F5CAB4 Control Plane Administration Practice Question
Which protocol is recommended for secure administrative access to the BIG-IP command line interface?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates might choose HTTPS thinking it secures the command line, confusing the Configuration Utility web GUI protocol with CLI access protocols.
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
✓
SSH
SSH is the industry standard for secure, encrypted remote command-line access. By using SSH, administrators ensure that credentials and commands are protected from interception during transit. Relying on legacy, unencrypted protocols like Telnet would expose the management credentials and administrative traffic to any attacker on the local network, making SSH an absolute requirement for any secure control plane administration strategy in a production environment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Telnet
Why it's wrong here
Telnet sends all data, including login credentials and command outputs, in cleartext. This makes it highly vulnerable to eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks. It is considered obsolete for secure administration and should be strictly disabled on all BIG-IP systems to protect the integrity of the control plane.
- ✓
SSH
Why this is correct
SSH provides a secure, encrypted tunnel for administrative shell access. By utilizing robust authentication and encryption, it ensures that management traffic remains confidential and tamper-proof. It is the mandatory protocol for secure BIG-IP control plane administration, replacing all insecure alternatives to maintain a high security posture.
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HTTP
Why it's wrong here
HTTP is intended for web-based traffic and is not a protocol for remote shell access. Furthermore, standard HTTP is unencrypted and insecure. While the Configuration Utility uses HTTPS, command-line administration requires a terminal-based protocol like SSH to provide the necessary shell interactions for the administrator.
- ✗
FTP
Why it's wrong here
FTP is a file transfer protocol and is not designed for interactive command-line administration. Like Telnet, it often transmits authentication data in cleartext, posing a significant security risk. It should never be used for system administration tasks, as it lacks the security features required for modern management.
About these practice questions
One of 40 original F5CAB4 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official F5 exam blueprint
This F5CAB4 practice question is part of Courseiva's free F5 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 F5CAB4 exam.