PCNSA Decryption and Monitoring Practice Question
A network administrator wants to monitor HTTPS traffic without decrypting it, but still wants to identify the applications being used. Which feature can be used to identify HTTPS applications without decryption?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse SSL Forward Proxy (which requires decryption) with SSL protocol detection (which does not), or assume URL Filtering alone can identify applications within encrypted traffic, but it only identifies the destination URL, not the application itself.
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
✓
App-ID with SSL protocol detection
App-ID with SSL protocol detection allows the firewall to identify HTTPS applications by inspecting the Server Name Indication (SNI) field in the TLS handshake and the certificate common name, without decrypting the traffic. This enables application identification while preserving encryption, meeting the requirement to monitor HTTPS traffic without decryption.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SSL Decryption Mirror
Why it's wrong here
Decryption mirror only copies traffic; without decryption, app identification is limited.
- ✓
App-ID with SSL protocol detection
Why this is correct
App-ID can often identify applications in encrypted traffic without decryption.
- ✗
SSL Forward Proxy
Why it's wrong here
Forward proxy decrypts traffic, which is not desired here.
- ✗
URL Filtering
Why it's wrong here
URL filtering identifies based on hostname, not application.
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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.