200-201 Security Monitoring Practice Question
Which protocol and port combination is used by SNMP for receiving traps?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between UDP port 161 (for SNMP queries) and UDP port 162 (for SNMP traps), and the trap here is that candidates confuse the port numbers or incorrectly assume SNMP uses TCP for traps due to familiarity with TCP-based protocols like HTTP or SSH.
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
✓
UDP 162
SNMP traps are unsolicited notifications sent from an SNMP agent to the network management system (NMS) to alert it of significant events. The correct protocol and port combination for receiving SNMP traps is UDP port 162, as defined in RFC 1157. UDP is used because traps are lightweight, connectionless messages where reliability is handled by the application layer if needed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
TCP 161
Why it's wrong here
SNMP typically uses UDP.
- ✗
UDP 161
Why it's wrong here
UDP 161 is used for SNMP queries.
- ✓
UDP 162
Why this is correct
UDP 162 is the standard SNMP trap port.
- ✗
TCP 162
Why it's wrong here
SNMP typically uses UDP.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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