The answer is to ensure the forward trust certificate is trusted by internal clients. This is correct because during an SSL handshake, the Palo Alto Networks firewall performs SSL decryption by presenting a forward trust certificate to the client; if that certificate is not installed and trusted in the client’s certificate store, the client will reject the connection, resulting in a handshake failure. On the PCNSA exam, this scenario tests your understanding of SSL decryption troubleshooting, often appearing as a graph or table showing a high ratio of handshake failures to total sessions—a classic trap is to focus on server certificate issues or cipher mismatches, but the root cause is typically client-side trust. Remember, the forward trust certificate must be deployed to all internal clients via Group Policy or MDM to avoid these failures. Memory tip: “Trust the forward to move forward”—if clients don’t trust the forward trust cert, the handshake stops dead.
PCNSA Decryption and Monitoring Practice Question
This PCNSA practice question tests your understanding of decryption and monitoring. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Refer to the exhibit. A network engineer observes a high number of SSL handshake failures. Which action is most likely to reduce these failures?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Ensure the forward trust certificate is trusted by internal clients.
The majority of failures are SSL handshake failures (2000 out of 3000). A common reason is that the forward trust certificate is not trusted by clients, causing the client to reject the connection during the handshake.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Disable decryption for traffic using unsupported ciphers.
Why it's wrong here
Unsupported ciphers account for only 300 failures, not the majority.
✗
Reissue the forward untrust certificate with a stronger key size.
Why it's wrong here
The forward untrust certificate is used for untrusted certificates, not for handshake failures.
✗
Increase the certificate cache size to accommodate more certificates.
Why it's wrong here
The cache is almost full (9500 out of 10000), but handshake failures are not typically caused by cache size.
✓
Ensure the forward trust certificate is trusted by internal clients.
Why this is correct
If clients do not trust the forward trust certificate, SSL handshakes will fail. This is a common cause of handshake failures.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PCNSA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PCNSA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Decryption and Monitoring — This question tests Decryption and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Ensure the forward trust certificate is trusted by internal clients. — The majority of failures are SSL handshake failures (2000 out of 3000). A common reason is that the forward trust certificate is not trusted by clients, causing the client to reject the connection during the handshake.
What should I do if I get this PCNSA question wrong?
Identify which PCNSA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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