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200-201 Practice Question: A company's security policy states that all…
A company's security policy states that all remote access must be through a VPN. An employee complains that the VPN is too slow and asks for an exception to access a specific internal server directly over the internet. What should the security analyst recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the principle that security policies must be enforced consistently, and the trap here is that candidates think a temporary or IP-based exception is acceptable, when in fact any direct access bypasses the VPN's encryption and authentication, violating the core security requirement.
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
✓
Investigate the VPN performance issue and optimize if possible.
The security policy mandates VPN for all remote access, and bypassing it would violate the principle of least privilege and expose the internal server directly to the internet. The analyst should first investigate the VPN performance issue—common causes include MTU mismatch, high latency, or encryption overhead—and optimize it (e.g., adjusting MTU, using split tunneling, or upgrading hardware) rather than granting an exception that undermines security.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure a separate VPN profile with lower encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Lowering encryption weakens security; better to optimize other factors.
- ✗
Allow direct access but only from the employee's home IP.
Why it's wrong here
This does not enforce VPN and could be insecure.
- ✗
Grant the exception temporarily and monitor the connection.
Why it's wrong here
Any exception to policy should be risk-assessed and approved by management.
- ✓
Investigate the VPN performance issue and optimize if possible.
Why this is correct
Performance issues should be resolved; exceptions should be a last resort with formal risk acceptance.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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