This 350-601 practice question tests your understanding of security. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An engineer wants to prevent unauthorized devices from connecting to access ports. Which port security violation mode will disable the port and generate a syslog message?
protect
Why wrong: Protect drops offending traffic without notification.
shutdown
Shutdown disables the port and logs the violation.
restrict
Why wrong: Restrict drops traffic and sends a syslog, but does not disable the port.
shutdown vlan
Why wrong: Shutdown vlan only disables the specific VLAN on the port, not the entire port, and does not generate a syslog.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
shutdown
The 'shutdown' violation mode is the only port security mode that both disables the port (placing it in an err-disabled state) and generates a syslog message when a violation occurs. This mode immediately shuts down the interface upon detecting an unauthorized MAC address, providing both a clear security alert and a physical disconnection of the offending device.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
protect
Why it's wrong here
Protect drops offending traffic without notification.
shutdown
Why this is correct
Shutdown disables the port and logs the violation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
restrict
Why it's wrong here
Restrict drops traffic and sends a syslog, but does not disable the port.
shutdown vlan
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between 'shutdown' and 'shutdown vlan' modes, where candidates mistakenly think 'shutdown vlan' disables the entire port, but it only disables the specific VLAN on that port, leaving other VLANs operational.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, port security uses a MAC address table to limit access; when a violation occurs with 'shutdown' mode, the switch sets the interface to err-disabled state via the 'errdisable detect cause psecure-violation' mechanism, requiring manual or automatic recovery via 'errdisable recovery cause psecure-violation'. In real-world scenarios, this mode is preferred for high-security environments where any unauthorized connection must be immediately isolated and logged for audit trails.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A help-desk technician troubleshoots why a newly connected PC cannot reach shared printers on the same floor. The cable is good, the switch port is active, but the PC is in VLAN 20 and the printers are in VLAN 10. The uplink trunk only allows VLAN 10. A trunk being up does not mean every VLAN crosses it.
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FAQ
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: shutdown — The 'shutdown' violation mode is the only port security mode that both disables the port (placing it in an err-disabled state) and generates a syslog message when a violation occurs. This mode immediately shuts down the interface upon detecting an unauthorized MAC address, providing both a clear security alert and a physical disconnection of the offending device.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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