PCNSA Decryption and Monitoring Practice Question
An administrator is troubleshooting decryption-related connectivity issues. Which two log types should be examined to gather information about decryption actions and errors?
⚠ Common exam trap
Palo Alto Networks often tests the distinction between Traffic logs (which show the result of decryption, such as a deny action) and Decryption logs (which show the decryption process itself), leading candidates to mistakenly choose Traffic logs as the primary source for decryption errors.
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
✓
Decryption logs
Decryption logs are specifically designed to record details about SSL/TLS decryption actions, including handshake failures, certificate validation errors, and decryption policy matches. When troubleshooting connectivity issues related to decryption, these logs provide the most direct insight into why a session might be blocked or failing due to decryption errors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
System logs
Why it's wrong here
System logs cover firewall system events, not decryption actions.
- ✗
URL Filtering logs
Why it's wrong here
URL Filtering logs show URL categories and policy actions, not decryption specifics.
- ✓
Decryption logs
Why this is correct
Decryption logs offer detailed information such as decryption reason, cipher, and certificate details.
- ✗
Threat logs
Why it's wrong here
Threat logs record security threats, not decryption details.
- ✓
Traffic logs
Why this is correct
Traffic logs include a 'Decryption Action' field indicating if traffic was decrypted or bypassed.
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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.