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350-701 Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are best practices…
Which TWO of the following are best practices when configuring Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) anti-spam filters? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that more engines or stricter actions (like 'Delete') always improve security, when in fact they can increase false positives or degrade performance; the correct approach is layered detection with per-group tuning and quarantine for review.
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
✓
Adjust threshold levels per sender group to reduce false positives.
Adjusting threshold levels per sender group allows administrators to fine-tune the sensitivity of anti-spam filters based on the trustworthiness of the sender, reducing false positives for legitimate email while maintaining high detection for spam. Using a combination of Cisco Anti-Spam and a third-party anti-spam engine provides defense-in-depth, leveraging different detection algorithms and signature databases to catch a wider range of spam variants.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Rely solely on IP reputation lists for spam detection.
Why it's wrong here
Reputation lists are one component but not sufficient alone.
- ✓
Adjust threshold levels per sender group to reduce false positives.
Why this is correct
Different sender groups may require different sensitivity.
- ✓
Use a combination of Cisco Anti-Spam and a third-party anti-spam engine.
Why this is correct
Multiple engines provide better detection and redundancy.
- ✗
Set the anti-spam action to 'Delete' for high-scoring messages.
Why it's wrong here
Deleting can cause legitimate email loss; quarantine or deliver with marking is safer.
- ✗
Enable all available anti-spam engines to ensure maximum detection.
Why it's wrong here
Using too many engines can degrade performance and increase false positives.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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