CheckPoint Interview Questions

A CheckPoint is a leading contributor of Cyber Security solutions to corporate enterprises and governments globally. CheckPoint solutions safeguard the customers from the fifth-generation cyberattacks with an industry-dominant catch rate of ransomware, malware, and other types of attacks.

CheckPoint solutions defend the enterprise’s network, cloud, and mobile device-held data. CheckPoint protects more than 1 lakh enterprises of all sizes. It is a piece of good news for you if you want to become a Network Security Engineer. According to Payscale.com, a Network Security Engineer’s average salary with CheckPoint skills in the US is around $105K per annum.

If that is the career you are building, and preparing for a CheckPoint Network Security Engineer job interview, the below CheckPoint interview questions will help you to prepare.

We have categorized CheckPoint Interview Questions - 2024 (Updated) into 2 levels they are

• Freshers
• Experienced

Frequently Asked CheckPoint Interview Questions

1. Define Anti-spoofing?
2. Explain Source Nat?
3. Differentiate AH and ESP IPSec Protocol?
4. Explain CheckPoint Firewall Architecture.
5. What are the main components of the CheckPoint solution?
6. Explain the Demilitarized zone concept.
7. Differentiate Automatic NAT and Manual NAT.
8. Explain Cryptographic Checksum.
9. Explain Transparent Firewall
10. What is the Importance of Firewall Rule Base?

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CheckPoint Firewall Interview Questions For Freshers

1. Define Anti-spoofing?

Anti-spoofing is an essential feature of the CheckPoint Firewall, which protects the users from the attackers who create IP packets with spoof or fake source addresses. It determines whether the traffic is legal or not.

2. Explain Asymmetric Encryption?

In Asymmetric encryption, we have two different keys for encrypting and decrypting the message or packet. We use one key for encrypting the message and another key for decrypting the message.

3. What is the Stealth Rule?

The Stealth rule protects the checkpoint firewall from accessing the traffic directly. We must place the Stealth rule on the top of the security role base.

4. Explain the Cleanup Rule?

We use the Cleanup rule for dropping all the traffic, which does not match the Stealth rule and Logged. The cleanup rule is mainly useful for logging purposes.

5. Define NAT?

The full form of NAT is Network Address Translation. We use NAT for mapping Private IP addresses with Public IP addresses and Public IP addresses with Private IP addresses. We mainly use it for providing security to the internal servers and network from the internet. We also use NAT for connecting the internet with the Private IP Address.

6. Explain Source Nat?

We use Source NAT for initiating the traffic from the internal network to the external network. In the Source NAT, we translate only Source IP in the public IP address.

7. Explain Virtual Private Network(VPN)?

We use a VPN for creating a secure connection between two private networks over the internet. VPN uses encryption authentication for securing the data during transmission. We have two kinds of VPN:

1. Site to Site VPN
2. Remote access VPN.

8. Define IPSec?

IPSec(IP Security) is a group of accountable protocols to establish secure communication between two networks, host machines over a public network like the internet. IPSec provides Integrity, Confidentiality, Authenticity, and Anti Replay Protection. Following are the two types of IPSec protocols:

1. ESP(Encapsulation Security Protocol)
2. Authentication Header(AH).

9. Differentiate AH and ESP IPSec Protocol?

ESP: It is a component of the IPSec suite. It provides Confidentiality, Authenticity, and Integrity. We can use it in two modes:

1. Transport Mode
2. Tunnel Mode.

AH: It is also a component of the IPSec suite. It provides only Integrity and Authenticity. It does not provide encryption. We can use it in two modes:

1. Tunnel Mode
2. Transport Mode.

10. Explain the Explicit rule of the CheckPoint Firewall?

Network Security Administrator creates a rule in the rule base, and that rule is known as the Explicit rule.

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11. Explain Hide NAT?

We use Hide NAT for Translating multiple IPs or Networks with a Single Public IP Address. It is Many to one translation. We can only use it in source NAT Translation. We cannot use Hide NAT in Destination NAT.

12. Explain Destination NAT?

When we want to translate the Destination IP address for connecting with the internal private network from the Public IP address, we can use only Static NAT in the Destination NAT.

