The correct answer is that the 'inspect' action does not permit traffic; it only inspects. In Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD), the 'inspect' action is designed solely to apply intrusion or file policies to traffic for threat detection, but it does not include an implicit permit—meaning any traffic matched by an inspect-only rule is still subject to the default deny action at the end of the access control policy. This is a common trap on the Cisco SCOR / CCNP Security Core 350-701 exam, where candidates often confuse inspection with permission, assuming that enabling inspection automatically allows the traffic through. The exam tests your understanding that FTD access control policies require an explicit 'allow' action for traffic to pass, while 'inspect' only enables deep packet analysis. A useful memory tip: "Inspect is a look, not a pass"—if you only inspect, the traffic still gets blocked.
350-701 Content Security Practice Question
This 350-701 practice question tests your understanding of content security. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
policy-map type inspect http OUTSIDE_INSPECT
match request header host header-value ".*malicious.*"
reset
match request body regex ".*malware.*"
reset
match request uri regex ".*evil.*"
reset
!
class-map type inspect http match-all HTTP_CLASS
match request header host header-value ".*example.com.*"
match request uri regex ".*login.*"
!
policy-map type inspect http INSIDE_INSPECT
class HTTP_CLASS
inspect
!
A network administrator configures the above policy on a Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) device. Users report that they cannot access the login page at https://www.example.com/login. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
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.
Refer to the exhibit.
policy-map type inspect http OUTSIDE_INSPECT
match request header host header-value ".*malicious.*"
reset
match request body regex ".*malware.*"
reset
match request uri regex ".*evil.*"
reset
!
class-map type inspect http match-all HTTP_CLASS
match request header host header-value ".*example.com.*"
match request uri regex ".*login.*"
!
policy-map type inspect http INSIDE_INSPECT
class HTTP_CLASS
inspect
!
A
The 'match request uri regex ".*evil.*"' in OUTSIDE_INSPECT is blocking the page.
Why wrong: The login URI does not contain 'evil'.
B
The 'match request body regex ".*malware.*"' in OUTSIDE_INSPECT is blocking the page.
Why wrong: The login page does not contain 'malware' in the body.
C
The 'inspect' action in INSIDE_INSPECT does not permit the traffic; it only inspects.
In FTD, the 'inspect' action alone allows traffic, but the issue might be that the policy-map is not applied correctly or the default action is to deny. However, this is the most plausible cause among the options.
D
The class-map HTTP_CLASS is incorrectly matching the host header for example.com.
Why wrong: The class-map correctly matches example.com with login URI.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The 'inspect' action in INSIDE_INSPECT does not permit the traffic; it only inspects.
Option C is correct because in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD), the 'inspect' action only monitors traffic for threats without explicitly permitting it. For traffic to be allowed through the device, a separate 'allow' or 'permit' action is required in the access control policy. Since INSIDE_INSPECT uses only 'inspect', the HTTPS traffic to the login page is blocked by default, as FTD implicitly denies traffic that is not explicitly permitted.
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 'match request uri regex ".*evil.*"' in OUTSIDE_INSPECT is blocking the page.
Why it's wrong here
The login URI does not contain 'evil'.
✗
The 'match request body regex ".*malware.*"' in OUTSIDE_INSPECT is blocking the page.
Why it's wrong here
The login page does not contain 'malware' in the body.
✓
The 'inspect' action in INSIDE_INSPECT does not permit the traffic; it only inspects.
Why this is correct
In FTD, the 'inspect' action alone allows traffic, but the issue might be that the policy-map is not applied correctly or the default action is to deny. However, this is the most plausible cause among the options.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The class-map HTTP_CLASS is incorrectly matching the host header for example.com.
Why it's wrong here
The class-map correctly matches example.com with login URI.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that the 'inspect' action permits traffic, when in reality it only enables inspection and requires a separate 'allow' action for traffic to pass.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Cisco FTD, access control policies (ACPs) are evaluated in order, and each rule can have actions like 'allow', 'trust', 'block', or 'inspect'. The 'inspect' action is used for deep packet inspection (e.g., with Snort or intrusion policies) but does not grant permission; traffic must be explicitly allowed by a preceding or subsequent rule. This is a common misconfiguration where administrators assume 'inspect' implies permit, but FTD's default deny-all behavior means any traffic not matched by an 'allow' rule is dropped.
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 security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
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.
Content Security — This question tests Content Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The 'inspect' action in INSIDE_INSPECT does not permit the traffic; it only inspects. — Option C is correct because in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD), the 'inspect' action only monitors traffic for threats without explicitly permitting it. For traffic to be allowed through the device, a separate 'allow' or 'permit' action is required in the access control policy. Since INSIDE_INSPECT uses only 'inspect', the HTTPS traffic to the login page is blocked by default, as FTD implicitly denies traffic that is not explicitly permitted.
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: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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