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300-410 Practice Question: In IPsec site-to-site VPN, what is the default…
In IPsec site-to-site VPN, what is the default IPsec SA lifetime in Cisco IOS?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between the default IKE SA lifetime (86400 seconds) and the default IPsec SA lifetime (3600 seconds), causing candidates to confuse the two and select option A.
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
✓
3600 seconds and 4608000 kilobytes
The default IPsec Security Association (SA) lifetime in Cisco IOS for site-to-site VPNs is 3600 seconds (1 hour) and 4,608,000 kilobytes (4.5 GB). These values are defined in the IPsec transform set configuration and control when the SA expires, triggering a rekey via IKEv1 or IKEv2 to maintain secure communication.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
86400 seconds and 256000 kilobytes
Why it's wrong here
These values are not defaults for IPsec SA.
- ✓
3600 seconds and 4608000 kilobytes
Why this is correct
This is the standard Cisco default for IPsec SA lifetime.
- ✗
28800 seconds and 1000000 kilobytes
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect values.
- ✗
1800 seconds and 256000 kilobytes
Why it's wrong here
These are not defaults.
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 300-410 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 300-410 exam.