300-710 Questions and Answers

To protect and encrypt the synchronization/failover traffic between Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) high-availability or cluster units, the correct action is to encrypt the synchronization traffic with IPsec (via the failover/state link configuration) or choose the appropriate cryptographic authentication/key settings

To enable Cisco Secure Firewall Malware Defense to detect and block malware, the network administrator must associate a File policy with an access control policy. File policies allow administrators to configure malware detection and file analysis capabilities on the Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense appliance.

Steps to configure File policy:

Navigate toPolicies > Access Control > File Policiesin the FMC.

Create a new file policy or edit an existing one to include malware detection and blocking settings.

Associate the file policy with the relevant access control policy.

Ensure that the access control policy is deployed to the FTD appliance.

By associating a file policy, the firewall will inspect files being transmitted through the web server for malware and take appropriate actions (block, allow, or alert) based on the configured rules.

The intended control node should be assigned a numerically lower priority value than the other cluster nodes. Cisco Secure Firewall cluster priority values operate inversely: the lowest numerical value represents the highest election priority. For example, a node configured with priority 1 takes precedence over nodes configured with priorities 10 or 20. If the current control node fails, the available node with the highest priority—meaning the lowest configured number—is elected as the replacement. Values 0 and 255 are outside the documented 1–100 range for this Management Center clustering implementation. Therefore, the node with greater processing resources should receive a lower numerical value. The supplied answer of C in List B is incorrect and has been corrected to B based on Cisco documentation. Cisco Secure Firewall clustering documentation

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To filter traffic between multiple subnets, the engineer must implement the firewall in routed mode. In routed mode, the firewall operates as a Layer 3 device, capable of routing traffic between different IP subnets. This mode is appropriate for filtering traffic between LAN, DMZ, and WAN subnets.

Steps to configure routed mode:

Access the firewall ' s management interface.

Configure interfaces for each subnet (LAN, DMZ, WAN) with appropriate IP addresses and network masks.

Define security zones and apply access control policies to filter traffic as required.

This ensures that the firewall can inspect and route traffic between the different subnets, providing the necessary security and control.

To collect 24 hours ' worth of data using a packet capture on a Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) appliance without prematurely stopping due to buffer size limitations, the engineer should increase the packet capture buffer size. The default buffer size is 32 MB, which is insufficient for extended captures.

Steps:

Access the packet capture configuration on the FTD device.

Increase the buffer size to 1 GB, which provides a significantly larger capacity for capturing packets over a 24-hour period.

Setting the buffer size to 1 GB should accommodate a substantial amount of traffic and prevent the capture from stopping prematurely.

To configure URL filtering such that users receive a warning when they access a specific website (e.g.,http://www.badadultsite.com) and have the option to continue to the site, the engineer needs to perform the following actions:

Configure an access control rule:

Create a URL object forhttp://www.badadultsite.com.

Set the action for this URL object to " Interactive Block, " which prompts the user with a warning and allows them to proceed if they choose to.

Set the Interactive Block Response Page:

Navigate to the HTTP Responses tab in the access control policy editor.

Set the Interactive Block Response Page to " System-provided " to ensure that users see the default warning page provided by Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center.

These actions ensure that only the specified website triggers an interactive block, while other websites are not blocked.

Integrated Routing and Bridging allows a Secure Firewall device operating in routed mode to contain bridge groups while also supporting routed interfaces. Multiple physical or logical interfaces can become members of one bridge group, placing them in the same Layer 2 broadcast domain, VLAN, and IP subnet. A Bridge Virtual Interface represents that bridge group at Layer 3 and functions as its gateway, permitting communication between the bridged network and routed interfaces or other bridge groups, subject to security policy. This can remove the need for an additional external Layer 2 switch when suitable firewall interfaces are available. IRB does not itself provide high availability, security-context separation, or Cisco Talos threat-intelligence updates. Those capabilities are implemented through separate features. Therefore, allowing multiple interfaces to participate in the same VLAN is the stated IRB benefit. Cisco IRB documentation

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When capturing traffic on a Cisco FTD device to troubleshoot a connectivity problem, a file type that can be exported for reviewing using a tool built for this type of analysis is PCAP. PCAP stands for Packet Capture and it is a file format used to store network packet data captured from anetwork interface8. PCAP files contain the raw data of network packets, including the headers and payloads of each packet8.

