PCNSA Decryption and Monitoring Practice Question
Which THREE factors should be considered when deciding which traffic to decrypt? (Select exactly three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Palo Alto Networks often tests the misconception that cost or user productivity are primary factors in decryption decisions, when in reality the exam focuses on privacy regulations, performance impact, and compliance requirements as the three key considerations.
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
✓
Privacy regulations
Privacy regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS often restrict the decryption of traffic containing personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI). Decrypting such traffic without proper safeguards can lead to legal penalties and data breach exposure. Palo Alto Networks firewalls can apply decryption policies that exclude traffic to specific URL categories or IP ranges to remain compliant with these regulations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Privacy regulations
Why this is correct
Privacy laws may prohibit decryption of sensitive personal data.
- ✗
The cost of SSL certificates
Why it's wrong here
The firewall uses its own CA certificate, so certificate cost is not a factor.
- ✓
Performance impact of decryption
Why this is correct
Decryption is CPU-intensive; high-throughput traffic may need to be excluded.
- ✗
User productivity
Why it's wrong here
Productivity is a secondary concern; primary factors are compliance, privacy, and performance.
- ✓
Compliance requirements
Why this is correct
Regulatory standards like PCI-DSS may require decryption of certain traffic.
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About these practice questions
This PCNSA question is part of Courseiva's 516-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. 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.