13. Explain SIC?

The full form of SIC is Secure Internal Communication. It is a feature of the CheckPoint firewall, which we use for making the secure connection between the CheckPoint firewall components. We use SIC when the security gateway and security management server are available in the distributed deployment. 

14. Explain CheckPoint Firewall Architecture?

CheckPoint has designed a Unified Security Architecture, which we implement across all its security products. Unified Security Architecture allows us to manage and monitor the CheckPoint products from one administrative console and offers a consistent level of security. The CheckPoint Architecture has four components:

• Core Technologies: CheckPoint utilizes a general group of core technologies like INSPECT for security inspection, 
• Central Management: We can manage and monitor all the CheckPoint products from a single administrative console.
• Open Architecture: The security architecture of CheckPoint is open and compatible in a diverse environment. For instance, CheckPoint products are compatible with other networks and security equipment from third-party sellers to allow the collaborative implementation of security policies.
• Universal-Update Ability: CheckPoint has multiple collaborative updates and security-alert functions to facilitapage.te the update procedures and helps administrators assure that security is always updated.

15. Explain Network Firewall?

A firewall is a system or set of systems that implement an access control policy between two networks. We can consider the firewall as a pair of mechanisms: one which blocks the traffic and the other which permits the traffic. Some firewalls aim to block the traffic, and some firewalls aim to permit the traffic. 

The most important thing in firewalls is the implementation of access control policies. If you don’t have an idea about what type of access you want to allow or deny, then a firewall is not useful for you. 

16. Define Image and Standard CheckPoint?

Image CheckPoint

Image CheckPoint checks the image property value in our application or web page.

Standard CheckPoint

Standard CheckPoint checks the object property value in our application or web page.

17. What are the main components of the CheckPoint solution?

Following are the main components of the CheckPoint Solution:

1. Security Gateway: The security gateway implements the security policy of an organization and works as a security enforcement point. Security Management Server manages the security gateway and places it on the network as an entry point to LAN.
2. Security Management Server: System Administrator uses the security management server for managing the security policy. We store the organization’s databases and policies on the security management server, and we download them to the security gateway.
3. Smart Dashboard: System Administrator uses this SmartConsole GUI application for creating and managing the security policies.

18. How do we prevent IP Spoofing?

Attackers use IP Spoofing to make the IP address of a packet seem to be from an authentication source.  IP Spoofing can evade the firewall for introducing malicious actions and content to our network.

Anti-Spoofing identifies whether a packet with an IP address is based on the topology or not. For Instance, if the packet from an external network contains an internal IP address, then Anti-spoofing blocks that packet.

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19. How do we define security zones?

Networks utilize various security zones for protecting essential resources and defending against malware. Create rules which enable the relevant traffic out and in a security zone. We must ensure that we have different rules in the Firewall rule base that specify the traffic to and from the security zone.

20. What are different kinds of Firewalls?

Following are the different kinds of firewalls:

1. Packet Filtering Firewall: Packet Filtering Firewall identifies packets and blocks useless packets, and creates network traffic release.

2. Router-Based Firewalls: A software-based firewall exists in the Router that offers only light filtering.

• Computer-based Firewall: It is a firewall that we store in the server with available operating systems like Linux and windows.
• Proxy Server: Proxy Server enables all the clients to use the internet with various access limits. Through its own firewall, the proxy server filters all packets from the webserver.
• Hardware-based Firewall: It is a device that allows strong security from the public network. It is suitable for Big networks.

21. Explain the Importance of Synchronization?

In Multithreading, Synchronization is an ability to control the access of multiple threads to the shared resources. Without Synchronization, one thread can change the shared object while another thread is accessing or updating the value of that object. This can lead to considerable errors.

CheckPoint Interview Questions For Experienced

22. Differentiate Router ACLs and Firewall ACLs

Routers route the traffic, not to stop it. Firewalls are useful for accepting or rejecting traffic. But both Router ACL and Firewall ACL do the same job. According to our requirement, we configure the ACLs.

23. Explain Circuit Level Gateway?

Circuit Level Gateway firewall works at the OSI model session layer. They control the TCP handshaking between the packets for determining whether the requested session is legal or not. The information we pass through the circuit level gateway to the internet seems to have come from the Circuit level gateway.

Therefore, there is no method for a host or a remote computer for determining the internal private IP address of an organization. 

