300-410 Infrastructure Services Practice Question
A network engineer is configuring a Cisco IOS router to authenticate a branch office VPN client with a digital certificate. The certificate is issued by an external CA, and the engineer must ensure that the router can validate the certificate chain. Which command is required to install the CA certificate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse authentication with enrollment, assuming that requesting a router certificate also installs the CA certificate.
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
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crypto pki authenticate name
To validate certificates issued by an external CA, the router must first obtain the CA's own certificate. The crypto pki authenticate command performs this by retrieving the CA certificate and installing it as a trusted certificate. This step is a prerequisite for any PKI operations that rely on that CA, such as verifying client certificates during VPN authentication.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
crypto pki authenticate name
Why this is correct
The crypto pki authenticate command retrieves and installs the CA certificate, which is necessary for the router to validate client certificates. It authenticates the CA by obtaining its self-signed certificate and installing it into the router's certificate store. This step is mandatory before the router can trust certificates issued by that CA, enabling proper certificate chain validation for the VPN client.
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crypto pki import name certificate
Why it's wrong here
The crypto pki import command can import certificates, but it is not the primary method to install the CA certificate; typically, the CA certificate is obtained via authentication. Import is used for manually importing certificates or when using out-of-band methods. For automatic CA certificate retrieval, authentication is the correct step.
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crypto pki enroll name
Why it's wrong here
The crypto pki enroll command is used to request a certificate for the router itself from the CA, not to install the CA certificate. Enrollment generates a key pair and sends a certificate signing request to the CA. While enrollment is part of PKI setup, it does not install the CA's own certificate, which is required for validating client certificates.
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crypto pki trustpoint name
Why it's wrong here
The crypto pki trustpoint command defines a trustpoint configuration, specifying parameters such as enrollment URL and revocation checking. It does not install the CA certificate; it only creates the trustpoint that will be used during authentication and enrollment. Without authentication, the trustpoint lacks the CA certificate needed for validation.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
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