PCNSE Securing Traffic and App-ID Practice Question
A security engineer notices that traffic from a trusted internal application is being blocked by the firewall. The application communicates using a proprietary protocol over TCP port 8443. The engineer has already created a custom App-ID for this application but the traffic is still being blocked. What is the most likely reason?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume creating a custom App-ID is sufficient for the firewall to automatically identify the traffic, but they overlook the mandatory step of configuring an application override rule to bind the custom App-ID to the specific traffic flows.
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 application override rule must be configured to associate the custom App-ID with the traffic.
When a custom App-ID is created for a proprietary protocol, the firewall cannot automatically identify the application by inspecting the traffic. An application override rule is required to explicitly map the traffic (based on IP, port, or other criteria) to the custom App-ID, bypassing the firewall's default App-ID identification process. Without this override, the firewall continues to apply its default classification, which may block the traffic if it doesn't match any known application.
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 custom App-ID must be added to a security profile group.
Why it's wrong here
Security profile groups are for threat prevention, not for App-ID assignment.
- ✗
The custom App-ID needs a vulnerability profile to be activated.
Why it's wrong here
Vulnerability profiles are separate and not required for App-ID activation.
- ✗
The security policy rule uses the destination port instead of App-ID.
Why it's wrong here
Security policies typically use App-ID, but the issue is that the custom App-ID is not being applied.
- ✓
An application override rule must be configured to associate the custom App-ID with the traffic.
Why this is correct
Application override is necessary to bypass signature-based identification and assign the custom App-ID.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCNSE 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 PCNSE exam.