Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA)

Overview

This online instructor-led training course provides the basic concepts and skills necessary to configure Check Point Security Gateway and Management Software Blades.

In this course students will learn how to configure a security policy and learn about managing and monitoring a secure network, upgrading and configuring a security gateway, and implementing a virtual private network (VPN), and more! This course provides the underlying material required to prepare candidates for the CCSA R80 certification exam.

Exam #156-215.80: Check Point Certified Security Administrator R80

Course Instructor: Faisal Khan

Course Outline

01. Next Generation Firewalls

The difference between packet filtering, and everything else, App Control URL Filtering, AV, AB, VPN, HTTPS Inspection, etc.
Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)

02. In-line versus Host-based Firewalls

The purpose of this module is to discuss in-line appliances, CP does have AEP that leverages a host-based firewall, but there is a whole other solution segment dedicated to host-based firewalling, Guardicore, Illumio, etc

03. CP is based on a centrally managed architecture

3-tiered architecture – SmartConsole, Security Management & Security Gateway
Security management Server (SMS)
Gateways
3 deployment modes – Standalone (SMS and Gateway on same appliance), Distributed (different appliances) and Bridge (insert another gateway within the same subnet)

04. Configuration

SmartConsole
Application that manages the architecture centrally
Blade activation, blade is what Check Point calls their features
SIC
Clustering
Global parameters and rules
NATing policies
Policy rulebase for each blade
Web User Interface (WebUI)
Network Interfaces
ARP config
System Time, Logging
Advanced Routing
User Management
Backup & Restore
CPUSE
Command Line Interface (CLI)
Another channel to set configuration, and also use valuable tools, tools that are not available in the WebUI
Tcpdump, FW Monitor, Zdebug, will have own sections

05. SMS-Gateway Communication

Secure Internal Communication (SIC)
Comm Channel between SMS and Gateway
Policy installation
Logs
Internal Certificate Authority – ICA, issues certificates for the following services: SIC, VPN, Users

06. Configuration and Commands

Local Configuration
WebUI
Overview – Widgets
System Uptime, Traffic stats, Blade stats, Db Update status, Network Link status
Basic and Advanced view
Network Interface config
ARP
DHCP Server
Host and DNS
IPv4 Static Routes
NetFlow Export
System Management
Time
SNMP
Messages (Banners)
Advanced Routing
DHCP Relay
BGP
IGMP
RIP
OSPF
Route Aggregation
Route Redistribution
User Management
Change My Password
Users
Roles
Password Policy
High Availability
VRRP (and Advanced VRRP)
Maintenance
License Status
Snapshot Management
System Backup
Upgrades (CPUSE)
Status and Actions
Software Updates Policy
CLI – Accessed via a terminal emulator like PuTTY or ZOC on port 22, ssh
CLISH – CLI Shell
Most Check Point specific commands are run from this shell
Show configuration – lists the local appliance config Db, like sh run in Cisco iOS
Set expert-password, allows you to access the Expert prompt (Linux)
Expert – BA Shell BASH – Password Protected
More Linux specific commands are run from this shell
Tcpdump, ls, etc
Shutdown and reboot commands