Top 20+ Palo Alto Interview Questions and Answers

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Palo Alto Networks is a leading cybersecurity company founded in 2005 by Nir Zuk, a former engineer at Check Point. It started with a goal to improve network security through next-generation firewalls. Today, it is widely used by businesses and governments to protect data and prevent cyber threats. Palo Alto products are trusted across the world, and roles like firewall engineer, network security analyst, and cloud security specialist often require hands-on knowledge of their tools. In this blog, we will cover the 20+ most commonly asked Palo Alto interview questions and answers to help you prepare.

Fun Fact: Palo Alto Networks serves over 70,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including 85 of the Fortune 100 companies

Palo Alto Interview Questions for Freshers

Here are Palo Alto interview questions and answers to help freshers understand the basics and prepare for interview. 

1. What are the different deployment modes supported by Palo Alto firewalls?

Palo Alto supports four main deployment modes: Tap, Virtual Wire (V-Wire), Layer 2, and Layer 3. Tap mode allows passive monitoring. Virtual Wire places the firewall transparently between two points. Layer 2 works like a switch, while Layer 3 acts as a router and supports IP routing.

2. What is the default IP address, username, and password for Palo Alto Firewall?

The default management IP is 192.168.1.1. The default username is admin, and the password is also admin.

3. What type of firewall is Palo Alto – stateful or stateless?

Palo Alto is a stateful firewall. It keeps track of active sessions and uses that context to make decisions about traffic.

4. What is App-ID and how does it work?

App-ID is Palo Alto’s technology to identify applications by analyzing traffic patterns, signatures, and protocols. It works regardless of port, protocol, or encryption, helping apply security policies based on real app behavior.

5. What are security zones and why are they important?

Security zones group interfaces logically. They define trust boundaries and control traffic between different parts of the network. You can’t apply a security policy without assigning interfaces to zones.

6. What is virtual wire mode in Palo Alto and when would you use it?

Virtual Wire mode connects two firewall interfaces transparently. It is used when you want to insert a firewall into a network without changing IP addressing or routing – perfect for inline deployments.

Note: Palo Alto basic interview questions often include topics like firewall rules, security policies, NAT, and configuration steps.

Also Read - Top 25+ Firewall Interview Questions and Answers for 2025

Palo Alto Networks Interview Questions for Experienced 

These Palo Alto interview questions and answers for seniors focus on advanced topics.

7. How does Palo Alto handle active/passive vs active/active high availability?

In active/passive mode, one firewall handles all traffic. The second stays on standby and takes over if the first fails. In active/active mode, both firewalls process traffic. They sync sessions using HA links. Active/active setups are more complex but useful for high-throughput networks.

8. What is the role of User-ID and how do you integrate it with Active Directory?

User-ID maps IP addresses to usernames. This allows policy rules based on users, not just IPs. To integrate with AD, you configure the User-ID agent or use built-in LDAP settings. The firewall reads AD security logs to identify users.

9. How do you configure a Site-to-Site VPN in a Palo Alto firewall?

Create tunnel interfaces and IKE gateways. Set up IPsec tunnels with matching crypto profiles on both sides. Add static routes and apply security rules. IKEv2 is preferred in 2025 for better reliability and security.

10. What are dynamic address groups and how do they simplify policy management?

Dynamic address groups use tags instead of fixed IPs. When new IPs meet tag criteria, they join the group automatically. This helps when dealing with changing cloud environments or dynamic user sets.

11. How do you configure and troubleshoot SSL decryption?

Install a trusted CA certificate on endpoints. Create decryption policies for SSL traffic. If users report issues, check certificate trust, logs, and rule matches. Some apps, like banking sites, should be excluded to avoid breakage.

Note: Palo Alto Networks firewall interview questions are often asked to network engineers, security analysts, and firewall administrators applying for mid to senior-level roles.

Palo Alto Technical Interview Questions

Let’s go through some Palo Alto firewall technical interview questions that test your practical knowledge.

12. Explain how NAT works in Palo Alto firewalls.

NAT changes source or destination IPs as traffic passes through. Palo Alto supports source NAT, destination NAT, and U-turn NAT. You create NAT rules by defining original and translated IPs, ports, and zones.

13. How does App-ID differ from port-based identification?

App-ID identifies apps based on behavior, protocol decoding, and signatures. It doesn’t rely on port numbers. Traditional firewalls only check ports, which isn’t reliable today. App-ID can detect apps even on non-standard ports.

14. What are the key components of SP3 (Single Pass Parallel Processing) architecture?

SP3 has two main parts – Single Pass software and Parallel Processing hardware. It scans traffic once for threats, apps, and content. The job is split between dedicated engines for speed and accuracy.

15. How do you test if a security policy is working using CLI or GUI?

In CLI, use test security-policy-match with source, destination, and app details. In GUI, go to Device > Troubleshooting and run a policy match test. It shows which rule is triggered and if traffic is allowed or blocked.

Palo Alto Firewall Scenario Based Interview Questions

16. You configured a policy, but traffic is still getting blocked – how would you troubleshoot?

I would start with the logs to check which rule is matching. Then I would confirm zones, IPs, and applications. Sometimes, traffic hits an earlier rule. I would also test with test security-policy-match and check NAT settings if needed.

