PCNSA Sample Questions for Palo Alto Network Security Certification

Prepare confidently for the Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA) exam with this collection of expert-level sample questions and realistic practice tests. Covering key topics like firewall configurations, security policies, network traffic monitoring, and user-ID implementation, these PCNSA sample questions reflect the actual exam format. Whether you are reviewing PCNSA dumps, brushing up with mock exams, or targeting domain-specific concepts, this guide is built to ensure you gain the hands-on knowledge and exam readiness required to become a certified Palo Alto Network Security Administrator.

PCNSA Sample Questions List :

1. Which protocols are implicitly allowed when you select the facebook-base application?

1. gaming

2. All the Above

3. chat

4. web-browsing

2. Which is the default security policy rule action for traffic that is being routed between two different zones?

1. Deny

2. Permit

3. Inspect

4. Allow

3. Which Layer 2 interfaces can be used to switch traffic between VLANs?

1. Layer 2 and 3 interfaces

2. Tap interfaces

3. other subnets

4. other Layer 2 interfaces

4. True or false: Dynamic Admin Roles are called "dynamic" because you can customize them.

1. FALSE

2. TRUE

3. Overall explanation

4. Palo Alto Network Security PCNSA full-length Practice Exam.

5. What are the default (predefined Security policy rule types in PAN-OS software?

1. All the Above

2. Interzone

3. Extrazone

4. Universal

6. By using DHCP you are guaranteeing successful DNS resolution for DHCP clients. True or false?

1. FALSE

2. TRUE

7. Which range of IP addresses are appropriate for interfaces that are part of a virtual wire?

1. No IP addresses are used

2. 192.168.0.0/16

3. 10.0.0.0 /8

4. 172.16.0.0 /12

8. What does the Save Named Configuration Snapshot option do?

1. creates a tentative configuration snapshot that does not overwrite the default snapshot (.snapshot.xml)

2. deletes a candidate configuration snapshot that does not overwrite the default snapshot (.snapshot.xml)

3. creates a candidate configuration snapshot that does not overwrite the default snapshot (.saved.xml)

4. creates a candidate configuration snapshot that does not overwrite the default snapshot (.snapshot.xml)

9. Packet Buffer Protection defends against which type of denial-of-service attack?

1. from a single App-ID source

2. from distributed sessions

3. from a single session

4. from multiple App-ID sources

10. How many zones can an interface belong to at any given time?

1. 1

2. 4

3. 2

4. 3

11. What will be the result of one or more occurrences of shadowing?

1. a failed commit

2. an alarm window

3. an invalid configuration

4. a warning

12. What do Dynamic User Groups help you to do?

1. create a policy that provides auto-remediation for anomalous user behavior and malicious activity

2. create a QoS policy that provides auto-remediation for anomalous user behavior and malicious activity

3. create a dynamic list of firewall administrators

4. create a policy that provides auto-sizing for anomalous user behavior and malicious activity

13. How does a virtual router learn about a directly connected network?

1. BGP

2. L3 interface, associated with the virtual router

3. Static route

4. OSPF

14. What are source NAT types?

1. extrazone

2. universal

3. static

4. All the Above

15. What are types of Security profiles?

1. Antivirus

2. Spyware Filtering

3. Data Filtering

4. File Filtering

16. When using destination NAT, which zones and IP addresses would go into the NAT rule?

1. Source zone outside_zone

2. Destination IP to DMZ host's public IP

3. All the Above

4. Destination zone outside_zone

17. Which actions are required to implement DNS Security inspections of traffic?

1. enabled the Advanced DNS Security check box in General Settings

2. enter the address for the Secure DNS Service in the firewalls DNS settings

3. add an Anti-Spyware Security Profile with DNS remediations to a Security policy

4. All the Above

18. A URL Filtering Profile is part of which type of identification?

1. User-ID

2. App-ID

3. Service

4. Content-ID

19. What are the components of Denial-of-Service Protection?

1. Zone Protection Profile

2. reconnaissance protection

3. All the Above

4. load protection

20. Which are the options for traffic received on a TAP interface?

1. Policy based routing

2. Monitoring

3. Routing

4. NAT

21. The CFO found a malware infected USB drive in the parking lot, which when inserted infected their corporate laptop. The malware contacted a known command- and-control server, which caused the infected laptop to begin exfiltrating corporate data. Which security profile feature could have been used to prevent the communication with the command-and-control server?

