PCNSA Policy Evaluation and Management Practice Question
An administrator has created a security rule that allows traffic from the 'Guest' zone to the 'Internet' zone for web browsing. Users in the Guest zone report that they can access some websites but not others. The administrator checks the traffic logs and sees that some sessions are being denied by the implicit deny rule. What is the most likely reason?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that allowing 'web-browsing' covers all web traffic, when in fact HTTPS and other web applications require separate application entries.
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
✓
The security rule is only allowing the 'web-browsing' application, but some websites use other applications such as 'ssl' or 'facebook-base'.
The allow rule only permits the 'web-browsing' application. Some websites use HTTPS or other applications that are not matched by this rule, so those sessions fall through to the implicit deny. The administrator should add the necessary applications, such as 'ssl', to the rule to allow complete web access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The implicit deny rule is evaluated before the custom rule, so all traffic is denied unless explicitly allowed above it.
Why it's wrong here
The implicit deny rule is at the bottom of the rulebase and is evaluated last. It only denies traffic that does not match any earlier rule. The custom allow rule is above it, so traffic matching that rule is allowed. The issue is that some traffic does not match the custom rule, not that the implicit deny is evaluated first.
- ✓
The security rule is only allowing the 'web-browsing' application, but some websites use other applications such as 'ssl' or 'facebook-base'.
Why this is correct
The rule allows only 'web-browsing', which covers HTTP. However, many websites use HTTPS ('ssl') or other applications. If those applications are not allowed, the sessions will not match the rule and will be denied by the implicit deny rule. The administrator should add additional applications to the rule as needed.
- ✗
The rule is placed below the implicit deny rule, so it is never evaluated.
Why it's wrong here
The implicit deny rule is always at the very bottom of the rulebase and cannot be moved. Security rules are placed above it. If a rule were below it, it would be ineffective, but that is not possible in the interface. The issue is that some applications are not included in the allow rule.
- ✗
The security rule is not logging traffic, so the administrator cannot see which rule is allowing the traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Logging does not affect rule evaluation. The administrator sees denied sessions in the logs, which indicates that the implicit deny rule is logging them. The problem is that some traffic does not match the allow rule, not that logging is disabled. Enabling logging on the allow rule would help with visibility but does not fix the access issue.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Palo Alto Networks exam blueprint
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.