Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

Which statement is true about RIP version 2?

1. It is a classful routing protocol.

2. It supports authentication.

3. It has a lower default administrative distance than RIP version 1.

4. It uses broadcasts for routing updates.

The correct answer is: It supports authentication.

RIP version 2 is recognized for its support of authentication, which enhances the security of routing updates exchanged between routers. This feature prevents unauthorized routers from participating in the routing process, ensuring that only routers within a trusted domain can influence the routing decisions. By supporting different methods of authentication, such as plain text and MD5, RIP version 2 provides a way to secure routing information against potential attacks, which is an important advancement over its predecessor, RIP version 1. While RIP version 2 introduces improvements over RIP version 1, it is worth noting that it remains a classless routing protocol, contrasting with the classful nature attributed to RIP version 1. Additionally, RIP version 2 does not have a lower default administrative distance compared to RIP version 1; both share the same administrative distance of 120. Lastly, RIP version 2 utilizes multicasting for its routing updates instead of broadcasts, allowing for more efficient use of network resources and reducing unnecessary load on all devices within a broadcast domain.