PCNSE Decryption and SSL Inspection Practice Question
An organization is deploying SSL inbound proxy decryption (SSLi) to protect servers in a DMZ. Which consideration is critical for the firewall to properly decrypt inbound traffic destined to these servers?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse inbound decryption (where the firewall needs the server's private key) with outbound decryption (where the firewall needs a trusted CA certificate to generate certificates for clients), leading them to incorrectly select option B.
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
✓
The firewall must possess the server's private key to re-encrypt traffic.
In SSL inbound proxy decryption (SSLi), the firewall acts as a man-in-the-middle. To decrypt the client's encrypted request, it must terminate the TLS connection from the client. To then re-encrypt and forward the request to the destination server, the firewall needs the server's private key to generate a new TLS session with the server. Without the private key, the firewall cannot complete the re-encryption handshake with the server, making option C correct.
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 firewall must present the server's public certificate to clients.
Why it's wrong here
The firewall presents its own certificate in inbound scenarios.
- ✗
The firewall must have a trusted CA certificate installed.
Why it's wrong here
That is for forward proxy decryption.
- ✓
The firewall must possess the server's private key to re-encrypt traffic.
Why this is correct
Required for the firewall to act as a proxy.
- ✗
The firewall must be configured to only accept TLS 1.2 or higher.
Why it's wrong here
Not a critical requirement; versions are negotiated.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This PCNSE question is part of Courseiva's 504-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 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.