For ICMP (where we only look at ping now) you have to differentiate three different scenarios:
1) Ping to the ASA
Is actually always allowed unless you restrict it. There was a release long time ago (was it in the 6-releases? I don't remember) that denied ping on the outside interface, but that was an exception.
2) Ping through the ASA without VPN
Here, Ping is a a packet like anything else. It has to be inspected to automatically allow return-traffic. This inspection is on by default for TCP and UDP but not for ICMP. The way to allow it is to enable the inspection and not to use an ACL-entry for that. The problem with the ACL-approach is that the echo-replys were also allowed if there was no initiating request. The initial packet of course needes to be allowed by ACL or by security-level.
3) Ping through a VPN
Here by default all traffic is allowed what is coming from the VPN and we have two ways to control that. The more modern way is to use VPN-filter with the problem that these can not be configured per direction. The old way (which was the only way years ago on the PIX) was that every new session that came from the VPN was compared against the ACL on the VPN-terminating interface where it had to be allowed. Also today it is possible to restore this old behaviour.
Sent from Cisco Technical Support iPad App