Palo Alto Networks Firewall Training Course Lab

Working with the TechNow lab for the PA-215: Palo Alto Networks Firewall Essentials FastTrack course has been nothing less than a techie's idea of fun. When students come in we are immediatly configuring the Cisco 3750 switches for access ports, VLANS, and trunks. We then cable the switch to the Palo Alto Networks Firewall. Each student gets their own Palo Alto Firewall Pod of hardware and software. What we find as fun is the VLAN environment, with an array of virtual machines hosted on an ESXi server that can really exercise the abilities of the Palo Alto Firewall. The DMZ VLAN hosts virtual machines that support enterprise services and also potentialy vulnerable web services. The Trust VLAN has Windows and Linux clients. The UnTrust VLAN has Web services and a VM of Kali. The hardware Firewall is additionally connected to a Management VLAN. All those VLANs are trunked into an ESXi server where the student also has a VM-Series Palo Alto Networks Firewall for High Availability.

After configuring all the trunking, VLANs, and network interfaces we learn about the firewall and configure it for the lab environment. Using Metasploitable and Kali/Metasploit nefarious penetration attempts are executed. Using packet captures, custom APP-ID's and custom signatures are generated. Custom logging and reporting are created to similate and enterprise and assist the desired Incident Response. It is always fun in a training environment to learn all about the controls available in a product, even though specific controls may not be used in the operational environment. In the end we have a good understanding of the Palo Alto Networks Firewall.

TN-963: Windows Security Automation with PowerShell

Course Overview:

PowerShell is made for Security Operations (SecOps) automation on Windows. SecOps requires automation in order to scale out security changes and monitoring beyond a handful of hosts. For example, when a vulnerability must be remediated but there is no patch for it yet, automation is needed to quickly and consistently enact the changes necessary. PowerShell “remoting” is encrypted remote command execution of PowerShell scripts in a way that can scale to thousands of endpoints and servers.

Imagine being able to hunt for indicators of compromise across thousands of machines with just a few lines of PowerShell code. Or imagine having the local Administrator account password reset every night on thousands of endpoints in a secure way, and being able to retrieve that password securely too.

We will show you to do these tasks and more. Transcription logging for forensics, strong encryption code signing, application whitelisting of scripts, IPSec port control, and Just Enough Admin (JEA).

As more and more of our systems are moved up to the cloud, PowerShell will become even more important. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Hyper-V and VMware already support PowerShell administration for many tasks.

Attendees to TN-963: Windows Security Automation with PowerShell will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 3 days

Course Objectives:

Day One
PowerShell Overview and Tips

- Getting started running commands
- Using and updating the built-in help
- Execution policies
- Fun tricks with the ISE graphical editor
- Piping .NET and COM objects, not text
- Using properties and methods of objects
- Helping Linux admins feel more at home
- Aliases, cmdlets, functions, modules, etc.
- Customizing your profile script

What Can We Do With PowerShell

- PowerShell remote command execution
- Fan-out remoting and security
- File copy via PowerShell remoting
- Capturing the output of commands
- Parsing text files and logs with regex patterns
- Searching remote event logs faster with XPath
- Mounting the registry as a drive
- Exporting data to CSV, HTML and JSON files
- Parsing and mining nmap port scanner XML output
- Running scripts as scheduled jobs
- Pushing out scripts through Group Policy
- Importing modules and dot-sourcing functions
- http://www.PowerShellGallery.com

Write your own scripts

- Writing your own functions
- Passing arguments into your scripts
- Function parameters and returning output
- Flow control: if-then, do-while, foreach, switch
- The .NET Framework class library: a playground
- How to pipe data in/out of your scripts

Day Two
Continuous Secure Configuration Enforcement

- How to use Group Policy and PowerShell together
- Automate with INF security templates
- How to customize INF templates
- Microsoft Security Compliance Manager (SCM)
- SECEDIT.EXE scripting
- Building an in-house security repository for SecOps/DevOps
- NSA’s Secure Host Baseline GPOs

Group Policy Precision Targeting

- Managing Group Policy Objects (GPOs) with PowerShell
- LSDOU, Block Inheritance, Enforced GPOs
- Group Policy permissions for targeting changes
- ADMX templates for mass registry editing
- Deploying PowerShell startup and logon scripts
- WMI item-level targeting of GPO preferences
- GPO scheduled tasks to run PowerShell scripts
- Remote command execution via GPO (not remoting)
- Empowering the Hunt Team to fight back!