PCAP files are widely used in network analysis and troubleshooting tasks. They enable network administrators, analysts, and researchers to inspect and analyze network traffic for various purposes, such as diagnosing network issues, detecting malicious activity, measuring network performance, and understanding network protocols8. PCAP files can be read by applications that understand that format, such as Wireshark, tcpdump, CA NetMaster, or Microsoft Network Monitor8.

The other options are incorrect because:

NetFlow v9 is not a file type, but a protocol for collecting and exporting information about network flows. A network flow is a sequence of packets that share common attributes such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols9. NetFlow v9 records contain summary information about network flows, such as start and end times, byte counts, packet counts, and so on9. NetFlow v9 records do not contain the raw data of network packets.

NetFlow v5 is not a file type, but an earlier version of the NetFlow protocol for collecting and exporting information about network flows. NetFlow v5 records contain similar information as NetFlow v9 records, but with fewer fields and less flexibility10. NetFlow v5 records do not contain the raw data of network packets.

IPFIX is not a file type, but a protocol for collecting and exporting information about network flows. IPFIX stands for IP Flow Information Export and it is based on NetFlow v9, but with some extensions and improvements11. IPFIX records contain similar information as NetFlow v9 records, but with more fields and more flexibility11. IPFIX records do not contain the raw data of network packets.

Secure Firewall Management Center evaluates access control entries sequentially from the lowest sequence number to the highest and stops processing after the first match. Because host 10.236.131.1 is contained within network 10.236.131.0/24, the specific host exception must appear before the broader subnet block. Sequence 1 must therefore allow 10.236.131.1, and sequence 2 must block 10.236.131.0/24. If the subnet block were placed first, traffic to 10.236.131.1 would match that entry and never reach the subsequent host allow entry. Cisco recommends placing more specific entries above general entries for exactly this reason. In an access list object, Allow identifies traffic to which the associated service applies, while Block excludes it from that service; it does not necessarily mean the firewall drops the packet. Cisco access-list object documentation

When packet capture is used on a Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) device and the packet flow is waiting on the malware query, the Snort verdict appears as " retry. " This indicates that the device is still processing the malware analysis and has not yet determined the final action for the packet.

The " retry " verdict signifies that the packet is in a holding state while awaiting the result of the malware inspection, which helps in maintaining the security posture until a definitive decision is made.

If an engineer receives a 403: Forbidden error when attempting to download a packet capture file from Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC), the issue is likely due to HTTPS not being enabled in the device platform policy. To resolve this issue, the engineer must enable HTTPS in the platform policy.

Steps:

In FMC, navigate toPolicies > Device Management > Platform Settings.

Edit the relevant platform policy.

Enable HTTPS for the device.

Deploy the changes to the FTD device.

This ensures that the FMC and FTD device can securely transfer the packet capture file over HTTPS, resolving the 403 error.

To capture packets that are dropped by Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) and troubleshoot the issue of traffic from the inside network to a webserver not getting through, the administrator should use the command to capture packets dropped by the accelerated security path (ASP) engine. The correct command is:

capture CAP type asp-drop all headers-only

This command captures all packets dropped by the ASP engine, which includes packets that are being blocked by access control policies, NAT issues, or other security checks.

Steps:

Access the FTD CLI.

Run the commandcapture CAP type asp-drop all headers-onlyto capture dropped packets.

Analyze the captured data to identify the cause of the drops.

This command provides detailed information on why packets are being dropped, helping the administrator resolve the issue.

To ensure that VoIP traffic in a contact center is not impacted by performance issues after deploying an access control policy on a Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) device, the engineer should configure the access control rule with the " trust " action. The " trust " action allows traffic to bypass inspection and policy enforcement, ensuring that critical VoIP traffic is not delayed or degraded.

Steps:

In FMC, navigate toPolicies > Access Control > Access Control Policy.

Create a new rule or edit an existing rule.

Set the source and destination for the VoIP traffic.

Set the action to " trust " to ensure the VoIP traffic is not inspected.

By configuring the rule with the " trust " action, the VoIP traffic will be prioritized, maintaining the quality and performance required for the contact center operations.