1. Create an anti-spyware profile and enable DNS Sinkhole feature. Most Voted

2. Create a Data Filtering Profiles and enable its DNS Sinkhole feature.

3. Create a URL filtering profile and block the DNS Sinkhole URL category

4. Create an antivirus profile and enable its DNS Sinkhole feature.

22. What is an advantage for using application tags?

1. They help with the creation of interfaces.

2. They are helpful during the creation of new zones.

3. They help content updates automate policy updates. Most Voted

4. They help with the design of IP address allocations in DHCP.

23. An administrator is reviewing the security policy configuration and notices that the policy to block traffic to an internal web server uses the reset-both action. What are potential risks associated with the reset-both Security policy action?

1. Sending a reset will consume server resources with half-open sockets.

2. Sending a reset allows the TCP session to send data, which may allow malicious traffic.

3. Sending a reset yields a poor end-user experience.

4. All the Above

24. Which type of Security policy rules most often exist above the two predefined security policies?

1. Interzone

2. Intrazone

3. Global

4. Universal

25. Which statement is true regarding bidirectional NAT?

1. For dynamic translations, bidirectional NAT enables the firewall to create a corresponding translation in the same direction of the translation you configure.

2. For static translations, bidirectional NAT enables the firewall to create a corresponding translation in the opposite direction of the translation you configure.

3. For dynamic translations, bidirectional NAT enables the firewall to create a corresponding translation in the opposite direction of the translation you configure.

4. For static translations, bidirectional NAT enables the firewall to create a corresponding translation in the same direction of the translation you configure.

26. For a security rule for outside users accessing the dmz, which of the following would be included?

1. destination IP is post-NAT/private IP

2. destination zone is outside_zone

3. All the Above

4. destination is pre-NAT/public IP

27. Which of the following are the messages used in DHCP?

1. Discover

2. All the Above

3. Request

4. Offer

28. PAN-OS® software supports which authentication types?

1. Token

2. kerberos

3. LMS

4. All the above

29. How often are new antivirus signatures published?

1. monthly

2. hourly

3. daily

4. weekly

30. Which column in the Applications and Threats screen includes the options Review Apps and Review Policies?

1. Action

2. Version

3. Features

4. Type

31. What are application characteristics?

1. intensive

2. All the Above

3. excessive bandwidth use

4. stateful

32. At which point in the App-ID update process can you determine if an existing policy rule is affected by an App-ID update?

1. after clicking Check Now in the Dynamic Update window

2. after installing the update

3. after downloading the update Most Voted

4. after committing the firewall configuration

33. In the example Security policy, which websites would be blocked?

1. YouTube

2. LinkedIn

3. All the Above

4. Amazon

34. Which is the only interface type that supports an IP address being configured on the interface?

1. TAP

2. L2

3. L3

4. Virtual wire

35. What are benefits of Vulnerability Protection Security Profiles?

1. protect against viruses, worms, and Trojans

2. All the Above

3. prevent exploitation of system flaws

4. prevent compromised hosts from trying to communicate with external C2 servers

36. What does the TCP Half Closed setting mean?

1. maximum length of time that a session remains in the session table between reception of the first FIN and reception of the second FIN or RST

2. maximum length of time that a session remains in the session table between reception of the first FIN and reception of the third FIN or RST

3. minimum length of time that a session remains in the session table between reception of the first FIN and reception of the second FIN or RST

4. minimum length of time that a session remains in the session table between reception of the first FIN and reception of the third FIN or RST.

37. The Policy Optimizer does not analyze which statistics?

1. existing Security policy rule App-IDs that have not matched processed traffic

2. the usage of existing App-IDs in Security policy rules

3. applications allowed through port-based Security policy rules

4. which users matched security policies

38. Which types of attacks does the PAN-DB prevent?

1. All the Above

2. phishing sites

3. infected JavaScript

4. flood attacks

39. What represents an IPv4 default route on a Palo Alto firewall?

1. 0.0.0.0/0

2. 127.0.0.1

3. 23.1.2.1

4. ::1

40. Hit counts for the NAT and security policy rules can indicate that rules are being matched in a policy. True or false?

