PCNSA Securing Traffic Practice Question
A user reports being unable to access an external FTP server, but other users can access it. The firewall logs show the traffic being denied. What should the administrator check first?
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
✓
User-ID mapping to ensure the user is correctly identified.
The issue is user-specific (only one user cannot access, others can). This suggests a problem with user identification or authentication. User-ID mapping ensures the user is correctly identified so that security rules tied to specific users (rather than just IP addresses) are applied properly. Checking User-ID mapping is the first logical step.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
User-ID mapping to ensure the user is correctly identified.
Why this is correct
If the user is not correctly identified, policies based on user (like group-based allow/deny) may not apply correctly.
- ✗
The application override configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Application override is for custom identification, not the cause for a single user's denial.
- ✗
The security rule for the user's source zone.
Why it's wrong here
Other users in the same zone can access, so the rule per zone is likely not the issue.
- ✗
The FTP server's health.
Why it's wrong here
If other users can access, the server is healthy.
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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.