Individual intrusion rules do not support direct time-range conditions or scheduled activation triggers. Instead, the administrator creates a time-range object and uses it as a condition in an access control rule. The required intrusion policy is then associated with that access control rule. During the specified time range, matching traffic invokes the intrusion policy and its enabled intrusion rules; outside the range, the access control rule does not match. Multiple access control rules can be created when different intrusion policies or protection levels are needed at different times. Secure Firewall Management Center does not require an external scheduled task to enable and disable individual intrusion rules. Cisco documents time-range objects as the mechanism for making supported policies apply only during defined periods. Therefore, time-based access control rules are the correct implementation. Cisco time-range objects

If users report that Cisco Duo 2FA fails when attempting to connect to the VPN on a Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) device, and the VPN troubleshooting log in FMC shows an error indicating that the Cisco Duo AAA server has been marked as failed, the root cause is likely missing Duo trust certificates on the FTD device. Trust certificates are essential for establishing a secure and trusted connection between the FTD and the Duo authentication service.

Steps:

Obtain the necessary Duo trust certificates.

Install the certificates on the FTD device.

Verify the configuration to ensure that the FTD device can properly communicate with the Duo AAA server.

This resolves the authentication failure by ensuring that the FTD device can trust the Duo server.

Transparent mode allows the FTD device to act as a “bump in the wire” that does not affect the IP addressing of the network. The end user workstations will not need any changes to their configuration, as they will still receive an IP address from the same DHCP server. However, the FTD device must allow DHCP traffic in the access control policies, otherwise it will block the DHCP requests and replies1

Integrated routing and bridging (IRB) is a feature that allows you to route between different bridge groups on a Cisco FTD device. A bridge group is a logical interface that acts as a container for one or more physical or logical interfaces that belong to the same layer 2 broadcast domain. You can assign an IP address to a bridge group interface (BVI) and enable routing protocols on it, just like a regular routed interface. However, when you run a dynamic routing protocol on a Cisco FTD device in IRB mode, you can only use nonbridge interfaces as routing peers. You cannot use bridge group interfaces or bridge group member interfaces as routing peers2. This is because the routing protocol packets are sent and received on the nonbridge interfaces, and the bridge group interfaces are used only for forwarding data traffic3.

In a local SPAN configuration, the source is the switch interface whose traffic must be copied, while the destination is the interface connected to the passive monitoring device. Therefore, switch interface Gi0/1 must be configured as the SPAN source, and switch interface Gi0/3, which connects to the Cisco Secure IPS sensor, must be the destination. Both commands must also reference the same SPAN session number. Option D satisfies all these requirements. Options B and C omit the mandatory session number, while Option A incorrectly assigns Gi0/3 as both the source and destination. A SPAN destination cannot simultaneously be a source in the same session. The passive IPS receives the mirrored packets for inspection but does not retransmit or directly block them. Cisco SPAN configuration documentation

Fallthrough to interface PAT is a feature that allows the dynamic NAT configuration to use the interface IP address as a last resort when the NAT pool is exhausted. This way, more users can access the internet without running out of resources. To enable this feature, the engineer must check the Enable PAT Fallback check box on the Advanced tab of the NAT rule editor1

The default action setting in a Cisco FTD Access Control Policy determines how the system handles and logs traffic that is not handled by any other access control configuration. The default action can block or trust all traffic without further inspection, or inspect traffic for intrusions and discovery data3.

The Trust All Traffic option allows all traffic from an undefined application to pass without Snort inspection. This option also disables Security Intelligence filtering, file and malware inspection, and URL filtering for all traffic handled by the default action. This option is useful when you want to minimize the performance impact of access control on your network3.

The other options are incorrect because:

The Inherit from Base Policy option inherits the default action setting from the base policy. The base policy is the predefined access control policy that you use as a starting point for creating your own policies. Depending on which base policy you choose, the inherited default action setting can be different3.

The Network Discovery Only option inspects all traffic for discovery data only. This option enables Security Intelligence filtering for all traffic handled by the default action, but disables file and malware inspection, URL filtering, and intrusion inspection. This option is useful when you want to collect information about your network before you configure access control rules3.

The Intrusion Prevention option inspects all traffic for intrusions and discovery data. This option enables Security Intelligence filtering, file and malware inspection, URL filtering, and intrusion inspection for all traffic handled by the default action. This option provides the most comprehensive protection for your network, but also has the most performance impact3.

