PCNSE Decryption and SSL Inspection Practice Question
Which TWO conditions typically cause the firewall to bypass SSL decryption for a session? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse policy-based 'no-decrypt' rules (which are intentional exclusions) with technical conditions that force a bypass, or they mistakenly think that invalid certificates always cause decryption to fail when in fact the firewall can be configured to still decrypt with a warning or to bypass based on policy.
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 client and server negotiate a cipher suite not supported by the firewall.
If the client and server negotiate a cipher suite that the firewall does not support, the firewall cannot decrypt the session. The firewall must be able to inspect the SSL/TLS handshake and match the cipher suite to its supported list; if the cipher suite is unsupported (e.g., TLS 1.3-only ciphers on an older firewall), decryption fails and the session is bypassed. Option C is correct because when the server presents an invalid certificate (expired, untrusted, or mismatched), the firewall cannot complete the SSL handshake with the client, so it bypasses decryption to avoid breaking the session.
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 detects that the session is already decrypted (e.g., by another device).
Why it's wrong here
The firewall does not detect if traffic is already decrypted; it will attempt decryption.
- ✓
The client and server negotiate a cipher suite not supported by the firewall.
Why this is correct
If the cipher is unsupported, the firewall cannot decrypt.
- ✓
The certificate presented by the server is not valid (e.g., expired, untrusted).
Why this is correct
If certificate validation fails, the firewall may bypass decryption to avoid breaking connectivity.
- ✗
The traffic matches a 'no-decrypt' rule in the decryption policy.
Why it's wrong here
That is a policy-based bypass, not a condition; the question asks for conditions.
- ✗
The decrypted data exceeds a certain size threshold.
Why it's wrong here
Size does not cause bypass; the firewall will still decrypt.
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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.