SSE-Engineer Prisma Access Troubleshooting Practice Question
An organization uses SAML authentication with Prisma Access for mobile users. Users report an intermittent 'Authentication Failed' error when trying to establish a GlobalProtect connection. The Identity Provider (IdP) logs show successful authentication, but Prisma Access logs indicate a failure. What is the most likely cause of this discrepancy?
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
✓
Clock skew between the SAML Identity Provider and the Prisma Access service nodes exceeding the allowed tolerance window.
SAML assertion validation failures often occur due to clock skew between the IdP and the Prisma Access authentication profile settings.
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 GlobalProtect client software license has expired on Panorama.
Why it's wrong here
Expired licenses typically block activation or deployment, not intermittent SAML failures for authenticated users.
- ✓
Clock skew between the SAML Identity Provider and the Prisma Access service nodes exceeding the allowed tolerance window.
Why this is correct
SAML assertions have strict validity timestamps (NotBefore and NotOnOrAfter); significant clock skew causes the firewall to reject the assertion.
- ✗
The User-ID agent service on the Panorama management server is stopped.
Why it's wrong here
Mobile user SAML auth is handled by the Prisma Access nodes and authentication profiles, not the on-premise User-ID agent.
- ✗
WildFire cloud subscription has lapsed.
Why it's wrong here
WildFire checks files for malware and has no relation to SAML authentication workflows.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official Palo Alto Networks exam blueprint
This SSE-Engineer 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 SSE-Engineer exam.