- A
Steganography
Why wrong: Steganography hides data, not for integrity or non-repudiation.
- B
Digital signatures
Digital signatures authenticate the sender and provide non-repudiation.
- C
Hashing
Hashing verifies that data has not been altered.
- D
Asymmetric encryption
Asymmetric encryption (RSA/ECC) is used for digital signatures and key exchange.
- E
Symmetric encryption
Why wrong: Symmetric encryption provides confidentiality, not non-repudiation.
Question 60 of 1,000
200-201 Security Concepts Practice Question
This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of security concepts. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An organization wants to ensure data integrity and non-repudiation for sensitive documents. Which THREE cryptographic mechanisms should be implemented? (Select three.)
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
✓
Digital signatures
Digital signatures provide both data integrity and non-repudiation by using the sender's private key to sign a hash of the document. The recipient verifies the signature with the sender's public key, ensuring the document has not been altered and that the sender cannot deny having signed it.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Steganography
Why it's wrong here
Steganography hides data, not for integrity or non-repudiation.
- ✓
Digital signatures
Why this is correct
Digital signatures authenticate the sender and provide non-repudiation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Hashing
Why this is correct
Hashing verifies that data has not been altered.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Asymmetric encryption
Why this is correct
Asymmetric encryption (RSA/ECC) is used for digital signatures and key exchange.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Symmetric encryption
Why it's wrong here
Symmetric encryption provides confidentiality, not non-repudiation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between integrity-only mechanisms (hashing) and those that also provide non-repudiation (digital signatures), leading candidates to incorrectly select symmetric encryption or steganography when the question explicitly requires both integrity and non-repudiation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Digital signatures typically use RSA or ECDSA with a hash function like SHA-256; the signature is created by encrypting the hash with the private key. In practice, non-repudiation relies on the private key being kept secret and the public key being bound to the signer via a PKI certificate (X.509), which is critical in legal and compliance contexts such as signed contracts or audit logs.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-201 question test?
Security Concepts — This question tests Security Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Digital signatures — Digital signatures provide both data integrity and non-repudiation by using the sender's private key to sign a hash of the document. The recipient verifies the signature with the sender's public key, ensuring the document has not been altered and that the sender cannot deny having signed it.
What should I do if I get this 200-201 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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