The answer is that no zone-pair is defined for traffic from DMZ to OUTSIDE, which is the most likely cause of the dropped traffic. In Cisco Zone-Based Firewall (ZBFW), traffic is permitted or denied solely by the policy attached to a zone-pair; without a zone-pair specifying DMZ as the source zone and OUTSIDE as the destination zone, no inspection or permit action is applied, so all traffic between those zones is implicitly dropped. This concept is critical for the Cisco SCOR / CCNP Security Core 350-701 exam, where a common trap is confusing security-levels (used in classic ASA firewalls) with ZBFW’s zone-pair logic—security-levels have no effect in ZBFW, and a missing zone-pair is the root cause, not a misconfigured policy-map or class-map. A helpful memory tip is “no pair, no care”—if you don’t pair the zones, the firewall drops the traffic without a second thought.
350-701 Security Concepts Practice Question
This 350-701 practice question tests your understanding of security concepts. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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
zone-pair security ZP_INSIDE_OUT source INSIDE destination OUTSIDE
service-policy type inspect INSIDE_OUT_POLICY
!
class-map type inspect match-any DMZ_OUT_TRAFFIC
match protocol tcp
match protocol udp
!
policy-map type inspect DMZ_OUT_POLICY
class type inspect DMZ_OUT_TRAFFIC
inspect
class class-default
drop
Refer to the exhibit. An administrator has configured the router with zone-based firewall rules. Traffic from the DMZ zone to the OUTSIDE zone is being dropped, although traffic from the INSIDE zone to the OUTSIDE zone flows normally. The DMZ zone is configured with security-level 50 and the INSIDE zone with 100. What is the most likely cause of the dropped traffic?
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.
zone-pair security ZP_INSIDE_OUT source INSIDE destination OUTSIDE
service-policy type inspect INSIDE_OUT_POLICY
!
class-map type inspect match-any DMZ_OUT_TRAFFIC
match protocol tcp
match protocol udp
!
policy-map type inspect DMZ_OUT_POLICY
class type inspect DMZ_OUT_TRAFFIC
inspect
class class-default
drop
A
The inspect action is not applied to the DMZ traffic class
Why wrong: The class-map includes TCP and UDP, and the inspect action is present; the issue is the lack of zone-pair assignment.
B
No zone-pair is defined for traffic from DMZ to OUTSIDE
The zone-pair is only defined for source INSIDE to destination OUTSIDE, leaving DMZ traffic without any policy.
C
The class-default action in the policy-map drops all traffic from DMZ
Why wrong: The class-default action is only applied if the policy-map is associated with a zone-pair, which is not the case for DMZ.
D
The DMZ has a lower security-level than the INSIDE zone, causing traffic to be implicitly denied
Why wrong: Zone-based firewall does not use security-levels; access is controlled solely by zone-pair policies.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
No zone-pair is defined for traffic from DMZ to OUTSIDE
The zone-pair is only defined for source INSIDE to destination OUTSIDE, so there is no policy applied to traffic from DMZ to OUTSIDE. The class-default inside the DMZ_OUT_POLICY would drop all traffic, but that policy is not applied to DMZ->OUTSIDE. Option A is correct because the DMZ zone is not included in any zone-pair. Options B and C are incorrect because security-levels are not used in ZBFW, and the policy-map itself is correct. Option D is incorrect because the inspect action is present for matched traffic.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 inspect action is not applied to the DMZ traffic class
Why it's wrong here
The class-map includes TCP and UDP, and the inspect action is present; the issue is the lack of zone-pair assignment.
✓
No zone-pair is defined for traffic from DMZ to OUTSIDE
Why this is correct
The zone-pair is only defined for source INSIDE to destination OUTSIDE, leaving DMZ traffic without any policy.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
The class-default action in the policy-map drops all traffic from DMZ
Why it's wrong here
The class-default action is only applied if the policy-map is associated with a zone-pair, which is not the case for DMZ.
✗
The DMZ has a lower security-level than the INSIDE zone, causing traffic to be implicitly denied
Why it's wrong here
Zone-based firewall does not use security-levels; access is controlled solely by zone-pair policies.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related 350-701 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Security Concepts — This question tests Security Concepts — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: No zone-pair is defined for traffic from DMZ to OUTSIDE — The zone-pair is only defined for source INSIDE to destination OUTSIDE, so there is no policy applied to traffic from DMZ to OUTSIDE. The class-default inside the DMZ_OUT_POLICY would drop all traffic, but that policy is not applied to DMZ->OUTSIDE. Option A is correct because the DMZ zone is not included in any zone-pair. Options B and C are incorrect because security-levels are not used in ZBFW, and the policy-map itself is correct. Option D is incorrect because the inspect action is present for matched traffic.
What should I do if I get this 350-701 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related 350-701 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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