Server Hardening for SecOps/DevOps

- Server Manager scripting with PowerShell
- Adding and removing roles and feature
- Remotely inventory roles, features, and apps
- Why Server Nano or Server Core
- Running PowerShell automatically after service failure
- Service account identities, passwords, and risks
- Tools to reset service account passwords securely

Day Three
PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC)

- DSC is Configuration Management built in for free
- Using DSC for continuous reinforcement of settings
- Writing your own DSC configuration scripts
- Free DSC resource modules: www.PowerShellGallery.com
- How to push DSC configurations to many targets
- DSC background job processing in push mode
- Examples: sync files, install roles, manage groups
- Auditing a remote target against a DSC MOF template
- “ApplyAndAutoCorrect” mode for continuous enforcement

PowerShell Just Enough Admin (JEA)

- JEA is Windows sudo, like on Linux
- JEA is Windows setuid root, like on Linux
- Restricting commands and arguments
- Verbose transcription logging
- How to set up and configure JEA
- Privilege Access Workstations (PAWs)

PowerShell and WMI

- Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service
- What is WMI and why do hackers abuse it so much?
- Using PowerShell to query WMI CIM classes
- WMI authentication and traffic encryption
- Inventory operating system versions and installed software
- WMI remote command execution versus PowerShell remoting
- PowerShell security best practices
- PowerShell transcription logging to catch hackers

Prerequisites:

GSEC or equivalent experience
UNIX, Windows, Networking, and Security Experience
This is a hands-on skill course requiring comfort with command line interaction and network communications

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CT-425: CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)

Course Overview:

This course will cover topics to ensure that students have the technical knowledge and skills required to conceptualize, design, and engineer secure solutions across complex enterprise environments. Students will be able to apply critical thinking and judgement across a broad spectrum of security disciplines to propose and implement solutions that map to enterprise drivers. This course will prepare students for the objectives covered in the CompTIA CASP+ certification exam (CAS-004).

Attendees to CT-425: CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

Date/Time	Event
12/16/2024 - 12/20/2024 08:00 -16:00	CT-425: CASP+ TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
03/10/2025 - 03/14/2025 09:00 -17:00	CT-425: CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
06/09/2025 - 06/13/2025 09:00 -17:00	CT-425: CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
09/15/2025 - 09/19/2025 09:00 -17:00	CT-425: CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
12/08/2025 - 12/12/2025 09:00 -17:00	CT-425: CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX

Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

Support IT governance in the enterprise with an emphasis on managing risk
Leverage collaboration tools and technology to support enterprise security
Use research and analysis to secure the enterprise
Integrate advanced authentication and authorization techniques
Implement cryptographic techniques
Implement security controls for hosts
Implement security controls for mobile devices
Implement network security
Implement security in the systems and software development lifecycle
Integrate hosts, storage, networks, applications, virtual environments, and cloud technologies in a secure enterprise architecture
Conduct security assessments
Respond to and recover from security incidents

Prerequisites:

Completion of the following or equivalent knowledge:

CompTIA Certification: A+ Essentials

CompTIA Certification: Security+

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User: clbrack

Instructor comments: I expect to pass, another great class from technow!

User: christopher0470

Instructor comments: Alan takes the time to cover the material so that you understand the concepts and applications of the information presented.

Facilities comments: I like the location. It was quiet and very conducive to learning.

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TN-801: Windows for Security Professionals

Course Overview:

This course will be fast paced with in-depth and live demonstrations.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 1 day

Course Objectives:

UEFI, SecureBoot, TPM, and Enterprise BitLocker
Windows VPN in the Enterprise
Windows Advanced Firewall
Utilizing Windows WMI
Administering Windows with Powershell
Using Autopsy for Forensics

Prerequisites:

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TN-5320: Microsoft Modern Desktop Administrator

Course Overview:

Learn how a Modern Desktop Administrators deploys, configures, secures, manage, and monitors devices and client applications in an enterprise environment. This is a hands-on, instructor led Bootcamp focusing on the real world responsibilities of a Modern Desktop Administrator and covering the information needed for the certification exams, which are administered while attending.

If you’ve passed Exam 70-698: Configuring Windows 10 (retired March 31, 2019) you only need to take MD-101 to earn this new certification.

This certification is one of the workload administrator certification required for the Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert certification.

Dates/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 10 Days

Course Content:

- Module 01. Installing Windows
- Module 02. Updating Windows
- Module 03. Post-Installation Configuration and Personalization
- Module 04. Configuring Peripherals and Drivers
- Module 05. Configuring Networks
- Module 06. Configuring Storage
- Module 07. Managing Apps in Windows 10
- Module 08. Configuring Authorization & Authentication
- Module 09. Configuring Data Access and Usage
- Module 10. Configuring Advanced Management Tools
- Module 11. Supporting the Windows 10 Environment
- Module 12. Troubleshooting the Windows OS
- Module 13. Troubleshooting Files & Applications
- Module 14. Troubleshooting Hardware and Drivers
- Module 15. Planning an Operating System Deployment Strategy
- Module 16. Implementing Windows 10
- Module 17. Managing Updates for Windows 10
- Module 18. Device Enrollment
- Module 19. Configuring Profiles
- Module 20. Application Management
- Module 21. Managing Authentication in Azure AD
- Module 22. Managing Devices and Device Policies
- Module 23. Managing Security

Prerequisites:

- - Microsoft 365 Certified Fundamentals (M-MS900)

Target Audience:

IT professionals who perform installation, configuration, general local management and maintenance of Windows 10 core services. Candidates may also be familiar with enterprise scenarios and cloud-integrated services.

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