350-601 Automation Practice Question
A data center team is troubleshooting an automation script that uses REST API to configure a Cisco Nexus 9000 switch. The script fails with a '401 Unauthorized' error. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between 401 Unauthorized (authentication failure) and 403 Forbidden (authorization failure), and candidates mistakenly choose 'insufficient privileges' (Option C) because they confuse authentication with authorization.
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
✓
Invalid or expired authentication token
A 401 Unauthorized error in REST API communication indicates that the request lacks valid authentication credentials. For Cisco Nexus 9000 switches, REST API access typically requires a token-based authentication (e.g., using HTTP Basic Auth to obtain a session token or cookie). If the token is invalid or expired, the API server rejects the request with a 401 status code, as the script cannot prove its identity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
API rate limiting has been exceeded
Why it's wrong here
Rate limiting returns 429 Too Many Requests.
- ✗
Network connectivity issue between the script and the switch
Why it's wrong here
Connectivity issues would result in timeouts or connection refused errors.
- ✗
The user account does not have admin privileges
Why it's wrong here
Insufficient privileges would return 403 Forbidden.
- ✓
Invalid or expired authentication token
Why this is correct
401 Unauthorized indicates authentication failure.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-601 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco 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 350-601 exam.