PCNSA App-ID and Content-ID Practice Question
A company has a security policy that allows 'ssl' application but does not have SSL decryption enabled. What can App-ID still identify from the encrypted session?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume all encrypted traffic is opaque to App-ID, but the SNI field remains visible and can be used for application identification, which is a key distinction tested in the PCNSA exam.
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
✓
The SNI (Server Name Indication).
App-ID can identify the SNI (Server Name Indication) from an encrypted session because the SNI is sent in cleartext during the TLS handshake, before encryption begins. This allows the firewall to determine the destination hostname without decrypting the traffic, enabling policy enforcement based on the application or domain even when SSL decryption is disabled.
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 SNI (Server Name Indication).
Why this is correct
SNI is transmitted in cleartext and can help identify the intended server.
- ✗
The exact URL being accessed.
Why it's wrong here
URLs are encrypted within the TLS session.
- ✗
The file type being transferred.
Why it's wrong here
File types require decryption to inspect payload.
- ✗
The client and server IP addresses.
Why it's wrong here
IP addresses are always visible but not application-specific.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PCNSA question from scratch — 516 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCNSA 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 PCNSA exam.