Palo Alto Networks SD-WAN-Engineer Exam - Topic 1 Question 13 Discussion

Actual exam question for Palo Alto Networks's SD-WAN-Engineer exam

Question #: 13
Topic #: 1

What is the default behavior of the Zone-Based Firewall (ZBFW) for traffic originating from the ION device itself (e.g., DNS queries, NTP sync, or Controller connectivity) destined for the "Internet" zone?

AIt is denied by the default 'Deny All' rule unless explicitly allowed.

BIt is allowed by the implicit 'Self-Zone' allow rule.

CIt is allowed only if the 'Management' interface is used.

DIt is inspected by the 'Global' security stack but bypasses local rules.

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: B

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation

The Self-Zone is a predefined security zone in the Prisma SD-WAN ZBFW that represents the ION device's own control plane and management traffic.

Default Rule: The security policy contains an implicit, uneditable default rule that Allows traffic originating from the Self-Zone to any destination zone (Internet, Private WAN, etc.).

Rationale: This ensures that the device can always perform essential critical functions---such as connecting to the Cloud Controller, resolving DNS, syncing time via NTP, and establishing VPN tunnels---without the administrator needing to manually create 'Allow' rules for the device itself. If this traffic were blocked by a 'Deny All' default, the device would become unmanageable (bricked) immediately after applying the policy.

by Alfreda at May 26, 2026, 10:19 AM

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