Which feature of Palo Alto Networks firewalls allows for the inspection of encrypted traffic?

The feature that enables the inspection of encrypted traffic on Palo Alto Networks firewalls is SSL Decryption. This functionality allows the firewall to intercept SSL/TLS encrypted sessions, decrypt the traffic for inspection, and then re-encrypt it before sending it to its destination. This is crucial for identifying malicious content that may be hidden within encrypted communications, facilitating the enforcement of security policies on encrypted traffic just as effectively as it does for unencrypted traffic.

In practice, SSL Decryption can help organizations detect threats such as malware or data exfiltration attempts that might otherwise evade detection due to encryption. It provides visibility into the content and behavior of applications that rely on these secure connections, thereby enhancing network security and compliance.

The other options, while important components of a comprehensive security strategy, do not specifically focus on the decryption and inspection of encrypted traffic. For instance, IPsec VPN is used to create secure connections between networks, but it does not facilitate inspection of encrypted traffic in the same context as SSL Decryption does. Advanced Threat Prevention is designed to protect against known and unknown threats but requires visibility into traffic, which is achieved through mechanisms like SSL Decryption. Application Identification allows the firewall to recognize applications regardless of the port used but does not specifically impact the ability to