PCNSA Decryption and Monitoring Practice Question
A security analyst is troubleshooting a decryption issue. Which TWO logs are most useful for identifying decryption failures? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Palo Alto Networks often tests the distinction between Traffic Logs (which show the outcome) and Decryption Logs (which show the reason), leading candidates to mistakenly choose System Logs or Config Logs because they assume decryption issues are system-wide or configuration-related.
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
✓
Traffic Logs
Traffic Logs (B) are most useful because they record the result of decryption actions, including whether decryption was applied and if it succeeded or failed, with specific error codes. Decryption Logs (E) are dedicated logs that capture detailed decryption events, such as handshake failures, certificate errors, or unsupported cipher suites, making them essential for troubleshooting decryption failures.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Config Logs
Why it's wrong here
Config logs show configuration changes, not failure details.
- ✓
Traffic Logs
Why this is correct
Traffic logs indicate whether a session was decrypted.
- ✗
System Logs
Why it's wrong here
System logs are not as specific to decryption issues.
- ✗
Threat Logs
Why it's wrong here
Threat logs show security threats, not decryption failures.
- ✓
Decryption Logs
Why this is correct
Decryption logs provide specific error messages for decryption failures.
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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.