What will happen if a packet does not match any entries in an ACL?

When a packet does not match any entries in an Access Control List (ACL), it is typically dropped. This behavior is due to the implicit "deny all" rule that is applied at the end of an ACL. If there are no specific rules allowing the packet through, it is considered unauthorized and will not be processed further in the network.

In the context of security and traffic management, ACLs are used to control which packets are allowed or denied based on defined criteria such as source and destination IP addresses, protocols, or ports. If a packet fails to satisfy any of the defined criteria, it cannot be processed normally or forwarded to its intended destination. This helps in ensuring that only authorized traffic is permitted, therefore enhancing the security of the network.

The options that suggest forwarding or normal processing imply that there are conditions under which packets without matches can continue, which is contrary to the implicit deny behavior of ACLs. Logging is a separate action that might occur in conjunction with dropping, but it is not a default behavior for unmatched packets unless specifically configured in the ACL settings.