220-1102 Security Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✓

  Connect router to modem and power, then connect a computer via Ethernet, then log in and change default admin password, then configure wireless settings.

  Why this is correct

  This is the correct sequence because the router must be physically powered and linked to the modem via the WAN port before the management interface is reachable. Connecting a computer to a LAN port via Ethernet ensures a stable, isolated path to the admin console, avoiding the inherent vulnerability of an unsecured wireless management session. Changing the default administrator password before configuring wireless settings is a critical security step, as default credentials are widely published and would otherwise allow an attacker on the soon-to-be-broadcast SSID to take control of the device.

• ✗

  Connect a computer via Ethernet, then connect router to modem and power, then log in and change default admin password, then configure wireless settings.

  Why it's wrong here

  This order is flawed because the router has no power and no connection to the modem at the moment the computer is first connected. Without the router being powered on, the computer's Ethernet interface receives no link signal and obtains no DHCP lease, making it impossible to reach the router's default management IP (e.g., 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1). Physical connections must be established and the router must finish booting before any client can communicate with its configuration interface.

• ✗

  Connect router to modem and power, then log in and change default admin password, then connect a computer via Ethernet, then configure wireless settings.

  Why it's wrong here

  This order is technically impossible because the router cannot be logged into until a client device is actually connected to its LAN side. Even with the router powered and connected to the modem, there is no local active management session until a computer is attached via Ethernet; the router's web-based admin panel is only served to clients on its LAN. Attempting to change the default admin password first is meaningless because the computer would have no network path to the router, so no authentication request could even be sent.

• ✗

  Connect router to modem and power, then connect a computer via Ethernet, then configure wireless settings, then log in and change default admin password.

  Why it's wrong here

  Placing the wireless configuration before the administrative password change leaves the router exposed on the network with its factory-default credentials. At that point, the SSID is broadcasting with encryption configured, but any nearby attacker who knows the default username and password (often printed on the label or publicly documented) can log in and modify SSID, encryption keys, or firmware settings. The reset of the admin password must occur before the wireless interface is enabled, because the wireless network is the primary attack surface that would allow unauthorized external access to the configuration panel.

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