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PCNSA Practice Question: Is deploying a Palo Alto Networks firewall in a…
An organization is deploying a Palo Alto Networks firewall in a data center to segment traffic between three application tiers: web, app, and database. The web servers must be accessible from the internet, the app servers must only be reachable from the web servers, and the database servers must only be reachable from the app servers. Which security policy design best meets these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume that allowing 'all traffic' between tiers is sufficient for segmentation, overlooking the critical security requirement of least privilege and the need to restrict traffic to only necessary protocols and ports.
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
✓
Create three zones: Web, App, DB. Create rules that allow only necessary protocols (e.g., HTTP/HTTPS from internet to Web, specific ports from Web to App, and specific ports from App to DB).
It implements a least-privilege security model using Palo Alto Networks zones and granular application- and port-based rules. By creating separate zones (Web, App, DB) and explicitly allowing only the necessary protocols (e.g., HTTP/HTTPS from the internet to Web, specific ports from Web to App, and specific ports from App to DB), the firewall enforces strict segmentation and minimizes the attack surface. This design leverages the zone-based security paradigm of PAN-OS to control inter-zone traffic precisely, aligning with the principle of zero trust.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create three zones: Web, App, DB. Create rules that allow only necessary protocols (e.g., HTTP/HTTPS from internet to Web, specific ports from Web to App, and specific ports from App to DB).
Why this is correct
This follows least-privilege principles by allowing only required traffic between specific zones and ports.
- ✗
Create three zones: Web, App, DB. Allow all traffic from Web to App and App to DB, and block all other inter-zone traffic.
Why it's wrong here
This does not restrict which specific services are allowed; it allows all traffic between the tiers, which may be too permissive.
- ✗
Place web servers in an untrust zone and app/database in a trust zone, then allow all traffic from trust to untrust.
Why it's wrong here
This would allow database servers to initiate connections to the internet, which is not required.
- ✗
Place all servers in the same zone and use rules to allow traffic between them.
Why it's wrong here
This would not provide segmentation because intra-zone traffic is allowed by default unless explicitly blocked.
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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.