- A
The police rate of 1 Mbps is too low for the combined SSH and SNMP traffic from the management station.
Correct because the police rate is insufficient, causing drops of legitimate control plane traffic.
- B
The CoPP policy is applied to the wrong interface, affecting transit traffic instead of control plane traffic.
Why wrong: Incorrect because CoPP is applied to the control plane, not an interface.
- C
The class-map should match on DSCP values instead of port numbers to be effective.
Why wrong: Incorrect because matching port numbers is valid; the issue is the police rate.
- D
The policy-map should use the 'drop' action instead of 'police' to protect the control plane.
Why wrong: Incorrect because 'police' is the correct action; 'drop' would drop all matched traffic.
Quick Answer
The answer is that the police rate of 1 Mbps is too low for the combined SSH and SNMP traffic. CoPP polices traffic destined to the control plane, and when the police rate is set too low, it will drop legitimate packets that exceed that threshold, even if they are from a trusted management station. In this scenario, bursts of SSH and SNMP traffic together can easily spike above 1 Mbps, causing intermittent drops of legitimate sessions. On the ENCOR 350-401 exam, this question tests your understanding that CoPP applies an aggregate policer to all matched traffic, not per-flow, and a common trap is to overlook that the combined rate must accommodate normal bursts. A key memory tip is “CoPP cops the control plane, not the data plane”—so if legitimate traffic is dropping, suspect the police rate before suspecting the class-map or interface application.
350-401 Infrastructure Security Practice Question
This 350-401 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A network engineer is configuring CoPP on a Cisco router to protect the control plane from excessive traffic. The router experiences high CPU utilization due to SSH and SNMP traffic. The engineer creates a class-map to match SSH (TCP/22) and SNMP (UDP/161) and applies a policy-map that polices this traffic to 1 Mbps. After applying the policy, legitimate SSH sessions from the management station start dropping intermittently. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
The police rate of 1 Mbps is too low for the combined SSH and SNMP traffic from the management station.
CoPP polices traffic destined to the control plane. If the police rate is too low, even legitimate traffic can be dropped. The engineer set a 1 Mbps limit for both SSH and SNMP combined. If the management station generates bursts above this rate, packets are dropped. Option A is correct because the aggregate police rate may be insufficient. Option B is incorrect because CoPP does not affect transit traffic. Option C is incorrect because the policy is applied to the control plane, not an interface. Option D is incorrect because the class-map matches both protocols, but the issue is the police rate.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The police rate of 1 Mbps is too low for the combined SSH and SNMP traffic from the management station.
Why this is correct
Correct because the police rate is insufficient, causing drops of legitimate control plane traffic.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The CoPP policy is applied to the wrong interface, affecting transit traffic instead of control plane traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because CoPP is applied to the control plane, not an interface.
- ✗
The class-map should match on DSCP values instead of port numbers to be effective.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because matching port numbers is valid; the issue is the police rate.
- ✗
The policy-map should use the 'drop' action instead of 'police' to protect the control plane.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because 'police' is the correct action; 'drop' would drop all matched traffic.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 350-401 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which 350-401 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Infrastructure Security — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 350-401 question test?
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The police rate of 1 Mbps is too low for the combined SSH and SNMP traffic from the management station. — CoPP polices traffic destined to the control plane. If the police rate is too low, even legitimate traffic can be dropped. The engineer set a 1 Mbps limit for both SSH and SNMP combined. If the management station generates bursts above this rate, packets are dropped. Option A is correct because the aggregate police rate may be insufficient. Option B is incorrect because CoPP does not affect transit traffic. Option C is incorrect because the policy is applied to the control plane, not an interface. Option D is incorrect because the class-map matches both protocols, but the issue is the police rate.
What should I do if I get this 350-401 question wrong?
Identify which 350-401 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 18, 2026
This 350-401 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 350-401 exam.
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