Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

Which three statements about the features of SNMPv2 and SNMPv3 are true?

1. SNMPv3 enhanced SNMPv2 security features

2. SNMPv3 added the Inform protocol message to SNMP

3. SNMPv2 added the Inform protocol message to SNMP

4. SNMPv3 added the GetBulk protocol messages to SNMP

The correct answer is: SNMPv3 enhanced SNMPv2 security features

SNMPv3 significantly improved the security features that were present in SNMPv2. While SNMPv2 introduced some enhancements over its predecessor, such as additional protocol operations, it did not address security to a sufficient degree. In contrast, SNMPv3 introduced a comprehensive framework aimed at providing secure interaction through stronger authentication, encryption options, and access control mechanisms. This included the implementation of the User-based Security Model (USM), which allows for various security types such as authentication via MD5 or SHA algorithms, and encryption through DES or AES. The advancements in SNMPv3 transformed how network management is performed by making it more secure, thereby reducing the potential for unauthorized access or tampering with management data. The other statements involve specific features related to protocol messages. For instance, while SNMPv2 added some protocol operations like GetBulk, it’s important to note that the Inform message was specifically added in SNMPv2, which allows for message acknowledgment between SNMP managers. SNMPv3 did not add this but built upon the existing features of SNMPv2 and provided security enhancements.