350-601 Security Practice Question
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
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.
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
✓
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.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
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.
- ✗
restrict
Why it's wrong here
Restrict drops traffic and sends a syslog, but does not disable the port.
- ✗
shutdown vlan
Why it's wrong here
Shutdown vlan only disables the specific VLAN on the port, not the entire port, and does not generate a syslog.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 350-601 question from scratch — 984 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.