PCNSE Core Concepts and Architecture Practice Question
Exhibit
# Timestamp: 2020-07-10 12:34:56 # Source IP: 10.0.0.1 # Destination IP: 203.0.113.2 # Application: ssl # Action: allow # Session End Reason: aged-out # Bytes In: 5000 # Bytes Out: 12000
Refer to the exhibit. What does the 'Session End Reason: aged-out' indicate about the traffic?
⚠ Common exam trap
Palo Alto Networks often tests the misconception that 'aged-out' means the session was terminated by a security policy or explicit reset, but the trap here is that 'aged-out' specifically refers to an idle timeout, not a policy action or TCP handshake termination.
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 session was idle for longer than the timeout threshold.
The 'Session End Reason: aged-out' indicates that the firewall terminated the session because it remained idle for longer than the configured timeout threshold. Palo Alto Networks firewalls use application-specific timeouts (e.g., TCP default 3600 seconds, UDP 30 seconds) to free resources from sessions that have stopped transmitting data. This is a normal cleanup mechanism, not a policy or explicit termination.
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 session was terminated by a firewall policy.
Why it's wrong here
Aged-out means the session exceeded its configured timeout and was removed from the session table, not terminated by a security rule. Policy termination appears as a deny or policy end reason. Aged-out is the expected reason for idle long-lived sessions, such as periodic health checks with no further packets.
- ✓
The session was idle for longer than the timeout threshold.
Why this is correct
Aged-out means the session sat idle until its configured timeout expired, so PAN-OS removed it from the session table. This satisfies the exhibit's requirement: the session ended because no packets refreshed it within the timeout threshold, not due to a reset or policy denial.
- ✗
The session was forcibly closed by an administrator.
Why it's wrong here
Administrator closure is logged with a distinct reason such as admin-reset, reflecting a manual clear session command. Aged-out arises automatically when the session ages past its timeout. Administrator reset would be the correct reason when troubleshooting sessions deliberately cleared from the firewall.
- ✗
The session ended due to a TCP FIN/RST from the client.
Why it's wrong here
A TCP FIN or RST from either endpoint is recorded as a tcp-fin or tcp-rst session end reason, because PAN-OS logs the actual teardown packet. Aged-out instead reflects timeout expiry with no teardown observed. FIN/RST is the correct reason when an application closes its connection cleanly.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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