1. FALSE

2. TRUE

41. Which component can tell you if an attack is an APT or a broad attack designed to produce a botnet for future abuse?

1. MineMeld

2. next-generation firewall

3. WildFire

4. AutoFocus

42. What are possible values for DIPP NAT oversubscription?

1. All the Above

2. 32x

3. 1x

4. 16x

43. Which address translation is likely used for hundreds of inside users who need access to the internet?

1. Destination address translation

2. Static NAT

3. 1 to 1 NAT mappings

4. Source address translation

44. Which Palo Alto Networks component provides consolidated policy creation and centralized management?

1. AutoFocus

2. Prisma SaaS

3. Panorama

4. GlobalProtect

45. The management console supports which authentication types?

1. LDAP

2. SMB

3. All the Above

4. RADIUS

46. True or false. Because the first rule that matches the traffic is applied, the more specific rules must follow the more general ones.

1. TRUE

2. FALSE

47. Which definition describes the guiding principle of the zero-trust architecture?

1. trust, but verify

2. never trust, never connect

3. never trust, always verify

4. always connect and verify

48. Which new configurations will be required for access to a DMZ host from a user on the Internet?

1. Adding a security rule

2. Adding a new data-plane L3 interface

3. Adding a dynamic routing protocol

4. Adding a static route

49. Which statement describes the new machine learning capabilities implemented within security profiles introduced in PAN-OS 10.0?

1. Machine learnt models can be implemented by the firewall on the stream of data passing through it, allowing threats to be blocked without signatures.

2. Machine learning can be performed by the firewall on the stream of data passing through it, identifying threats that have already passed through the firewall.

3. Machine learnt models can be implemented by the firewall, but only to detect threats after they have passed through the firewall.

4. Machine learning can be performed by the firewall on the stream of data passing through it, allowing threats to be blocked without signatures.

50. Which statement is true?

1. For Intrazone traffic, traffic logging is enabled by default.

2. For Interzone traffic, traffic logging is enabled by default.

3. For Universal traffic, traffic logging is enabled by default.

4. For any rule type, traffic logging is enabled by default.

51. How many security zones exist, by default, on the Palo Alto firewall?

1. 3

2. 2

3. 0

4. 1

52. Which interface type uses virtual routers and routing protocols?

1. Tap

2. Layer2

3. Layer3

4. Virtual Wire

53. Which statement is true regarding a Prevention Posture Assessment?

1. It provides a set of questionnaires that help uncover security risk prevention gaps across all areas of network and security architecture Most Voted

2. It performs over 200 security checks on Panorama/firewall for the assessment

3. It provides a percentage of adoption for each assessment area

4. The Security Policy Adoption Heatmap component filters the information by device groups, serial numbers, zones, areas of architecture, and other categories

54. Which Palo Alto Networks component provides consolidated policy creation and centralized management?

1. AutoFocus

2. Prisma SaaS

3. GlobalProtect

4. Panorama

55. Which link can you select in the web interface to minimize the risk using of installing new App-ID updates?

1. Disable new apps in App-ID database

2. Enable new apps in App-ID database

3. Enable new apps in content

4. Disable new apps in content update

56. Which stage of the attack lifecycle is most likely to be stopped by dividing the network into separate security zones?

1. Execution

2. Reconnaissance

3. Lateral movement

4. Data exfiltration

57. NAT is required for the firewall to provide routing between the inside and dmz zone. True or false?

1. FALSE

2. TRUE

58. How do you enable PING responses from an L3 data plane interface on a Palo Alto firewall?

1. Security Policy

2. Management Profile

3. Default Gateway

4. Access Control List

59. Which interface types can be used for firewall management?

1. Virtual Wire

2. All the Above

3. Loopback

4. Layer 2

60. What are types of destination NAT?

1. global

2. DIPP

3. dynamic IP (with session distribution)

4. All the Above

61. Which actions are available for Antivirus Security Profiles?

1. block IP

2. continue

3. All the Above

4. allow

62. What are the default rules at the bottom of a security policy?

1. Implicit-deny rule

2. Implicit-inspect rule

3. All the Above

4. Interzone rule

63. Which defense is turned on when a Packet Buffer Protection event is detected?

1. All the Above

2. block all packets from the attacking IP address for the configured duration if the attack persists for a certain configured time

3. SYN cookie management of attacking session traffic

4. Global Random Early Drop of packets from the attacking session

64. Which data flow direction is protected in a zero-trust firewall deployment that is not protected in a perimeter-only firewall deployment?

