mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
PCNSA Practice Question: Decrypt HTTPS traffic from external users to the…
An administrator needs to decrypt HTTPS traffic from external users to the company's web servers. Which decryption policy should the administrator configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse SSL Forward Proxy (for outbound traffic) with SSL Inbound Inspection (for inbound traffic), as both involve decryption but serve opposite traffic directions.
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
✓
SSL Inbound Inspection
D is correct because SSL Inbound Inspection is specifically designed to decrypt inbound HTTPS traffic destined for company-owned web servers. The firewall acts as a destination proxy, terminating the client's TLS connection and re-encrypting traffic to the server, allowing inspection of the decrypted payload for threats.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure a security policy to block HTTPS
Why it's wrong here
Blocking HTTPS is not a decryption solution.
- ✗
SSL Forward Proxy
Why it's wrong here
SSL Forward Proxy is for decrypting outbound traffic from internal clients to external servers.
- ✗
No decryption is needed because the firewall can inspect HTTPS without decryption
Why it's wrong here
The firewall cannot inspect encrypted payload without decryption.
- ✓
SSL Inbound Inspection
Why this is correct
SSL Inbound Inspection decrypts traffic destined to the organization's servers, using the server's private key.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 516 original PCNSA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.