The answer is that the firewall will deny the traffic because rule 2 matches and denies social-networking. This outcome is determined by the firewall rule first-match logic, where the rule evaluation order proceeds strictly from top to bottom, and the first rule whose conditions are fully satisfied is applied immediately, ignoring all subsequent rules. In this scenario, rule 2 explicitly denies the application social-networking, and since the source IP 192.168.1.10 matches that rule before reaching any later permit rules, the traffic is denied. On the Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator PCNSA exam, this concept tests your understanding of how rule ordering directly impacts traffic flow, often appearing in scenario-based questions where a later rule would allow the traffic if the evaluation continued. A common trap is assuming the firewall will continue checking rules for a better match, but first-match logic stops at the first hit. Remember the mnemonic: "First match wins, so order your sins."
PCNSA Policy Evaluation and Management Practice Question
This PCNSA practice question tests your understanding of policy evaluation and management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
admin@PA-500> show running security-policy
name from to source destination application action
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 allow-web trust untrust 192.168.1.0/24 any web-browsing allow
2 block-social trust untrust 192.168.1.0/24 any social-networking deny
3 allow-all trust untrust any any any allow
A user at 192.168.1.10 attempts to access a social networking site (application: social-networking). Based on the exhibit, what will the firewall do?
Refer to the exhibit.
admin@PA-500> show running security-policy
name from to source destination application action
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 allow-web trust untrust 192.168.1.0/24 any web-browsing allow
2 block-social trust untrust 192.168.1.0/24 any social-networking deny
3 allow-all trust untrust any any any allow
A
Allow the traffic because rule 1 matches and allows all web traffic.
Why wrong: Rule 1 only allows web-browsing, not social-networking.
B
Allow the traffic because rule 3 allows all traffic.
Why wrong: Rule 3 is not reached because rule 2 matches first.
C
Deny the traffic because no rule allows social-networking.
Why wrong: There is a specific deny rule, so the traffic is denied by that rule, not by default.
D
Deny the traffic because rule 2 matches and denies social-networking.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deny the traffic because rule 2 matches and denies social-networking.
The firewall evaluates rules in order from top to bottom. Rule 2 explicitly denies the application 'social-networking', and since the user at 192.168.1.10 is attempting to access a social-networking site, rule 2 matches before any subsequent rule. Therefore, the traffic is denied. Option D is correct because rule 2 matches and denies the traffic.
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.
✗
Allow the traffic because rule 1 matches and allows all web traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Rule 1 only allows web-browsing, not social-networking.
✗
Allow the traffic because rule 3 allows all traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Rule 3 is not reached because rule 2 matches first.
✗
Deny the traffic because no rule allows social-networking.
Why it's wrong here
There is a specific deny rule, so the traffic is denied by that rule, not by default.
✓
Deny the traffic because rule 2 matches and denies social-networking.
Why this is correct
Rule 2 explicitly denies social-networking.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume a more permissive rule later in the policy (like rule 3 allowing all traffic) will override an earlier deny rule, but the firewall's first-match logic means the deny rule takes precedence.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Palo Alto Networks firewalls use a first-match rule evaluation model, where the first rule that matches all specified criteria (source, destination, application, etc.) is applied, and subsequent rules are ignored. This is similar to ACL processing in Cisco IOS but with application-level granularity. In real-world scenarios, misordering rules can lead to unintended denies or allows, emphasizing the importance of rule placement and careful policy design.
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 security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
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.
Policy Evaluation and Management — This question tests Policy Evaluation and Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deny the traffic because rule 2 matches and denies social-networking. — The firewall evaluates rules in order from top to bottom. Rule 2 explicitly denies the application 'social-networking', and since the user at 192.168.1.10 is attempting to access a social-networking site, rule 2 matches before any subsequent rule. Therefore, the traffic is denied. Option D is correct because rule 2 matches and denies the traffic.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A network administrator adds a new security rule allowing HTTP from the Trust zone to the Untrust zone. After committing, traffic from the Trust zone to the Untrust zone is still blocked. What is the most likely cause?
easy
A.The source zone in the new rule is set to 'Untrust' instead of 'Trust'.
B.The application in the new rule is set to 'ssl' instead of 'http'.
✓ C.The new rule is placed at the bottom of the policy, below an existing deny rule that matches the same traffic.
D.The destination zone in the new rule is set to 'Trust' instead of 'Untrust'.
Why C: This is the most common cause because security policies are evaluated top-down, and an existing deny rule placed above the new allow rule will match first and block the traffic.
Variation 2. Refer to the exhibit. An administrator is analyzing the rulebase. Traffic from source 10.1.1.5 to destination 8.8.8.8 using web-browsing application (HTTP TCP/80). Which rule will match?
medium
✓ A.rule3.
B.rule2.
C.rule1.
D.None, because rule1 and rule2 have specific applications.
Why A: Option B is correct because rule3 has source 10.1.1.0/24 and application any, matching the traffic. rule1 does not match because it only allows ssl application. rule2 does not match because its source is 10.1.0.0/24, which does not include 10.1.1.5. Therefore, rule3 is the first matching rule, and it denies the traffic.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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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.
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