Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A legal department sends a confidential contract to an outside partner without first exchanging a shared secret. The sender encrypts the document with the partner's public key so that only the partner can decrypt it with the matching private key. Which cryptographic approach is being used?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Symmetric encryption
Symmetric encryption would require both parties to already share the same secret key, which the scenario explicitly says they do not.
B
Best answer
Asymmetric encryption
Asymmetric encryption uses a public key to encrypt data and a corresponding private key to decrypt it. That makes it ideal when two parties have not yet shared a secret. In this scenario, the sender uses the partner's public key so only the partner's private key can open the contract, preserving confidentiality across an untrusted network.
C
Distractor review
Hashing
Hashing can confirm whether data changed, but it does not encrypt the contract or allow the recipient to recover the contents.
D
Distractor review
Digital signatures
Digital signatures verify origin and integrity, but the scenario focuses on keeping the contract confidential from anyone except the intended recipient.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A laptop is suspected of being used in a malware incident. It is still powered on and connected to Wi-Fi. What should the responder do before shutting it down?
Question 2
An employee reports a ransomware note on a file server. The server is still powered on, shares are still being accessed, and management wants service restored as quickly as possible. What should the incident response team do first?
Question 3
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Question 4
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Question 5
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Question 6
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Asymmetric encryption — Asymmetric encryption is the correct answer because the sender uses the recipient's public key to protect the contract, and only the matching private key can decrypt it. This is the standard public-key confidentiality model when no shared secret exists yet. It is especially useful for exchanging sensitive information with partners, customers, or remote users over untrusted networks. Why others are wrong: Symmetric encryption would require a pre-shared secret, which the scenario says is not available. Hashing cannot reverse to recover the document content. Digital signatures are for proving authenticity and integrity, not for hiding the document from unauthorized readers.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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