Cisco 300-725 SWSA key terms

A deployment mode where the client browser is manually or automatically configured to send HTTP and HTTPS requests directly to the WSA, which then fetches content on the client's behalf.

A deployment mode where the WSA intercepts client web traffic without any client-side proxy configuration, typically by sitting inline and using WCCP or a Layer 4 switch to redirect traffic.

Web Cache Communication Protocol, a Cisco protocol used to redirect traffic from a router or switch to the WSA transparently, supporting service groups, load balancing, and fail-open behavior.

A Proxy Auto-Config file containing JavaScript that tells a browser which proxy to use for a given URL, commonly hosted on the WSA or an internal web server for explicit proxy deployments.

Web Proxy Auto-Discovery, a method where clients automatically locate a PAC file using DHCP or DNS, enabling zero-touch proxy configuration in explicit deployment mode.

A WSA troubleshooting tool that simulates a client request and shows which identity, access, decryption, and other policies would apply, including the reason each policy matched or was skipped.

A WSA configuration object that defines how users are identified for policy enforcement, such as by transparently authenticated IP address, explicit authentication, or ISE/SAML integration.

A WSA object that defines a collection of users and groups from an external directory (such as Active Directory or LDAP) against which the appliance authenticates and authorizes users.

The top-level WSA policy that determines whether a request is allowed or blocked and which identity, decryption, routing, and other policy groups are applied to it.

A WSA policy that controls whether HTTPS connections are decrypted for inspection, passed through unexamined, or blocked, based on criteria such as URL category, user, and certificate status.

The process where the WSA terminates and re-establishes HTTPS connections to examine encrypted traffic, using a trusted certificate authority to sign certificates presented to clients.

A trusted entity that issues digital certificates; on the WSA, a generated or imported CA certificate signs the certificates presented to clients during SSL decryption.

A WSA feature that handles CONNECT requests from clients, allowing the appliance to inspect or tunnel HTTPS traffic depending on the applicable decryption policy.

A WSA policy that enforces acceptable use by restricting access based on URL categories, applications, and quota limits, and by applying block or warn actions to user requests.

The WSA capability to categorize requested URLs and apply allow, block, warn, or quota actions based on category, reputation score, and custom URL lists.

A classification assigned to a URL by Cisco's cloud or on-box categorization service, such as Business, Social Networking, or Malware, used as a match condition in policies.

A numeric rating assigned by Cisco Talos to a URL or domain indicating its likelihood of being malicious, used by the WSA to block or warn on risky destinations.

A WSA feature that identifies web applications and micro-applications (such as social networking or file sharing) and lets policies allow or block them independently of URL category.

A WSA feature that presents an organization's acceptable use terms to users before granting web access, requiring acknowledgment and optionally displaying the policy on block pages.

The WSA inspection process that scans downloaded files and web content for viruses, worms, and other malware using signature engines and reputation data before delivering them to clients.

Cisco's threat protection technology integrated into the WSA that provides file reputation, sandboxing-based file analysis, and retrospective alerting for files that later become malicious.

A verdict from Cisco Talos about a file's known maliciousness, used by AMP on the WSA to block, allow, or send files for further analysis.

The AMP sandboxing service that detonates suspicious files in a controlled environment and reports behavior, enabling the WSA to block files with unknown or adverse verdicts.

A WSA policy that inspects outbound content for sensitive data patterns, such as credit card or social security numbers, and blocks or logs uploads that violate defined rules.

A WSA policy that defines which data patterns and destinations are protected, and the action (block, monitor, encrypt) applied when outbound traffic matches sensitive data.

A WSA configuration that forwards outbound content to a third-party DLP server for inspection, using ICAP or a similar protocol, and enforces the verdict returned by that server.

Internet Content Adaptation Protocol, a protocol used by the WSA to send content to an external DLP or antivirus server for inspection and receive an allow or block verdict.

A WSA method that challenges users for credentials (basic, NTLM, or Kerberos) before allowing web access, enabling user-based policy and tracking in explicit deployments.

A WSA method that identifies users without prompting for credentials, using techniques such as ISE, LDAP, or AD agent-based session mapping for transparent proxy deployments.

Cisco Identity Services Engine, which can integrate with the WSA to provide user identity and device posture information for policy enforcement without explicit authentication.

The WSA configuration that determines which interface and next-hop gateway are used for outbound traffic, including static routes and policy-based routing for different destinations.

Policy-Based Routing, a technique that forwards traffic based on configured policies rather than the destination address, often used on the WSA to route traffic through specific interfaces or next hops.

The WSA module that aggregates web activity, security, and policy data into dashboards and scheduled reports for monitoring usage and compliance.

A standard protocol used by the WSA to send log and event messages to an external server for centralized retention, alerting, and compliance archiving.

A WSA operation that saves the appliance's full configuration to a file, allowing restoration after failure or for replicating settings to another appliance.

The WSA process of installing a new AsyncOS software release, including prerequisite checks, configuration backup, and post-upgrade verification of services and policies.

Cisco's threat intelligence organization that provides URL categorization, web reputation, and file reputation data consumed by the WSA for security enforcement.

A WSA feature that displays customizable block, warn, and AUP pages to users, explaining why a request was denied and how to request an exception.

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, used by the WSA to query external directories for user and group information when building authentication realms and identity profiles.