Interface → outside

Source Host → any

Packet 1 source → 209.165.201.2

Packet 2 source → 209.165.201.1

Packet 4 ICMP message → echo reply

Unused Options:

209.165.202.1

209.165.202.2

The capture must run on the FTDv outside interface, where the client’s translated address is 209.165.201.2. Selecting any as the source-host criterion captures both the outbound echo requests and the inbound ICMP responses. The first request therefore appears as 209.165.201.2 to 209.165.202.2. When the initial traceroute probe expires at R1, the router generates an ICMP time-exceeded response using its interface address 209.165.201.1. A later probe reaches Server1, which returns an ICMP echo reply from 209.165.202.2 to 209.165.201.2. The completed-answer exhibit in List B places several IP addresses inconsistently; the mapping above follows the displayed topology and actual ICMP traceroute packet flow. Cisco FTD capture and Packet Tracer guidance

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Transparent firewall mode forwards traffic at Layer 2, so the participating physical interfaces must be assigned to at least one bridge group. This allows the device to inspect traffic while remaining logically transparent to the connected switch stacks. Bridge Protocol Data Units should also be exempted from advanced inspection. BPDUs are essential for spanning-tree operation, and delaying or blocking them during inspection restarts can produce topology instability or an interruption. A BVI provides Layer 3 addressing for device-originated traffic or management but is not inherently required merely to inspect transit traffic. Jumbo-frame configuration is unnecessary unless the network explicitly uses jumbo frames, and separate data and management routes do not establish transparent forwarding. Cisco specifically recommends using an EtherType ACL to trust BPDUs on each bridge-group member interface. Cisco transparent firewall configuration

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To ensure that router R2 removes the directly connected route for 192.168.1.0/24 from its routing table when the cable between router R1 and the Secure FTD device is disconnected, the network engineer must implement the " Propagate Link State " option on the Secure FTD device. This option allows the FTD to propagate the link state changes to adjacent devices, ensuring that the disconnection is recognized and the routing table is updated accordingly.

Steps:

Access the FTD device configuration via FMC.

Navigate to the interface settings for the relevant interfaces.

Enable the " Propagate Link State " option for the interfaces connected to R1 and R2.

Deploy the changes to the FTD device.

This configuration ensures that the link state changes are communicated to router R2, prompting it to remove the disconnected route from its routing table.

To configure Active Directory authentication for VPN authentication on a Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) instance registered with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC), the administrator needs to configure Realms in the System settings of the FMC. Realms in FMC are used to define the directory servers (e.g., Active Directory) and how they are used for user authentication.

Steps to configure this in FMC:

Navigate toSystem > Integration > Realms and Directory.

Add a new realm and configure the necessary details such as the directory server type (e.g., Active Directory), server address, and bind credentials.

Test the connection to ensure it works correctly.

This setup allows the FMC to authenticate VPN users against the Active Directory, thereby enabling secure access control for VPN connections.

When performing packet capture on a Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) device, ensuring that the allocated memory is sufficient is crucial for capturing all necessary traffic during a specified capture session. If users experience issues accessing a server and the engineer suspects not all traffic was collected, it indicates that the current memory allocation might not be enough to store the entire capture data for the 15-minute session.

Steps:

Check the current memory allocation for packet captures on the FTD device.

Increase the memory allocation if it is insufficient to handle the volume of traffic expected during the capture session.

This ensures that all relevant traffic is captured and can be analyzed to diagnose and resolve the network issue.

To deploy a Cisco FTD device that meets the requirements of the question, the engineer must use transparent mode with a management interface. Transparent mode is a firewall configuration in which the FTD device acts as a “bump in the wire” or a “stealth firewall” and is not seen as a router hop to connected devices. In transparent mode, the FTD device can examine traffic without requiring network changes that will disrupt end users, such as changing IP addresses or routingconfigurations1. A management interface is a dedicated interface that is used for managing the FTD device and separating management traffic from data traffic. A management interface can be configured to allow SSH access for remote administration, which is more secure than Telnet2.

The other options are incorrect because:

Routed mode is a firewall configuration in which the FTD device acts as a router and performs address translation and routing for connected networks. Routed mode requires network changes that may disrupt end users, such as changing IP addresses or routing configurations1. A diagnostic interface is a special interface that is used for troubleshooting and capturing traffic on the FTD device. A diagnostic interface does not separate management traffic from data traffic or allow SSH access for remote administration.

Transparent mode with a data interface does not meet the requirement of separating management traffic from data traffic. A data interface is a regular interface that is used for passing and inspecting traffic on the FTD device. A data interface does not allow SSH access for remote administration2.

