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200-201 Practice Question: During a security audit, it is discovered that…
During a security audit, it is discovered that several users have passwords set to never expire. According to the security policy, passwords must be changed every 90 days. What is the best course of action?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between reactive manual fixes (like resetting all passwords) and proactive policy-based enforcement, where candidates mistakenly choose a disruptive action instead of the scalable, automated solution that aligns with security policy management.
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
✓
Update the password policy in Active Directory to enforce 90-day expiration
The most efficient and enforceable way to ensure all users comply with the 90-day password expiration policy is to configure a Group Policy Object (GPO) in Active Directory that sets the 'Maximum password age' to 90 days. This automatically forces password changes at login after the expiration period, ensuring uniform enforcement without manual intervention or disruption.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disable accounts that violate the policy
Why it's wrong here
Disabling accounts is too severe and may disrupt operations.
- ✗
Notify users to change their passwords voluntarily
Why it's wrong here
Voluntary compliance is unreliable and hard to enforce.
- ✗
Immediately reset all user passwords
Why it's wrong here
This is disruptive and does not prevent recurrence.
- ✓
Update the password policy in Active Directory to enforce 90-day expiration
Why this is correct
A Group Policy change enforces compliance automatically.
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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.