hardMultiple Choice
200-201 Practice Question: An organization's security policy requires that…
An organization's security policy requires that all network traffic be inspected by an intrusion prevention system. However, encrypted traffic is bypassing inspection. Which change to the policy would best address this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that encrypted traffic is inherently safe or that bypassing inspection is acceptable, when in fact attackers commonly use encryption to hide malware, command-and-control traffic, or data exfiltration, making decryption a necessary security control.
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
✓
Implement SSL/TLS decryption at the network perimeter
Implementing SSL/TLS decryption at the network perimeter allows the IPS to inspect the plaintext content of encrypted traffic. By terminating the encrypted session at a dedicated decryption device (e.g., a next-generation firewall or proxy), the device can re-encrypt the traffic after inspection, ensuring that threats hidden in HTTPS, SMTPS, or other TLS-encrypted flows are detected without violating the policy's requirement that all traffic be inspected.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Allow encrypted traffic to bypass the IPS
Why it's wrong here
Explicitly allowing encrypted traffic to bypass the IPS abandons the inspection mandate for the very traffic attackers hide in. It is tempting because it restores throughput and avoids decryption overhead, but the correct remedy is to decrypt or use a sensor capable of inspecting encrypted sessions.
- ✗
Require all internal traffic to use unencrypted protocols
Why it's wrong here
Downgrading to cleartext protocols removes the encryption that must be inspected, but it exposes credentials and data to interception and violates the intent of the policy. It is tempting because plaintext traffic is trivially inspected, yet the correct fix is to give the IPS the decryption keys, not to weaken transport security.
- ✓
Implement SSL/TLS decryption at the network perimeter
Why this is correct
SSL/TLS decryption at the network perimeter terminates encrypted sessions, exposing plaintext to the intrusion prevention system so it can inspect payloads that would otherwise pass through unexamined. This directly satisfies the policy requirement that all traffic be inspected, closing the encryption blind spot without altering endpoint configurations.
- ✗
Exclude encrypted traffic from the security policy scope
Why it's wrong here
Scoping encrypted flows out of the policy guarantees they are never inspected, directly contradicting the requirement that all traffic be examined. It is tempting as a way to silence alerts and false positives, but the correct approach is TLS decryption or a sensor that can inspect ciphertext metadata.
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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.