easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
200-201 Practice Question: A junior analyst reports that the network-based…
A junior analyst reports that the network-based intrusion detection system (NIDS) has been generating alerts for a signature that detects a known exploit of a web server. The alert triggers on every connection to the company's internal web server over port 80. The analyst has verified that the web server is fully patched and the traffic is normal HTTP requests. The analyst asks you for advice. What should you recommend as the first step?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the candidate's ability to distinguish between a true positive and a false positive, and the trap here is that candidates may choose to investigate further (Option C) or apply a security fix (Option A) instead of recognizing that the immediate priority is to tune the IDS to reduce alert noise.
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
✓
Disable the specific signature for the web server's IP address in the IDS.
The NIDS is generating false positives: the signature matches normal HTTP traffic to a fully patched web server. Disabling the signature for that specific IP address eliminates the noise without compromising security, as the server is not vulnerable to the exploit. This is a standard tuning action in intrusion detection to reduce alert fatigue while maintaining coverage for other hosts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Verify that the web server is fully patched and configure a patch management system.
Why it's wrong here
Patching is already done; this does not address the false positive alerts.
- ✗
Reconfigure the web server to use a non-standard port.
Why it's wrong here
Changing ports is not a recommended security practice and may break functionality.
- ✗
Run a packet capture to analyze the HTTP requests.
Why it's wrong here
The analyst already knows the traffic is normal; packet capture is redundant.
- ✓
Disable the specific signature for the web server's IP address in the IDS.
Why this is correct
This reduces false positives while keeping detection for other servers.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-201 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 200-201 exam.