Which SNMP recommendation is not valid?
- Configure ACLs to restrict SNMP access to only known managers.
- Set up SNMP views to restrict the manager to only access the needed set of MIBs.
- Restrict access to read-only.
- Always use MD5 authentication when SNMPv3 is not available, and you are forced to use SNMPv2c.
Explanation: The statement regarding MD5 authentication and SNMPv2c is not valid because SNMPv2c does not support MD5 or SHA authentication; it relies solely on community strings, which are transmitted in cleartext and are not a robust security mechanism. MD5 and SHA authentication were specifically introduced as part of the enhanced security models in SNMPv3 to ensure secure transmission between the manager and agent.
The other three recommendations are explicitly listed in the sources as valid best practices:
- Restrict access to read-only: NMS systems rarely require write access, so community credentials should be limited.
- Set up SNMP views: This restricts a manager’s access to only the specific MIB trees they need to monitor.
- Configure ACLs: Access Control Lists should be used to ensure that only authorized, known SNMP managers can communicate with the agent.
Related exam: Modules 17 – 20: Checkpoint Exam: Virtualization and Network Services Answers (CCNP ENCOR v9)
