mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
350-401 Practice Question: Which two statements about SNMPv3 security models…
Which two statements about SNMPv3 security models are true? (Choose two.)
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 authNoPriv security model provides authentication but no encryption.
SNMPv3 provides three security models: noAuthNoPriv (no authentication, no encryption), authNoPriv (authentication but no encryption), and authPriv (authentication and encryption). The authPriv model uses HMAC-MD5 or HMAC-SHA for authentication and CBC-DES or CFB128-AES for encryption. The engine ID is a unique identifier for each SNMP entity and is used to generate the localized key.
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 authNoPriv security model provides authentication but no encryption.
Why this is correct
Correct: authNoPriv uses an authentication protocol (MD5 or SHA) but does not encrypt the payload.
- ✗
The noAuthNoPriv security model uses both a username and a password for authentication.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: noAuthNoPriv uses only a username (community string equivalent) with no authentication or encryption.
- ✓
The authPriv security model provides both authentication and encryption.
Why this is correct
Correct: authPriv uses both an authentication protocol and a privacy (encryption) protocol.
- ✗
SNMPv3 requires the use of a separate engine ID for each SNMP manager and agent.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: each SNMP entity has a unique engine ID, but it is not required to be separate for every manager and agent; it is a single identifier per entity.
- ✗
The authPriv model supports only AES-256 for encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: authPriv supports CBC-DES and CFB128-AES (AES-128/192/256) but not exclusively AES-256.
Quick reference
Symmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Size | Block Size | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AES-128 | 128-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | NIST approved; WPA3, TLS |
| AES-256 | 256-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | Preferred for sensitive / govt data |
| 3DES | 112-bit effective | 64-bit | Deprecated (2023) | Replaced by AES |
| DES | 56-bit | 64-bit | Broken | Cracked in < 24 h; never deploy |
| ChaCha20 | 256-bit | Stream cipher | Current | TLS 1.3, WireGuard |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 350-401 question from scratch — 1,175 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on 350-401
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which two statements about SNMPv3 security features are true? (Choose two.)
medium- ✓ A.The authNoPriv security level provides authentication using MD5 or SHA, but no encryption.
- B.The noAuthNoPriv security level provides both authentication and encryption.
- ✓ C.The authPriv security level provides authentication using MD5 or SHA, and encryption using DES or AES.
- D.SNMPv3 users are identified solely by the community string, similar to SNMPv2c.
- E.The SNMP engine ID is optional and only used for debugging purposes.
Why A: SNMPv3 provides both authentication and encryption. The authNoPriv level uses MD5 or SHA for authentication without encryption; noAuthNoPriv uses no security; authPriv provides both authentication and encryption. The engine ID is required for SNMPv3 user configuration and is used to generate the localized key.
Variation 2. Which SNMP version introduced the use of a username and authentication/password framework, without encryption?
easy- A.SNMPv1
- B.SNMPv2c
- ✓ C.SNMPv3
- D.SNMPv2u
Why C: SNMPv3 introduced a security model that provides both authentication and privacy (encryption), but the question specifically asks for the version that introduced a username and authentication/password framework without encryption. SNMPv3's User-based Security Model (USM) allows for authentication-only mode (authNoPriv), which uses a username and password (or key) for authentication but does not encrypt the payload. This distinguishes it from earlier versions that relied on community strings (SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c) or offered no standardized security framework.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.