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.
Which principle ensures that a user cannot deny having performed an action?
Authentication
Why wrong: Authentication verifies who a user is, not that they performed an action.
Accountability
Why wrong: Accountability holds users responsible but doesn't inherently provide proof.
Authorization
Why wrong: Authorization determines what an authenticated user can do.
Non-repudiation
Non-repudiation provides evidence that an action occurred, preventing denial.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Non-repudiation
Non-repudiation ensures that a user cannot deny having performed an action, typically by using digital signatures or cryptographic mechanisms. In network security, this is often achieved through protocols like HMAC or digital certificates that bind an action to a specific identity, providing irrefutable proof. Without non-repudiation, a user could claim they never sent a message or executed a command, undermining audit trails and legal accountability.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Authentication
Why it's wrong here
Authentication verifies who a user is, not that they performed an action.
Accountability
Why it's wrong here
Accountability holds users responsible but doesn't inherently provide proof.
Authorization
Why it's wrong here
Authorization determines what an authenticated user can do.
Non-repudiation
Why this is correct
Non-repudiation provides evidence that an action occurred, preventing denial.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between accountability and non-repudiation, where candidates confuse logging/tracking (accountability) with cryptographic proof (non-repudiation), leading them to select 'Accountability' instead of 'Non-repudiation'.
Detailed technical explanation
Non-repudiation relies on asymmetric cryptography where a private key signs data, and the corresponding public key verifies the signature, ensuring the signer cannot repudiate the signature. In Cisco environments, this is implemented in protocols like IPsec with IKEv2 using digital certificates, or in syslog with signed messages (e.g., RFC 5424 with syslog-sign). A subtle behavior is that non-repudiation requires secure key management; if a private key is compromised, the non-repudiation guarantee is broken.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security Concepts — This question tests Security Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Non-repudiation — Non-repudiation ensures that a user cannot deny having performed an action, typically by using digital signatures or cryptographic mechanisms. In network security, this is often achieved through protocols like HMAC or digital certificates that bind an action to a specific identity, providing irrefutable proof. Without non-repudiation, a user could claim they never sent a message or executed a command, undermining audit trails and legal accountability.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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