17. How would you allow internal users to access a DMZ server using the server’s public IP?

This needs U-turn NAT. I would create a destination NAT rule that maps the public IP to the DMZ server’s internal IP. Then I would set up a corresponding security policy and source NAT rule to route the return traffic correctly.

18. A user reports slow internet when SSL decryption is enabled. What steps would you take?

First, I would verify that the root CA is trusted on the client. Then I would check if the traffic matches the right decryption policy. I would look at system resources and exclude sensitive apps like banking from decryption if needed.

19. How do you handle overlapping IP subnets across different branches in your firewall policies?

Use VPNs with route-based tunnels and policy-based forwarding. I would use tags, zones, or interfaces to distinguish the same subnets. Sometimes, NAT can help avoid conflicts. I try to avoid subnet overlaps during planning, but it happens.

Also Read - Top 30+ Cyber Security Interview Questions and Answers

Palo Alto Firewall Interview Questions

Here are Palo Alto firewall interview questions and answers that are commonly asked in job interviews for roles in network security and firewall management.

20. What is a U-Turn NAT and when is it used?

U-Turn NAT lets internal users access a public-facing server using its public IP. It’s used when both the client and server are behind the same firewall. You configure destination and source NAT rules to handle the return traffic correctly.

21. How does GlobalProtect work and what are its main use cases?

GlobalProtect is Palo Alto’s VPN solution. It secures remote user connections by extending firewall protection to endpoints. It uses SSL or IPsec tunnels and is often used for remote work, BYOD, and hybrid environments.

22. What are the key differences between Layer 2 and Layer 3 deployments?

In Layer 2, the firewall acts like a switch, passing traffic within the same subnet. In Layer 3, it routes traffic between different subnets using IP addresses and supports static or dynamic routing.

23. What is the Application Command Center (ACC) used for?

The ACC provides a visual dashboard of applications, threats, users, and URLs on your network. It helps you understand traffic behavior, identify unusual activity, and fine-tune security policies based on real-time data.

Note: Interview questions on Palo Alto firewall often include topics like security zones, NAT policies, App-ID, threat prevention, and high availability setup.

Also Read - Top 20+ Network Security Interview Questions and Answers

Other Important Palo Alto Interview Questions

These additional Palo Alto interview questions cover mixed topics that often come up in practical assessments.

Palo Alto Panorama Interview Questions

These Panorama Palo Alto interview questions will help you prepare for roles involving centralized firewall management.

1. What are device groups and templates in Panorama?
2. How does Panorama push configuration to managed firewalls?
3. What types of logs can be aggregated in Panorama?
4. How do you troubleshoot a failed push from Panorama to a firewall?
5. What are the advantages of using Panorama in large environments?

Palo Alto HA Interview Questions

1. What are the different failover triggers in HA?
2. What is the Tentative state in HA and when does it occur?
3. How is session synchronization handled between HA pairs?
4. What are HA1 and HA2 links, and what traffic do they carry?
5. What are backup links in HA and why are they important?

Palo Alto Networks Software Engineer Interview Questions

1. How does PAN-OS differ from traditional operating systems in firewalls?
2. Describe how a firewall session is created and matched in Palo Alto.
3. What data structures are used for fast policy lookup in PAN-OS?
4. How does Palo Alto implement zero-trust architecture in software?
5. What challenges come with building a scalable threat prevention system?

How to Prepare for Palo Alto Interview?

Here are simple and practical tips to help you get ready for the Palo Alto interview process:

• Start by understanding how Palo Alto firewalls actually work
• Practice real CLI commands and GUI navigation
• Learn concepts like App-ID, NAT, HA, and Panorama deeply
• Go through official admin guides and PAN-OS documentation
• Use lab setups or simulations to test configurations
• Review log analysis and troubleshooting steps
• Prepare for scenario-based and practical network questions

Wrapping Up

So, these are the 20+ most commonly asked Palo Alto interview questions and answers to help you prepare. If you are just starting out or already have experience, knowing these topics can give you an edge.

Want to apply your skills? Find top IT jobs, including Palo Alto job roles, on Hirist and take the next step in your career.

FAQs

Firewall Engineer Salary Overview (India, 2025)

Metric	Value
Annual salary range	₹3 Lakhs – ₹25 Lakhs
Avg. annual salary	₹11.8 Lakhs
Monthly in-hand salary	₹56,000 – ₹57,000
Experience range in data	1 – 9 years

Related Security & Engineering Roles Salary Data

Job Title	Experience	Average Salary	Salary Range
Senior Engineer	4 – 6 years	₹20.2 Lakhs	₹19 L/yr – ₹28.3 L/yr
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Endpoint Security Engineer	0 – 3 years	₹7 Lakhs	₹3.5 L/yr – ₹12 L/yr
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Staff Engineer	3 – 4 years	₹25.3 Lakhs	₹24.7 L/yr – ₹35.4 L/yr
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Cloud Security Architect	13 – 14 years	₹51.5 Lakhs	₹47.5 L/yr – ₹52.5 L/yr
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