Cybersecurity-Practitioner Network Security Practice Question
A firewall is deployed in an environment with asymmetric routing. Packets belonging to the same TCP session enter on different interfaces due to multi-path upstream routing. What configuration change is required on the Palo Alto Networks firewall to prevent the traffic from being dropped?
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
✓
Set Asymmetric Path to 'bypass' or 'loose' under Device > Setup > Session > Session Settings.
Asymmetric routing causes path mismatch where SYN goes through one interface/firewall node and ACK goes through another. Asymmetric Path settings under Device > Setup > Session must be set to 'bypass' or 'loose-check'.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure an explicit Security policy rule with 'Any' to 'Any' action set to accept asymmetric flows.
Why it's wrong here
Security rules evaluate stateful sessions; if the session lookup fails due to asymmetric routing, the packet drops before rule evaluation.
- ✓
Set Asymmetric Path to 'bypass' or 'loose' under Device > Setup > Session > Session Settings.
Why this is correct
This setting allows the firewall to accept session packets even if the initial handshake occurred on a different interface.
- ✗
Enable strict TCP validation under Device > Setup > Session.
Why it's wrong here
Strict TCP validation drops asynchronous packets.
- ✗
Disable stateful inspection globally using a custom Application Override policy.
Why it's wrong here
Application override disables Layer 7 classification, but does not solve L3 asymmetric interface path mismatches.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Asymmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Exchange | Signatures | Equivalent Security Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSA-3072 | Yes | Yes | 128-bit | Widely deployed; slow for bulk data |
| ECDSA P-256 | No | Yes | 128-bit | Fast signatures; standard TLS certs |
| ECDH / ECDHE | Yes | No | 128-bit | Perfect forward secrecy in TLS 1.3 |
| DH / DHE | Yes | No | 128-bit (3072-bit key) | Replaced by ECDHE in modern TLS |
| Ed25519 | No | Yes | ~128-bit | SSH keys, modern PKI |
About these practice questions
This Cybersecurity-Practitioner question is part of Courseiva's 206-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official Palo Alto Networks exam blueprint
This Cybersecurity-Practitioner practice question is part of Courseiva's free Palo Alto Networks 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 Cybersecurity-Practitioner exam.