350-701 Network Security Practice Question
A network administrator is configuring site-to-site VPN between two Cisco ASA firewalls using IKEv2. The administrator wants to ensure that the VPN tunnel uses the most secure encryption algorithm available. Which encryption algorithm should be selected in the IKEv2 proposal?
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
✓
AES-256
AES-256 provides the highest security among the options. DES and 3DES are weak and deprecated, while AES-128 is less secure than AES-256.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
AES-256
Why this is correct
AES-256 is the strongest encryption algorithm listed.
- ✗
AES-128
Why it's wrong here
AES-128 is secure, but AES-256 is more secure.
- ✗
DES
Why it's wrong here
DES is weak and not recommended for secure VPNs.
- ✗
3DES
Why it's wrong here
3DES is stronger than DES but still considered deprecated.
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.
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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.