PCNSA Policy Evaluation and Management Practice Question
An administrator is troubleshooting why a rule is not being hit. The rule has source zone Trust, destination zone Untrust, source address 10.0.0.0/8, destination address any, application web-browsing, action allow, and log at session end. The traffic is coming from 10.1.1.1 to 1.2.3.4 on port 80, zone Trust to Untrust. The rule count shows zero hits. What could be the issue?
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 application is incorrectly identified; perhaps the traffic is using a different app.
The rule specifies application 'web-browsing', but the traffic may be classified as a different application (e.g., 'ssl' or 'http-proxy'), causing a mismatch. Even though the traffic uses port 80, the firewall identifies applications by signature, not just port. Option A is not necessary; the application does not need to be 'any' to match. Option C is false; the log setting does not affect whether the rule is hit. Option D is incorrect; a broad destination address (any) is not an issue.
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 application must be set to 'any'.
Why it's wrong here
Setting application 'any' would be less specific, not required.
- ✓
The application is incorrectly identified; perhaps the traffic is using a different app.
Why this is correct
If the firewall classifies the traffic as another application, the rule won't match.
- ✗
The log setting is preventing hits.
Why it's wrong here
Logging does not affect rule matching.
- ✗
The destination address is too broad.
Why it's wrong here
Broad destination does not prevent hits.
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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.