Be able to configure probes, build profiler policies, and verify endpoints leave Unknown and land in the right identity group. The most important thing: confirm the probe data ISE receives actually matches a profiler policy condition that assigns the endpoint.
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Domain overview
Profiler covers how Cisco ISE discovers, classifies, and assigns endpoints to identity groups using probes, profiler policies, and device sensors. The exam tests probe selection, endpoint identity group design, and troubleshooting endpoints stuck in Unknown, plus how profiling feeds authorization policy conditions.
Exam objectives
Standard ISE probes: RADIUS, SNMP, DHCP, DNS, NetFlow, NMAP, and Device Sensor
How profiler policies match probe attributes to assign endpoints to identity groups
Using Cisco switch Device Sensor with CDP/LLDP to send endpoint attributes to ISE
Troubleshooting Unknown endpoints by verifying probe configuration and policy conditions
Assuming probes alone profile endpoints; profiler policies must actually match attributes and assign the correct identity group.
Forgetting that Device Sensor requires switch-side configuration and only forwards CDP/LLDP data, not all profiling attributes.
Manually assigning endpoints to custom groups instead of letting profiler policies or static assignment scale consistently.
Click any question to see the full explanation and answer options, or start a focused practice session above.
You want to improve profiling accuracy for endpoints that do not send DHCP options. You decide to use SNMP Trap profiling. What is a critical prerequisite for this to function?
2Which probe is most effective for identifying the specific operating system and browser type of an endpoint connecting via a web portal?
3You are configuring a custom profiling policy and notice that the 'Certainty Factor' is too low for the device to be assigned to the correct group. What is the purpose of the Certainty Factor in ISE?
4You are troubleshooting an issue where IP phones are not being profiled. The SNMP read community string on the switch does not match the one configured in ISE. What is the expected behavior?
5You have created a custom profiler condition that is not matching endpoints correctly. Where should you check the live authentication and profiling logs to verify if the attribute is being received by ISE?
6You are configuring a DHCP probe on a Cisco ISE node to identify endpoints. Which specific configuration step is required to ensure the ISE node receives DHCP traffic when the client and server are on a different subnet?
7Which of the following is NOT a valid probe type in Cisco ISE?
8Which attribute is used by the MAC OUI probe to determine the device manufacturer?
9You are observing that an endpoint is being profiled as 'Unknown' even though it is clearly a Windows workstation. What is the most likely reason?
10When setting up a custom endpoint identity group for printers, what is the best practice for assigning devices to that group?
11Which component of the Cisco ISE Profiling architecture is responsible for comparing collected attributes against defined profiling policies?
12You are configuring a device sensor on a Cisco switch to help with ISE profiling. What is the primary benefit of using Device Sensor?
13You need to profile IoT devices that only support mDNS. Which probe should you enable?
14When a new device connects, you notice it stays in the 'Unknown' profile state. You have confirmed the probes are active. What is the most likely step to fix this?
15What is the purpose of the 'Endpoint Identity Group' in the context of profiling?
16When configuring an SNMP Query probe, why is it recommended to use SNMPv3 instead of SNMPv1/v2c?
17You are using the Feed Service to update your profiling policies. How can you ensure that custom profiling policies you have created are not overwritten during the update?
18Which THREE of the following are valid methods for collecting endpoint attributes for profiling in Cisco ISE?
19What is the function of the 'RADIUS Accounting' probe in the profiling process?
20A user reports that a device was incorrectly identified as a 'Cisco IP Phone' when it is actually a 'Cisco Access Point'. Which troubleshooting step should you take first?
21Which THREE of the following are true regarding the Cisco ISE Profiler Feed Service?
22Which THREE of the following items must be configured to ensure a successful SNMP Trap profiling implementation?
23Which THREE of the following are considered 'probes' in the Cisco ISE Profiling architecture?
24Which TWO of the following are necessary to correctly configure a custom profiling condition based on DHCP attributes?
25Which THREE of the following are common reasons why an endpoint would be listed as 'Unknown' in Cisco ISE?
26Which probe is required to collect the 'User-Agent' string from a web browser to assist in profiling a device as a workstation?
27You are troubleshooting a device that is stuck in the 'Unknown' profile state. You have confirmed that the DHCP probe is receiving packets. What is the next logical step to investigate the failure?
28You need to ensure that only specific ISE nodes perform the NMAP scan probe. Where is this configured?
29Which THREE of the following are standard probes available in Cisco ISE to gather device information?
30Which TWO of the following are necessary to successfully profile devices using the SNMP Query probe?
31A security engineer is configuring a Cisco ISE profiling policy to identify and authorize endpoints. The engineer wants to use the SNMP Query probe to gather attributes from network devices. Which two statements are true regarding the SNMP Query probe in Cisco ISE? (Choose two.)
32An administrator is configuring profiling in Cisco ISE and wants to ensure that the MAC OUI probe is used to identify the manufacturer of endpoints. Which statement correctly describes the MAC OUI probe?
33A network engineer configures a Cisco ISE deployment with profiler probes enabled on the Policy Service nodes. After deploying a new Cisco Catalyst 9300 switch, the engineer notices that endpoints connected to that switch are not appearing in the Endpoints list, even though they are passing 802.1X authentication. The engineer verifies that the switch is sending RADIUS accounting packets to ISE. Which probe should the engineer verify is enabled to collect endpoint attributes from the switch itself?
34A security administrator is troubleshooting why a particular endpoint is being profiled as a generic 'Windows Workstation' instead of the more specific 'Windows 10 Enterprise' policy. The administrator checks the Profiling Policies and sees that the 'Windows 10 Enterprise' policy has a minimum certainty factor of 20, while the endpoint's current certainty factor is 18. The administrator also notices that the endpoint has matching attributes for both policies. What is the most likely reason the endpoint is not matching the more specific policy?
35A network security engineer is configuring profiling policies in Cisco ISE to identify and classify endpoints. The engineer wants to ensure that the profiling policies correctly match endpoints based on multiple conditions. Which two statements are true regarding profiling policy conditions and certainty factors? (Choose two.)
36A network administrator is configuring Cisco ISE profiling for a new branch office. The administrator wants to ensure that endpoints are profiled based on information collected from DHCP packets. Which probe must be enabled on the Policy Service node to collect DHCP attributes?
Be able to configure probes, build profiler policies, and verify endpoints leave Unknown and land in the right identity group. The most important thing: confirm the probe data ISE receives actually matches a profiler policy condition that assigns the endpoint.
The Courseiva SISE question bank contains 36 questions in the Profiler domain. Click any question to see the full explanation and answer breakdown.
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