350-701 Content Security Practice Question
A company using Cisco ESA receives an email that appears to be from the CEO requesting an urgent wire transfer. The email fails SPF and DKIM checks but passes DMARC. What is the most likely explanation?
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
✓
DMARC policy is set to 'p=none'
DMARC policy can be set to 'none' (monitoring only) or 'quarantine'/'reject' based on SPF/DKIM alignment. If DMARC passes, it means the policy is not enforced, or the SPF/DKIM alignment still passes despite individual failures. However, if SPF and DKIM both fail, DMARC would also fail unless the policy is 'none'. The scenario suggests DMARC is set to 'none', so no action is taken.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The email passed SPF alignment
Why it's wrong here
The stem says SPF failed.
- ✓
DMARC policy is set to 'p=none'
Why this is correct
Correct. DMARC with 'p=none' only monitors, does not affect delivery.
- ✗
DKIM signature was valid but not aligned
Why it's wrong here
DKIM failed, so no.
- ✗
The sender IP is in the SPF whitelist
Why it's wrong here
SPF failed, so not whitelisted.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-701 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 350-701 exam.