24. Explain Stateful Inception?

Stateful Inception is also called dynamic packet filtering. It is a firewall technology that controls the condition of the active connection. Stateful inception has replaced static packet filtering. In the static packet filtering, we only check the packet headers indicating that an attacker can get the information through the firewall by indicating “replay” in the header.

On the other hand, stateful inception analyzes the packets down to the application layer. Recording the session information like IP addresses, port numbers, a dynamic packet filter implements a security posture that a static packet filter can.

25. Explain the Demilitarized zone concept?

The demilitarized zone concept was lent from the military terminology. A demilitarized zone is an area that runs between two territories that are aggressive to one another or two contrary forces battle lines. A demilitarized zone provides the buffer zone, which separates the internal network from the hostile territory of the internet. Sometimes it is known as the “Perimeter network.”

26. What are Table CheckPoint and BitMap CheckPoint?

We use Table CheckPoint for checking the information in a table. BitMap CheckPoint firewalls are useful for checking the images in our web pages and applications.

27. What type of connections does a firewall allow on the perimeter?

Following are some of the connections that  a Firewall permits on the perimeter:

1. Particular external connections
2. Outgoing connections to the internet
3. Connections to DNS Server
4. Connections from the Internal networks to the external network.
5. Outgoing connections to the internet

28. Differentiate Automatic NAT and Manual NAT?

Automatic NAT	Manual NAT
1. Firewalls automatically create the Automatic NAT.	1. Network Security Administrator manually creates the Manual NAT.
2. We cannot modify the Automatic NAT.	2. We can modify the Manual NAT.
3. We cannot create Dual NAT.	3. We can create Dual NAT.
4. In Automatic NAT, port forwarding is not possible.	4. In Manual NAT, we can do part forwarding.

29. What are the important resources in a Firewall?

1. Email 
2. Disk I/o
3. Web Host
4. OS Socket Performance
5. Netnews Disk I/o

30. Differentiate Gateway and Firewall?

Network Gateway combines two networks through a combination of software and hardware. A network firewall protects a computer network against illegitimate outgoing or incoming access. Network firewalls can be software programs or hardware devices.

31. Differentiate SPLAT and GAIA?

GAIA is the new version of CheckPoint, and it is a combination of SPLAT and IPSO. Some of the advantages of GAIA are

• High Connection Capacity
• The full software blade support
• Role-based administrative users
• Native IPv6 and IPv4 support
• Manageable Dynamic Routing Suite

32. What are the two kinds of CheckPoint NG Licenses?

Following are the two kinds of CheckPoint NG Licenses:

• Central License
• Local License.

Central Licenses are the latest licensing model for NG and are limited to the SmartCenter server. Local licenses are the heritage license model and are limited to the enforcement module.

33. What are the functions of FWM, CPD, and FWD processes?

1. FWM: The function of the FWM process is the implementation of the database activities of the SmartCenter server. Therefore, it is accountable for the policy installation, LogDisplay, Database Read/Write actions, etc.
2. CPD: CPD allows us to execute various services like Secure Internal Communication(SIC), Licensing and Status report.
3. FWD: The main function of FWD is logging. We execute it in association with logging, security servers, and interaction with OPSEC applications.

34. What are the important features of the CheckPoint Firewall?

Following are the important features of Checkpoint Firewall:

1. Mobile Device and VPN Connectivity
2. Internet Filtering and Access
3. Data loss Prohibition
4. Intrusion and Threat Obstruction
5. Application Control.

35. Explain Bastion Host?

A bastion host is a dedicated system that we intentionally expose on a public network. From a secured network point-of-view, it is the only node that we expose to the outside world, and thus, it is very vulnerable to attack. We place it outside the firewall in one firewall system, or if the system has two firewalls, we place it between two firewalls.

Bastion Host filters and processes the incoming traffic and averts the vicious traffic from entering the network, serving as a gateway. General examples for bastion host are domain name system, mail.

36. Explain Cryptographic Checksum?

Cryptographic Checksum is a one-way function that we apply to a file for producing a unique fingerprint of the file for later reference. The checksum system is the main method to detect filesystem tampering on the Unix system.

37. What is Authentication?

Authentication is a mechanism of deciding the identity of the user who is seeking to access the system. Authentications verify the personal computer identity(username and password).

