- A
Create a decryption policy rule with action 'Decrypt' and a custom URL category for the application.
Why wrong: Decrypting all traffic adds overhead and is not minimized.
- B
Create a decryption policy rule with action 'No Decrypt' and disable certificate status check.
Why wrong: Disabling status check trusts all certificates, including potentially compromised ones.
- C
Create a decryption policy rule with action 'No Decrypt' and enable 'Forward Trust Certificate' and 'Forward Untrust Certificate' with certificate status check.
This allows trusted certificates to pass without decryption, reducing overhead while still validating certificates.
- D
Create a decryption policy rule with action 'Decrypt' and source zone set to 'Untrust'.
Why wrong: Decrypting from untrust zone increases overhead and does not specifically address the application.
Quick Answer
The correct configuration is a decryption policy rule with action 'No Decrypt' and both 'Forward Trust Certificate' and 'Forward Untrust Certificate' enabled along with certificate status check. This works because the firewall validates the server certificate’s revocation and trust status without performing full SSL decryption, allowing the original encrypted traffic to pass through while still inspecting the certificate for threats like expired or untrusted certificates. On the PCNSA exam, this scenario tests your understanding of balancing security with performance—specifically that 'No Decrypt' with certificate status check is ideal for public CA traffic where decryption overhead is unnecessary. A common trap is choosing a full decrypt action or omitting the certificate status check, which either wastes resources or bypasses certificate validation entirely. Remember the mnemonic: "No Decrypt, but check the cert" to recall that you skip decryption but still validate the certificate’s health.
PCNSA Decryption and Monitoring Practice Question
This PCNSA practice question tests your understanding of decryption and monitoring. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 security engineer notices that HTTPS traffic to a critical business application is being decrypted and re-encrypted, causing performance issues. The application uses a certificate from a public CA. The engineer wants to minimize decryption overhead while still inspecting for threats. Which decryption policy configuration best achieves this?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Create a decryption policy rule with action 'No Decrypt' and enable 'Forward Trust Certificate' and 'Forward Untrust Certificate' with certificate status check.
Option C is correct because setting the action to 'No Decrypt' with a Forward Trust Certificate and Forward Untrust Certificate enabled, along with certificate status check, allows the firewall to validate the server certificate and forward the original encrypted traffic without decrypting it. This minimizes decryption overhead while still performing certificate inspection to detect threats like revoked or untrusted certificates, which is ideal for traffic from a public CA where decryption is not required for threat detection.
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.
- ✗
Create a decryption policy rule with action 'Decrypt' and a custom URL category for the application.
Why it's wrong here
Decrypting all traffic adds overhead and is not minimized.
- ✗
Create a decryption policy rule with action 'No Decrypt' and disable certificate status check.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling status check trusts all certificates, including potentially compromised ones.
- ✓
Create a decryption policy rule with action 'No Decrypt' and enable 'Forward Trust Certificate' and 'Forward Untrust Certificate' with certificate status check.
Why this is correct
This allows trusted certificates to pass without decryption, reducing overhead while still validating certificates.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a decryption policy rule with action 'Decrypt' and source zone set to 'Untrust'.
Why it's wrong here
Decrypting from untrust zone increases overhead and does not specifically address the application.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume 'No Decrypt' means no inspection at all, but with certificate status check enabled, the firewall still validates the certificate chain and revocation status, providing security without decryption overhead.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When 'No Decrypt' is configured with Forward Trust and Forward Untrust certificates, the firewall performs a lightweight certificate validation (checking revocation status via OCSP or CRL) without terminating the TLS session. This allows the firewall to block traffic with invalid certificates while preserving end-to-end encryption, which is critical for performance-sensitive applications. In real-world scenarios, this is often used for trusted public CA traffic where deep packet inspection is not needed, but certificate hygiene must still be enforced.
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.
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Decryption and Monitoring — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCNSA question test?
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: Create a decryption policy rule with action 'No Decrypt' and enable 'Forward Trust Certificate' and 'Forward Untrust Certificate' with certificate status check. — Option C is correct because setting the action to 'No Decrypt' with a Forward Trust Certificate and Forward Untrust Certificate enabled, along with certificate status check, allows the firewall to validate the server certificate and forward the original encrypted traffic without decrypting it. This minimizes decryption overhead while still performing certificate inspection to detect threats like revoked or untrusted certificates, which is ideal for traffic from a public CA where decryption is not required for threat detection.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best", "minimum / minimize". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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