CAS-004 Security Architecture Practice Question
A security architect is designing a zero trust network architecture and needs to implement micro-segmentation. Which TWO of the following techniques are commonly used to achieve micro-segmentation? (Select 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
✓
Software-defined networking (SDN) policies
Micro-segmentation can be implemented using software-defined networking (SDN) policies and host-based firewalls (e.g., via agents) to control traffic between workloads at a granular level. VLANs are too coarse; IPsec VPNs are for site-to-site, not internal segmentation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Network Access Control (NAC)
Why it's wrong here
NAC controls endpoint access to the network, not workload segmentation.
- ✓
Software-defined networking (SDN) policies
Why this is correct
SDN enables dynamic, granular policy enforcement between workloads.
- ✗
IPsec VPN tunnels between subnets
Why it's wrong here
IPsec VPNs are for encrypted tunnels, not internal segmentation.
- ✓
Host-based firewalls
Why this is correct
Host-based firewalls can enforce per-workload segmentation policies.
- ✗
VLAN segmentation
Why it's wrong here
VLANs provide network-level segmentation but are not granular enough for micro-segmentation.
Visual reference
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 CAS-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CAS-005 exam.