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200-201 Practice Question: Which TWO are common sources of security event…
Which TWO are common sources of security event data in a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between network management protocols (SNMP) and security monitoring sources (syslog, NetFlow), leading candidates to mistakenly select SNMP traps as a security event source because they associate 'traps' with alerts, when in fact SNMP is for device health, not security event logging.
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
✓
NetFlow records
NetFlow records (B) are a common source of security event data in a SIEM because they provide detailed metadata about network flows, including source/destination IPs, ports, protocols, and byte counts. SIEMs ingest NetFlow to detect anomalies, such as data exfiltration or beaconing, by analyzing flow patterns rather than full packet payloads. This makes NetFlow a standard telemetry source for network visibility and threat hunting.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SMTP logs
Why it's wrong here
SMTP logs are specific to email and less common as a primary SIEM source.
- ✓
NetFlow records
Why this is correct
NetFlow provides metadata on network traffic flows.
- ✗
SNMP traps
Why it's wrong here
SNMP traps are more for network performance monitoring than security events.
- ✓
Syslog from network devices
Why this is correct
Syslog is a standard for sending event messages to SIEM.
- ✗
DNS queries
Why it's wrong here
DNS logs can be security-relevant but are not a primary SIEM source.
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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.