PCNSA Decryption and Monitoring Practice Question
A security administrator needs to inspect traffic to a critical web server that uses HTTPS. The firewall is configured as a forward proxy for outbound traffic. Which decryption type should be used to decrypt the traffic inbound to the web server?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'forward proxy' (outbound) with 'reverse proxy' (inbound), leading them to select Outbound (Forward Proxy) Decryption even though the traffic is inbound to the server.
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
✓
Inbound Inspection Decryption
Inbound Inspection Decryption is used to decrypt traffic destined to a protected server, such as a web server using HTTPS. In this scenario, the firewall acts as a reverse proxy, intercepting inbound connections to the server and decrypting them for inspection before re-encrypting and forwarding the traffic. This allows the security administrator to inspect the payload of HTTPS traffic without requiring client-side configuration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Inbound Inspection Decryption
Why this is correct
Inbound inspection is specifically designed to decrypt traffic entering the network and destined to internal servers.
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Decryption Mirror
Why it's wrong here
Decryption Mirror is for passive decryption and does not apply to inbound traffic.
- ✗
Outbound (Forward Proxy) Decryption
Why it's wrong here
Outbound decryption is for traffic from internal clients to external servers.
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SSH Proxy
Why it's wrong here
SSH Proxy is for decrypting SSH traffic, not HTTPS.
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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.