CCSM Advanced VPN Troubleshooting Practice Question
A Check Point administrator needs to confirm which encryption and hashing algorithms were actually negotiated for an established site-to-site VPN tunnel, because the peer reports a weaker algorithm than expected. Which Check Point command provides the negotiated IPsec SA parameters?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is reaching for monitoring tools like cpstat or cpview, which show tunnel counts and performance but never the negotiated cryptographic algorithms.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
vpn tu
The vpn tu utility on a Check Point gateway enumerates established IPsec SAs and shows the negotiated encryption and authentication algorithms for each tunnel. Running it lets the administrator verify exactly which proposal was accepted with the peer, which is the fastest way to confirm or rule out a weaker-than-expected algorithm.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
cpstat vpn
Why it's wrong here
cpstat vpn reports aggregate VPN status such as tunnel counts and community statistics, but it does not enumerate the individual encryption and hash algorithms negotiated for each IPsec SA. It is useful for health monitoring rather than for verifying the cryptographic parameters of a specific tunnel.
- ✗
cpview
Why it's wrong here
cpview provides performance and resource monitoring views for the gateway, including VPN-related counters, but it does not display the negotiated encryption and hashing algorithms per IPsec SA. It is a monitoring tool, not a negotiation-inspection tool.
- ✗
fw tab -t vpn_enc_domain
Why it's wrong here
fw tab inspects kernel tables such as the encryption domain table, which holds address ranges rather than negotiated cryptographic parameters. It cannot show which encryption or hash algorithm a particular tunnel is using, so it does not address the administrator's verification need.
- ✓
vpn tu
Why this is correct
The vpn tu utility lists established IPsec SAs and displays the negotiated encryption and authentication algorithms for each tunnel. This directly answers which algorithms are in use on the specific site-to-site tunnel, letting the administrator confirm whether the peer negotiated a weaker proposal than intended.
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
About these practice questions
This CCSM question is part of Courseiva's 219-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Check Point exam blueprint
This CCSM practice question is part of Courseiva's free Check Point certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CCSM exam.