The answer is that the firewall will present the server’s self-signed certificate to the client, causing a certificate warning. This occurs because in outbound SSL decryption, the Palo Alto Networks firewall acts as a man-in-the-middle, intercepting the client’s request and establishing a separate TLS session with the destination server. When the server presents a self-signed certificate, the firewall cannot validate it against a trusted Certificate Authority, so it forwards that untrusted certificate to the client rather than re-signing it with its own CA-signed certificate. On the PCNSA exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how decryption policies handle untrusted certificates—a common trap is assuming the firewall will substitute its own CA-signed certificate for any server certificate. Remember: the firewall only re-signs traffic when the server’s certificate is chain-validated; for self-signed certs, it passes the warning through. Memory tip: “Self-signed means the warning is forwarded, not fixed.”
PCNSA Decryption and Monitoring Practice Question
This PCNSA practice question tests your understanding of decryption and monitoring. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has a decryption policy that decrypts all outbound SSL traffic. Recently, users accessing a partner website receive a certificate warning. The partner uses a self-signed certificate. The firewall is configured with a CA-signed certificate for decryption. Which action should the firewall take?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The firewall will present the server's self-signed certificate to the client, causing a warning.
When a firewall is configured for SSL decryption with a CA-signed certificate, it acts as a man-in-the-middle. For outbound traffic to a server using a self-signed certificate, the firewall cannot validate the server's certificate against a trusted CA. It will present the server's self-signed certificate to the client, which the client's browser does not trust, causing a certificate warning.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 will present the server's self-signed certificate to the client, causing a warning.
Why this is correct
Since the certificate is untrusted, the firewall displays a warning to the client.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The firewall will block the connection and generate an alert.
Why it's wrong here
The firewall may block if configured, but default action is to generate an untrusted certificate.
✗
The firewall will decrypt the traffic using its own certificate and re-encrypt with the partner's certificate.
Why it's wrong here
The firewall uses its own certificate to sign the server's certificate, not the partner's.
✗
The firewall will automatically trust the self-signed certificate and pass traffic without decryption.
Why it's wrong here
The firewall does not automatically trust self-signed certificates.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the firewall will use its own CA-signed certificate for all decrypted sessions, but in outbound decryption, the firewall presents the server's certificate to the client when the server certificate is untrusted.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In SSL forward proxy decryption, the firewall terminates the client's SSL connection and initiates a new SSL connection to the server. If the server presents a self-signed certificate, the firewall cannot verify it against a trusted root CA. The firewall then presents that same self-signed certificate to the client, which triggers a browser warning because the client does not trust the self-signed certificate. This behavior is defined by the decryption policy's handling of untrusted server certificates.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PCNSA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Decryption and Monitoring — This question tests Decryption and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The firewall will present the server's self-signed certificate to the client, causing a warning. — When a firewall is configured for SSL decryption with a CA-signed certificate, it acts as a man-in-the-middle. For outbound traffic to a server using a self-signed certificate, the firewall cannot validate the server's certificate against a trusted CA. It will present the server's self-signed certificate to the client, which the client's browser does not trust, causing a certificate warning.
What should I do if I get this PCNSA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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This PCNSA 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 PCNSA exam.
Question Discussion
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