This 350-701 practice question tests your understanding of security concepts. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company deploys Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) in transparent mode. They create an access control rule to allow HTTP traffic from the inside network (10.10.10.0/24) to a web server at 192.168.1.100. The rule is configured with action 'Allow', a source zone 'inside', a destination zone 'outside', and an intrusion policy attached. After deployment, users report they cannot access the web server. The administrator verifies that the web server is reachable from other networks and that the FTD management interface is accessible. The FTD's packet capture shows no traffic matching the rule. The rule is listed first in the access control policy. What is the most likely cause of the problem?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The FTD is in transparent mode, so it does not use zones; the rule should be assigned to an interface pair.
In transparent mode, Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) operates as a Layer 2 bridge and does not use security zones. Instead, traffic is controlled by interface pairs. The rule configured with source and destination zones will never match traffic because transparent mode bypasses zone-based policy enforcement. The correct approach is to assign the rule to an interface pair (e.g., inside to outside) rather than zones.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The intrusion policy is blocking the traffic.
Why it's wrong here
An allow rule with intrusion policy will still permit traffic unless specifically blocked; but here traffic is not matching at all.
✗
The web server's IP address is not correctly defined in the network object.
Why it's wrong here
The scenario implies correct configuration of the object.
✗
The rule's action is set to 'Monitor' instead of 'Allow'.
Why it's wrong here
The rule action is stated as 'Allow' in the scenario.
✓
The FTD is in transparent mode, so it does not use zones; the rule should be assigned to an interface pair.
Why this is correct
Transparent mode FTD requires rules to be applied to specific interface pairs, not security zones.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between routed and transparent mode, specifically that transparent mode uses interface pairs instead of zones, leading candidates to overlook this fundamental difference and incorrectly assume zone-based rules work in all modes.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
The scenario implies correct configuration of the object.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In transparent mode, FTD bridges traffic at Layer 2, and access control rules are evaluated based on ingress and egress interface pairs (e.g., Inside_Interface to Outside_Interface) rather than security zones. The zone-based policy engine is only active in routed mode. A common misconfiguration is creating zone-based rules in transparent mode, which results in zero rule hits because the FTD never associates traffic with zones. The packet capture confirms no match, and the rule being first in the policy eliminates ordering issues.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Security Concepts — This question tests Security Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The FTD is in transparent mode, so it does not use zones; the rule should be assigned to an interface pair. — In transparent mode, Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) operates as a Layer 2 bridge and does not use security zones. Instead, traffic is controlled by interface pairs. The rule configured with source and destination zones will never match traffic because transparent mode bypasses zone-based policy enforcement. The correct approach is to assign the rule to an interface pair (e.g., inside to outside) rather than zones.
What should I do if I get this 350-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first", "most likely". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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