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350-701 Practice Question: A company uses Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA)…
A company uses Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA) to filter web traffic. The security team wants to block access to a specific category of websites (e.g., 'Social Networking') for all users except the HR department. Which WSA feature should be used to achieve this policy?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between identity-based policies and global access policies, trapping candidates who think a global policy can be applied with exceptions, when in fact identity-based policies are required for user-specific exemptions.
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
✓
Identity-based policy
Identity-based policies in Cisco WSA allow you to apply different access rules based on the user or group identity, typically authenticated via Active Directory or LDAP. By creating an identity-based policy that exempts the HR department (e.g., via an AD group) and blocks the 'Social Networking' category for all other users, you achieve the required granular control without affecting the entire organization.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Routing policy
Why it's wrong here
Routing policies direct traffic, not filter by category.
- ✗
Decryption policy
Why it's wrong here
Decryption policies control SSL decryption, not category blocking.
- ✓
Identity-based policy
Why this is correct
Identity-based policies can apply different rules to different user groups based on authentication.
- ✗
Global access policy
Why it's wrong here
Global access policies apply to all users uniformly, not per group.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-701 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco 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 350-701 exam.