PCNSA Device Management and Services Practice Question
A network administrator notices that a specific user behind a PA-820 firewall is unable to reach a critical SaaS application, while other users can access it without issues. The administrator checks the traffic logs and sees the session is being denied. Which step should the administrator take next to identify the root cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may jump to packet capture or system logs without first using the Traffic log's filtering capabilities to pinpoint the exact security rule causing the deny, wasting time on broad diagnostics.
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
✓
Check the Traffic log with the session's source IP and destination
The Traffic log already shows the session is denied, and filtering by the specific user's source IP and the destination SaaS application will reveal the exact security policy or rule that is blocking the traffic. This allows the administrator to identify whether the issue is due to a misconfigured policy, an application override, or a user-specific rule, rather than a global or interface-level problem.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Check the System log for related entries
Why it's wrong here
System log records admin actions, not traffic denials.
- ✗
Run a packet capture on the ingress interface
Why it's wrong here
Packet capture is more detailed and typically used after identifying a potential issue in the logs.
- ✗
Check the global counters for dropped packets
Why it's wrong here
Global counters show aggregate drops, not per-session details.
- ✓
Check the Traffic log with the session's source IP and destination
Why this is correct
Traffic log shows the rule that matched and the action taken.
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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.