Routed mode with a bridge virtual interface (BVI) does not meet the requirement of examining traffic without requiring network changes that will disrupt end users. A BVI is a logical interface that acts as a container for one or more physical or logical interfaces that belong to the same layer 2 broadcast domain. A BVI allows the FTD device to route between different bridge groups on the same security module/engine. However, routed mode still requires network changes that may disrupt end users, such as changing IP addresses or routing configurations.

To block traffic to known cryptomining networks using Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) managed by Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC), the network administrator needs to configure Security Intelligence in an Access Control Policy. Security Intelligence allows administrators to block traffic based on threat intelligence feeds, which include known malicious IP addresses, domains, and URLs.

Steps:

Navigate toPolicies > Access Control > Access Control Policyin FMC.

Edit or create an Access Control Policy.

Go to theSecurity Intelligencetab.

Enable the relevant threat intelligence feeds that include cryptomining networks.

Apply the policy to the FTD device.

This configuration ensures that traffic to known cryptomining networks is blocked, enhancing the network ' s security posture against cryptomining threats.

Name → HTTP-HTTPS-QoS

Apply QoS On → Interfaces in Destination Interface Objects

Download/Upload Limit → 5 Mb/s

Source Interface Networks → 192.168.1.0/24

Destination Interface Networks → 192.168.2.0/24

Destination Ports → HTTP-HTTPS

The HR workstation resides on the inside 192.168.1.0/24 network, making that subnet the source-interface network. Internet-bound traffic exits through the 192.168.2.0/24 network, which must be configured as the destination-interface network. Because rate limiting must occur as traffic leaves toward the internet, QoS is applied to interfaces in the destination interface objects. The HTTP-HTTPS object identifies the destination ports for web traffic, while HTTP-HTTPS-QoS provides a descriptive rule name. Both download and upload limits are configured as 5 Mb/s. Cisco Secure Firewall applies a QoS limit independently on each selected interface and determines upload and download direction based on the connection initiator. The Apply QoS On selection must correspond to a populated source or destination interface condition. Cisco Secure Firewall QoS configuration

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/firepower/620/configuration/guide/fpmc-config-guide-v62/firepower_management_center_high_availability.html

To allow access to a specific banking site over HTTPS, the network administrator must use SSL decryption (also known as SSL/TLS inspection) and specify the URL. This is because HTTPS traffic is encrypted, and the firewall needs to decrypt the traffic to inspect the URL and enforce the access rule.

Steps:

Enable SSL Decryption: Configure SSL policies to decrypt the HTTPS traffic.

Specify the URL: Define the URL of the banking site in the access control policy, ensuring that the decrypted traffic is inspected and allowed based on the specified URL.

This method ensures that only the desired banking site is accessed over HTTPS, while other HTTPS traffic can be filtered or blocked according to the organization ' s security policies.

Secure Firewall Management Center must trust the certificate presented by the Cisco ISE pxGrid server. Therefore, the certificate authority certificate that signed the pxGrid node’s server certificate must be exported from ISE and imported into Management Center as a trusted CA object. If primary and secondary pxGrid nodes are deployed, Cisco requires their certificates to be signed by the same trusted certificate authority. Depending on the integration design, the engineer might also need the monitoring-node CA certificate and a pxGrid client certificate with its private key for Management Center. However, the question specifically asks which certificate establishes trust with the pxGrid server node. SAML and domain-controller certificates are unrelated, and a certificate cannot simultaneously be self-signed and signed by a third-party CA. Cisco ISE and Secure Firewall certificate integration

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Ref: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/firepower/60/configuration/guide/fpmc-config-guide-v60/Tailoring_Intrusion_Protection_to_Your_Network_Assets.html

When you configure the Cisco Firepower devices to bypass the access control policies for VPN traffic, the devices will not inspect the VPN traffic and thus will not waste resources on it. This is the best option to ensure that the VPN traffic is not wasting resources on the Cisco Firepower devices.

