hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
PCNSA Practice Question: Must ensure that all traffic from a specific…
A security engineer must ensure that all traffic from a specific branch office to the internet is inspected by the company's Palo Alto firewall before reaching the internet. However, the branch office has a local router that routes directly to the ISP. What architectural change is required to enforce this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse GlobalProtect (a remote access VPN) with site-to-site VPN backhaul, or assume that NAT or local PBF can redirect traffic to a remote firewall without a tunnel.
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
✓
Route all traffic from the branch to the hub site through a VPN tunnel where the firewall is located.
It describes a hub-and-spoke VPN topology where all branch office traffic is tunneled to a central hub site that hosts the Palo Alto firewall. This ensures the firewall can inspect all outbound traffic before it reaches the internet, bypassing the branch's direct ISP route. The VPN tunnel (e.g., IPsec) forces traffic through the firewall at the hub, providing centralized security enforcement without requiring a local firewall at the branch.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Route all traffic from the branch to the hub site through a VPN tunnel where the firewall is located.
Why this is correct
By routing traffic through a VPN to the hub where the firewall is located, all traffic can be inspected. This is a common hub-and-spoke architecture.
- ✗
Use global VPN to backhaul all traffic to the data center.
Why it's wrong here
GlobalProtect is for remote users, not for branch office traffic.
- ✗
Install a Palo Alto firewall at the branch office and configure policy-based forwarding.
Why it's wrong here
This would work but requires additional hardware at the branch, which may not be feasible.
- ✗
Configure NAT on the branch router to force traffic through the firewall.
Why it's wrong here
NAT does not redirect traffic; it changes source IPs.
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
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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.