This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of network intrusion analysis. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 THREE factors should be considered when tuning an IPS signature? (Choose three.)
Time of day
Why wrong: Time of day is not a standard tuning parameter.
Application protocol
Signatures should match the intended protocol to reduce false positives.
Source and destination IPs
IP addresses are used for whitelists or blacklists.
Signature severity
Severity indicates criticality and affects tuning decisions.
Packet length
Why wrong: Packet length is rarely used for tuning signatures.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Application protocol
Application protocol (B) is critical because IPS signatures are protocol-aware and must match the specific protocol context (e.g., HTTP, SMTP, DNS) to avoid false positives. Tuning based on the protocol ensures the signature only inspects traffic where the vulnerability or exploit is relevant, such as applying a SQL injection signature only to HTTP traffic.
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.
Time of day
Why it's wrong here
Time of day is not a standard tuning parameter.
Application protocol
Why this is correct
Signatures should match the intended protocol to reduce false positives.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Source and destination IPs
Why this is correct
IP addresses are used for whitelists or blacklists.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Signature severity
Why this is correct
Severity indicates criticality and affects tuning decisions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Packet length
Why it's wrong here
Packet length is rarely used for tuning signatures.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the misconception that time-based or packet-length parameters are valid tuning options, when in fact IPS tuning focuses on protocol context, IP addresses, and severity to balance detection accuracy and performance.
Detailed technical explanation
IPS signatures use protocol decoders to parse application-layer data, and tuning by application protocol (e.g., HTTP, FTP, SMB) allows the sensor to skip irrelevant traffic, reducing CPU load. Source and destination IPs (C) enable whitelisting or blacklisting specific hosts, which is essential for reducing false positives in environments with known benign servers. Signature severity (D) determines the action (e.g., alert, drop, reset) and is tuned to avoid overly aggressive responses to low-risk events.
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
Network Intrusion Analysis — This question tests Network Intrusion Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Application protocol — Application protocol (B) is critical because IPS signatures are protocol-aware and must match the specific protocol context (e.g., HTTP, SMTP, DNS) to avoid false positives. Tuning based on the protocol ensures the signature only inspects traffic where the vulnerability or exploit is relevant, such as applying a SQL injection signature only to HTTP traffic.
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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