Step 1(Configure the primary unit for high availability),

Step 2(Configure the secondary unit for high availability),

Step 3(Configure the two units for high availability),

Step 4(Configure failover criteria for health monitoring)

Secure Firewall access control evaluates a connection using the destination’s real, untranslated address. For an inbound static NAT connection, the Internet client sends traffic to the mapped public address, but the firewall performs NAT untranslation and evaluates the access control rule against the internal server address. Consequently, a rule containing only the public address will not match as intended. The administrator must replace that public destination with the web server’s internal IP address while retaining the required TCP port and appropriate Allow action. Changing the action to Trust does not correct an address-matching error and would also bypass additional inspection. Disabling intrusion inspection is unrelated, and translating the client’s source address is unnecessary for ordinary inbound static NAT. Therefore, the access control rule must reference the internal, real server address. Cisco NAT and real-address documentation

A local SPAN configuration requires a numbered monitoring session with a source interface and a different destination interface. Gi0/1 is the switch interface whose traffic must be copied, while Gi0/3 is connected to the passive Cisco Secure IPS sensor and must therefore be the SPAN destination. Option C correctly associates both commands with session 1 and maps the monitored traffic from Gi0/1 to Gi0/3. Option B incorrectly makes Gi0/3 both the source and destination, which cannot provide the required monitoring path. Options A and D omit the mandatory session 1 portion of the Catalyst SPAN syntax. Because the IPS operates passively, it receives copies of packets on its monitoring interface without becoming an inline forwarding device and without being able to disrupt the production traffic.

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The “Risky Applications with Low Business Relevance” widget identifies BitTorrent as the most significant application risk, with 342 connections—substantially more than the other applications displayed. BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer application that can introduce malware, facilitate unauthorized file transfers, consume bandwidth, and bypass normal content-distribution controls. The engineer should configure an access control rule or application filter that blocks all BitTorrent applications. Google Play appears only as a frequently used web application and is not identified by the dashboard as the primary risky application. Disabling a user account would not address BitTorrent usage by other users, while patching Chrome concerns endpoint vulnerability management rather than application usage risk. Cisco application-control rules can block applications according to risk and business relevance. Cisco application-control documentation

If inside clients have intermittent connectivity issues and the Cisco Secure FTD is responding to all ARP requests on the inside network, it indicates that there may be an incorrect proxy ARP configuration in the NAT policy. Proxy ARP can cause the FTD to respond to ARP requests on behalf of other devices, leading to connectivity issues.

Steps to resolve:

Review the NAT policy on the FTD to identify any incorrect proxy ARP configurations.

Disable the proxy ARP setting for the relevant NAT rules that are causing the issue.

This ensures that the FTD only responds to ARP requests as needed, preventing it from interfering with normal ARP traffic on the inside network.

To support more than two interfaces per context and enable NAT configurations, the firewall must operate in routed mode. Since the firewall was previously in transparent mode, the network engineer needs to change it to routed mode.

Steps:

Access the CLI of the Secure FTD device.

Run the commandconfigure firewall routedto switch the firewall from transparent mode to routed mode.

Reregister the FTD device with the FMC by running theconfigure manager add < FMC_IP > < Registration_Key > command from the FTD device CLI.

This will ensure that the firewall can support the required NAT configurations and more than two interfaces per context.

To enable SSH access to a Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) device from the inside interface for remote administration, the engineer needs to configure a Platform Settings policy in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC). The Platform Settings policy allows the configuration of various system-related settings, including enabling SSH, specifying the allowed interfaces, and defining the SSH access parameters.

Steps:

In FMC, navigate toPolicies > Access Control > Platform Settings.

Create a new Platform Settings policy or edit an existing one.

In the policy settings, go to theSSHsection.

Enable SSH and specify theinsideinterface as the allowed interface for SSH access.

Define the SSH parameters such as allowed IP addresses, user credentials, and other security settings.

Save and deploy the policy to the FTD device.

This configuration ensures that SSH access is enabled on the specified interface, allowing secure remote administration.

In a failover configuration with Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) devices, ensuring that users on the internal network can continue to communicate with outside devices if the primary device (FTD1) fails requires the implementation of a stateful failover link. The stateful failover link allows the secondary device (FTD2) to maintain session information and state data, ensuring seamless failover and minimizing disruptions.

Steps to implement a stateful failover link:

Physically connect a stateful failover link between FTD1 and FTD2.

Configure the stateful failover link in the FMC.

Ensure that both devices are properly synchronized and that stateful failover is enabled.

Deploy the changes to both FTD devices.

By configuring a stateful link, the secondary FTD can take over active sessions without requiring users to re-establish their connections, thus ensuring continuous communication.