SAUTO Network Security Practice Question
Which TWO steps are required to properly authenticate to the Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) API using the REST API Explorer?
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
✓
Send a POST request to /api/fmc_platform/v1/auth/generatetoken
Authentication requires sending a POST request to /api/fmc_platform/v1/auth/generatetoken and storing the returned X-auth-access-token header.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Basic Auth in the header with admin credentials
Why it's wrong here
Basic auth is not used for the initial FMC token generation.
- ✓
Send a POST request to /api/fmc_platform/v1/auth/generatetoken
Why this is correct
This is the entry point for API authentication.
- ✗
Perform a GET request to the root URL
Why it's wrong here
GET / does not authenticate.
- ✗
Send credentials in the URL query string
Why it's wrong here
Sending credentials in the URL is a security violation.
- ✓
Capture the X-auth-access-token header from the response
Why this is correct
The token is provided in the header for subsequent calls.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This SAUTO 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 SAUTO exam.