The answer is that the access control rule action must be set to 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention' rather than just 'Allow'. In Cisco Firepower Threat Defense, a rule action of 'Allow' permits traffic to pass without sending it to the Snort intrusion inspection engine, meaning the attached intrusion policy is never invoked. To enable IPS, the rule must explicitly use the 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention' action, which forces traffic through Snort for deep packet inspection and alert generation. On the Cisco SCOR 350-701 exam, this is a classic trap: candidates often assume attaching an intrusion policy to any 'Allow' rule is sufficient, but the action itself must be changed. A reliable memory tip is to think of 'Allow' as a simple permit, while 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention' is the only action that actually inspects the traffic—no inspection, no alerts.
350-701 Security Concepts Practice Question
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 network administrator is configuring Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) in routed mode to provide intrusion prevention (IPS) for internal traffic. They create an access control rule that allows traffic from the internal network (10.0.0.0/8) to the internet, and they attach an intrusion policy to this rule. After deploying the configuration, they generate known malicious traffic from a test host and observe that no alerts are triggered in the Firepower Management Center (FMC). The administrator checks the FTD and confirms that the Snort process is running, and the rule is at the top of the access control policy with action 'Allow'. What is the most likely cause of this issue?
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The access control rule action is set to 'Allow' rather than 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention'.
In Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD), an access control rule with action 'Allow' permits traffic without sending it to the Snort intrusion inspection engine. To enable IPS, the rule action must be 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention', which explicitly invokes the intrusion policy. Since the rule was set to 'Allow', the malicious traffic bypassed Snort inspection entirely, so no alerts were generated.
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 FTD is configured in transparent mode.
Why it's wrong here
The scenario states it is in routed mode.
✗
The traffic is being fast-pathed and bypassing the Snort engine.
Why it's wrong here
Fast-pathing is disabled by default when intrusion policy is attached to a rule with proper action.
✓
The access control rule action is set to 'Allow' rather than 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention'.
Why this is correct
IPS inspection requires the rule action to explicitly include intrusion prevention.
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 intrusion policy is not associated with the correct preprocessor.
Why it's wrong here
Preprocessors are automatically configured based on the intrusion policy.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between 'Allow' and 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention' as a common pitfall, where candidates assume attaching an intrusion policy to any rule automatically invokes Snort inspection.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
The scenario states it is in routed mode.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
FTD uses a two-stage processing model: the LINA engine handles fast-path forwarding for non-inspected traffic, while the Snort engine performs deep packet inspection for rules with 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention' or 'Block with Intrusion Prevention'. When the action is simply 'Allow', the FTD forwards the packet at the LINA layer without ever passing it to Snort, regardless of the attached intrusion policy. This design ensures performance by avoiding unnecessary inspection for trusted traffic.
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 access control rule action is set to 'Allow' rather than 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention'. — In Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD), an access control rule with action 'Allow' permits traffic without sending it to the Snort intrusion inspection engine. To enable IPS, the rule action must be 'Allow with Intrusion Prevention', which explicitly invokes the intrusion policy. Since the rule was set to 'Allow', the malicious traffic bypassed Snort inspection entirely, so no alerts were generated.
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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