Which type of attack cannot be mitigated by the PAN Security Operating Platform?

The correct answer focuses on denial-of-service attacks originating from a trusted source. These types of attacks are particularly challenging because they exploit legitimate access and functionality, making it difficult for security systems to differentiate between normal and malicious behavior. The PAN Security Operating Platform includes various features to protect against different attack vectors, primarily those that involve direct interaction with the network stream, such as traffic through the firewall or application-level attacks.

When a denial-of-service attack comes from a trusted source, it can overwhelm resources without raising immediate alarms, as the traffic appears to be legitimate. This makes it hard for the system to implement traditional mitigation strategies, which often rely on identifying and filtering malicious traffic. As a result, the platform may struggle to effectively block or mitigate these attacks due to their nature of being deemed "trustworthy" based on source IP or user credentials, even though they are participating in harmful activities.

In contrast, the other options, such as attacks through SaaS applications, those that pass through the firewall, or social engineering attacks, can be more directly monitored and mitigated by the security measures integrated into the PAN Security Operating Platform, which are designed to scrutinize traffic and user behavior more effectively.