PCNSA Device Management and Services Practice Question
An administrator wants to ensure that only the firewall administrator's workstation at 203.0.113.45 can reach the web management interface on a PA-3220 running PAN-OS 10.2. The workstation is on the trust zone, and management access is currently allowed from any address on the management interface. Which configuration object should the administrator create and apply to the management interface?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that Security policy rules control access to the firewall's own management interface, when in fact management-plane access is governed by Interface Management profiles and permitted IP addresses.
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
✓
An Interface Management profile with HTTPS enabled and the permitted IP address 203.0.113.45/32, applied to the management interface.
Interface Management profiles are the correct mechanism to control which management services (HTTPS, SSH, SNMP, etc.) are enabled on an interface and to restrict those services to specific permitted IP addresses. By creating a profile with HTTPS enabled and only 203.0.113.45/32 as a permitted address, the administrator ensures that the web management interface is reachable only from the intended workstation, directly meeting the stated requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A Management Interface ACL applied to the trust zone interface, permitting only 203.0.113.45.
Why it's wrong here
There is no feature called a Management Interface ACL on Palo Alto Networks firewalls. Management access restrictions are configured through Interface Management profiles or administrative roles. Applying a nonexistent object to the trust zone interface would not achieve the goal and could mislead the administrator into thinking access is restricted when it is not.
- ✓
An Interface Management profile with HTTPS enabled and the permitted IP address 203.0.113.45/32, applied to the management interface.
Why this is correct
Interface Management profiles control which management services are enabled on an interface and can restrict access to specific permitted IP addresses. By enabling HTTPS and listing only 203.0.113.45/32, the administrator ensures that only that workstation can reach the web UI on the management interface, satisfying the requirement precisely without affecting other management services.
- ✗
A Security policy rule from the trust zone to the management zone allowing only 203.0.113.45, with a default deny rule after it.
Why it's wrong here
Security policy rules govern dataplane traffic between zones, not management-plane access to the firewall's own management interface. The management interface is in the management zone, and traffic to it is handled by management-plane access controls, not by standard security policy. This rule would not restrict web UI access as intended.
- ✗
An Authentication profile bound to the management interface, allowing only the user account associated with 203.0.113.45.
Why it's wrong here
Authentication profiles verify user credentials for administrative or end-user access; they do not restrict access based on source IP address. Binding an authentication profile to the management interface would require login credentials but would not prevent other IP addresses from reaching the web UI, so the source-IP restriction would not be enforced.
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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.