform, which is a tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure as code.

References:

Deploying FortiGate-VM using Terraform | AWS Administration Guide

Setting up IAM roles | AWS Administration Guide

Launching the instance using roles and user data | AWS Administration Guide

Terraform by HashiCorp

The statement that best describes the concept of immutable infrastructure in the context of automation is:

A. It is the practice of deploying a new server for every configuration change.

Immutable Infrastructure Concept: This approach to infrastructure management involves replacing servers or components entirely rather than making changes to existing configurations once they are deployed. When a change is needed, a new server instance is provisioned with the desired configuration and the old one is decommissioned after the new one is successfully deployed and tested.

Benefits: Immutable infrastructure minimizes the risks associated with in-place updates, such as inconsistencies or failures due to configuration drift. It enhances reliability and predictability by ensuring that the deployed environment matches exactly what was tested in staging. This practice is particularly aligned with modern deployment strategies like blue/green or canary deployments.

References: The concept of immutable infrastructure is widely discussed in DevOps and cloud computing literature as a method to increase consistency and fault tolerance in automated environments.