350-701 Endpoint Protection and Detection Practice Question
A university IT team manages 1,000 macOS laptops for students using Cisco AMP for Endpoints. They receive reports that some students' laptops are running slowly and fans are spinning constantly. The team checks the AMP console and sees that these endpoints are performing constant file scans on user directories. The team suspects that the AMP scanning is causing high CPU usage. They want to optimize performance without compromising security. The laptops use the default AMP policy with real-time scanning enabled. What should the team do?
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
✓
Add exclusions for common user data directories in the AMP policy.
Adding exclusions for common user data directories (e.g., Documents, Downloads) reduces unnecessary scanning of files that are unlikely to be malicious, thereby lowering CPU usage without compromising security. Real-time scanning remains enabled for all other locations. Option A (reducing alert notifications) does not affect scanning frequency or CPU usage. Option B (increasing scanning interval) is not applicable to real-time scanning, which continuously monitors file operations. Option D (disabling real-time scanning) would leave endpoints vulnerable to real-time threats.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reduce the number of alert notifications to limit AMP's background activity.
Why it's wrong here
Notifications do not cause CPU load.
- ✗
Increase the file scanning interval to every 30 seconds instead of real-time.
Why it's wrong here
Real-time scanning cannot be delayed; it scans on access.
- ✓
Add exclusions for common user data directories in the AMP policy.
Why this is correct
Reduces scanning of trusted files, lowering CPU usage.
- ✗
Disable real-time scanning and rely on scheduled scans.
Why it's wrong here
Real-time protection is critical for security.
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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.