hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
PCNSA Practice Question: Refer to the exhibit
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
! Firewall configuration snippet
security-rule {
name Allow-Web;
source-zone trust;
destination-zone dmz;
source-address 10.0.0.0/24;
destination-address 172.16.1.0/24;
application web-browsing;
service application-default;
action allow;
log-start;
log-end;
}
```Refer to the exhibit. An administrator observes that HTTP requests from the 10.0.0.0/24 network to the 172.16.1.0/24 network are being logged but the logs show that the action taken is 'deny'. What is the most likely cause?
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
✓
A different rule with higher priority is matching the traffic and denying it
In Palo Alto Networks firewalls, rules are evaluated in order. If a rule with higher priority (e.g., an implicit deny or a more specific rule) matches first, it will deny the traffic before reaching the 'Allow-Web' rule. The log entry shows the action taken by the first matching rule. Option A is incorrect because if the rule were disabled, it would not produce a log entry at all. Option B is incorrect because the rule already has application 'web-browsing' configured; identification issues would not cause a deny action. Option C is incorrect because if the rule had action 'deny', it would not be named 'Allow-Web' and would not log as deny due to a different rule.
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 rule 'Allow-Web' is disabled
Why it's wrong here
If disabled, it would not generate logs.
- ✗
The application 'web-browsing' is not correctly identified
Why it's wrong here
The rule uses application 'web-browsing', but misidentification would not cause a deny; it might result in no match.
- ✗
The rule 'Allow-Web' is configured with action 'deny'
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit clearly shows action allow.
- ✓
A different rule with higher priority is matching the traffic and denying it
Why this is correct
Even though this rule matches, if a higher-priority rule denies the traffic, the log will reflect the deny from the first matching rule.
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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.