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200-201 Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are commonly used…
Which TWO of the following are commonly used protocols for network security monitoring? (Select 2)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between protocols used for monitoring (SNMP, NetFlow) versus protocols used for transport or security (TLS, SMTP) or logging (Syslog), leading candidates to mistakenly select Syslog because it is associated with security logs, even though it is not a monitoring protocol in the same sense as SNMP or NetFlow.
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
✓
SNMP
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is correct because it is a standard protocol used to collect and organize information about managed devices on IP networks, enabling network monitoring and alerting via traps and polls. NetFlow is correct because it is a Cisco-developed protocol that captures metadata about network traffic flows, providing visibility into bandwidth usage, top talkers, and security anomalies for monitoring purposes.
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
Why it's wrong here
SMTP is email protocol.
- ✓
SNMP
Why this is correct
SNMP is used for device monitoring.
- ✗
TLS
Why it's wrong here
TLS is encryption, not a monitoring protocol.
- ✗
Syslog
Why it's wrong here
Syslog is for logging events, not a monitoring protocol per se.
- ✓
NetFlow
Why this is correct
NetFlow is used for traffic flow monitoring.
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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.