156-215.81.20 Application Control and URL Filtering Practice Question
A security administrator at a financial firm needs to block all peer-to-peer file-sharing applications for the entire company, but must allow legitimate business use of instant messaging. The administrator wants the least administrative effort and automatic updates of new application signatures. What should the administrator do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse URL Filtering categories with Application Control categories, and assuming that blocking a URL category will block native P2P applications.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an Application Control rule that blocks the Peer-to-Peer category and install the policy.
Application Control uses signatures to identify applications regardless of port or protocol. Blocking the Peer-to-Peer category in an Application Control rule immediately blocks all current and future P2P applications, while instant messaging remains allowed. Because signatures are updated automatically, no manual intervention is needed when new P2P apps appear.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a Service object for each known P2P protocol and add them to a drop rule in the firewall policy.
Why it's wrong here
Creating Service objects for each P2P protocol is manual, error-prone, and does not scale. New P2P applications or protocols would be missed until the administrator manually adds them. This approach also does not leverage Application Control signature updates, and it cannot easily allow instant messaging based on application identity. It requires significantly more administrative effort.
- ✗
Create a URL Filtering rule that blocks the Peer-to-Peer category and install the policy.
Why it's wrong here
URL Filtering categorizes web destinations, not applications. Blocking a URL Filtering category named Peer-to-Peer would only affect HTTP/HTTPS access to sites classified in that category, not native P2P protocols or applications. It would not reliably block all peer-to-peer file-sharing applications, and it would not distinguish IM applications at the application layer.
- ✓
Create an Application Control rule that blocks the Peer-to-Peer category and install the policy.
Why this is correct
Blocking the Peer-to-Peer category in an Application Control rule automatically covers all current and future peer-to-peer applications without listing them individually. Because the gateway receives automatic signature updates, new P2P apps are blocked without policy changes. This satisfies the requirement to block all P2P while allowing IM, and minimizes administrative effort.
- ✗
Enable HTTPS Inspection and create a rule that blocks all applications except instant messaging.
Why it's wrong here
HTTPS Inspection decrypts traffic but does not by itself block P2P applications. A rule that blocks all applications except IM would be overly broad and could block business-critical applications. Enabling HTTPS Inspection adds complexity and performance overhead, and it is not the least-effort solution for blocking P2P while allowing IM.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 156-215.81.20 question from scratch — 210 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Check Point exam blueprint
This 156-215.81.20 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Check Point certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 156-215.81.20 exam.