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200-201 Practice Question: A security policy requires that employees use…
A security policy requires that employees use strong passwords. Which TWO of the following are characteristics of a strong password? (Select two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between password policy requirements (like expiration intervals) and intrinsic password strength characteristics, leading candidates to mistakenly select 'changed every 90 days' as a strength attribute.
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
✓
Uses a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters
A strong password must include a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters to increase entropy and resist brute-force and dictionary attacks. This complexity exponentially increases the number of possible combinations, making it computationally infeasible for attackers to guess or crack the password within a reasonable time frame.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Uses a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters
Why this is correct
Complexity increases entropy and resistance to cracking.
- ✗
Is changed every 90 days
Why it's wrong here
Password aging is a policy requirement, not a characteristic of strength.
- ✗
Is a common dictionary word
Why it's wrong here
Dictionary words are vulnerable to dictionary attacks.
- ✗
Contains the user's username
Why it's wrong here
Including personal information makes passwords easy to guess.
- ✓
At least 8 characters
Why this is correct
Longer passwords are more resistant to brute force.
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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.