38. What is Application Level Gateway?

Application-level gateway is a feature of ScreenOS gateways that allows the gateway for parsing the application-layer payloads. Even though we have other ScreenOS features like deep inspection, in which gateway checks traffic at the application layer.

We use application-level gateways for supporting the applications, which use the application layer payload for interacting with the dynamic Transmission Control Protocol(TCP) or the User Datagram Protocol(UDP) on which applications open data connections. The dynamic UDP, TCP, or the other ports which we open through the ScreenOS gateway for allowing the secondary or data channels. 

39. Explain Transparent Firewall

Transparent Firewalls act as a layer two device. We can configure the transparent firewalls on the available networks. In the transparent firewall layer three traffic, we can pass from the higher security levels to the lower security levels without the access-list configuration.

40. Explain Packet flow in ASA?

When we get a packet at the entrance firewall, it will inspect the existing entry of the state table. If it matches, then protocol inspection takes place on that packet. If the packet does not match, it indicates that the Packet is a UDP packet or TCP-SYN packet.

After that, it will send the packet for an ACL check. If ACL allows the packet, then we will verify it through the translation rule. We translate the IP header by using NAT translation by exit interface. After the completion of packet translation through the exit interface, it will carry out the route lookup.

41. What are the timeouts for UDP sessions, TCP sessions, and ICMP sessions?

• For TCP sessions, the timeout is 60minutes.
• For the UDP sessions, the timeout is 2minutes.
• For the ICMP sessions, the timeout is 2seconds.

42. Explain Least Privilege?

Designing functional elements of the system will work with the least volume of system privilege. This decreases the authentication degree at which we perform different actions and reduces the probability that a user or a process with maximum privileges may perform unauthorized actions that lead to security breaches.

43. Explain SIC working and different ports of SIC?

Secure Internal Communication enables CheckPoint platforms and products to validate with each other. The SIC process produces a trusted status between management servers, gateways, and CheckPoint components. SIC installs the policies on the gateways for sending the logs between management servers and gateways. 

The security measures of SIC assure the safety of:

• Authentication Certificates
• Triple DES for Encryption
• Standards-based SSL for secure channel creation.

ICA(Internal Certificate Authority)

We create the ICA(Internal Certificate Authority) during the Security Management Server Installation process. ICA issues the certificates for Authentication. For instance, ICA issues certificates like SIC certificates for authentication reasons to VPN certificates and administrators to gateways and users.

Starting the Trust Establishment Process

Communication initialization creates trust between the checkpoint gateways and the security management server. This trust allows CheckPoint components to interact securely. We can establish trust when the servers and gateways have SIC certificates.

44. Will IPSEC make firewalls Updated?

IPSEC(IP Security) applies to a group of standards that the Internet Engineering Task Force(IETF) develops. We have various documents that mutually specify what is “IPSEC.” IPSEC resolves two problems that plague the IP protocol group for a long time.

45. Define Packet Filtering?

Packet Filtering is the mechanism of blocking or passing the packets at a network interface according to the destination, source ports, protocols, or addresses. We use this process in conjunction with Network Address Translation and Packet Mangling. Packet Filtering is a section of a firewall program to protect a local network from undesirable Intrusion. 

46. Explain Circuit Level Gateway?

Circuit-level gateway firewalls work at the OSI model session layer. They manage TCP handshaking among the packets for determining whether the request is legal or not. The information is sent using a circuit-level gateway for the internet, which seems to come from the circuit-level gateway. 

Therefore, there is no method for a remote computer or a host for determining the internal IP address of the organization. This technique is also known as Network Address Translation, where the private IP addresses arise from various clients.

47. Which environments are supported by the Test CheckPoint?

Test Checkpoint supports all the add-in environments.

48. What is the Importance of Firewall Rule Base?

A firewall is a key to a well-defined network security policy. The objective of the CheckPoint firewall rule base is to create rules which allow particular connections.

49. Where can we view the CheckPoint results?

We can view the CheckPoint results in the Test Result window.

50. How Virtual Corporations manage confidentiality?

By using encryption, virtual corporations manage confidentiality.

Conclusion

These CheckPoint interview questions give you insights into the type of questions that might be asked in your job interview. I hope these CheckPoint interview questions will help you ace the job interview.

If you have any queries, let us know by commenting in the below section.