1. inbound

2. east-west Most Voted

3. north-south

4. outbound

65. Which valid URLs can be used in a custom URL category?

1. ww.youtube.

2. youtube

3. www..com

4. www.youtube.com

66. Which of the following is the benefit of routing protocols?

1. Allows static routes

2. Prevents malware

3. Improves CPU efficiency

4. Dynamic learning of routes

67. Which type of security zone may a TAP interface be associated with?

1. Virtual wire zone

2. L3 zone

3. TAP zone

4. No zone is used with a TAP interface

68. Which statement is true regarding a Best Practice Assessment?

1. It runs only on firewalls.

2. When guided by an authorized sales engineer, it helps determine the areas of greatest risk where you should focus prevention activities.

3. It shows how current configuration compares to Palo Alto Networks recommendations. Most Voted

4. It provides a set of questionnaires that help uncover security risk prevention gaps across all areas of network and security architecture.

69. Which HTTP Header Logging options are within a URL Filtering Profile?

1. User-Agent

2. URL redirection

3. All the Above

4. Safe Search

70. Which approach most accurately defines the Palo Alto Networks SP3 architecture?

1. Zero Trust segmentation platform

2. sequential processing

3. scan it all, scan it once

4. prioritize first

71. What are the areas to investigate when troubleshooting packets that are not being forwarded through the firewall?

1. All the Above

2. NAT

3. Routing

4. Rights (Security Policy Rules)

72. When using layer 2 interfaces, it is still possible to implement policy regarding application layer data, True or false?

1. FALSE

2. TRUE

73. Which protocol is used to map usernames to user groups when User-ID is configured?

1. TACACS+

2. SAML

3. RADIUS

4. LDAP

74. What should be used to maintain security and save time when performing a conversion of port based rules to App-ID based rules?

1. New "permit any" security policy rule

2. New "deny all" security policy rule

3. Policy optimizer

4. Manual conversion

75. Which categories of websites, would you NOT want to perform decryption on?

1. Search engines

2. All the Above

3. General Internet access

4. Medical

FAQs

1. What is the Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA) certification?

The PCNSA certification validates your ability to configure, manage, and monitor Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls to protect networks from threats.

2. How do I become PCNSA certified?

To earn the PCNSA certification, you must pass the PCNSA exam, which tests your understanding of firewall configuration, security policies, and threat prevention.

3. What are the prerequisites for the Palo Alto PCNSA certification exam?

There are no formal prerequisites, but basic knowledge of networking, security fundamentals, and experience with Palo Alto Networks products are highly recommended.

4. How much does the Palo Alto PCNSA certification exam cost?

The PCNSA exam typically costs $155 USD, but pricing may vary by region and currency.

5. What topics are covered in the PCNSA certification exam?

The exam covers firewall configuration, security and NAT policies, App-ID, URL filtering, and user identification concepts.

6. How difficult is the Palo Alto PCNSA exam?

The PCNSA exam is considered moderate in difficulty and is suitable for early-career network or security professionals.

7. How long does it take to prepare for the PCNSA certification exam?

On average, it takes 4–6 weeks of focused study and hands-on practice to prepare effectively for the exam.

8. What is the validity period of the PCNSA certification?

The PCNSA certification is valid for two years from the date of passing the exam.

9. What jobs can I get after completing the Palo Alto Networks PCNSA certification?

You can work as a Network Security Administrator, Firewall Engineer, or Security Analyst in IT and cybersecurity domains.

10. What is the average salary of a PCNSA certified professional?

PCNSA certified professionals earn an average salary between $80,000 and $100,000 per year, depending on experience and region.