Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

Which three features are added in SNMPv3 over SNMPv2?

1. Message Integrity

2. Compression

3. Authentication

4. Encryption

The correct answer is: Message Integrity

The correct answer highlights key enhancements introduced in SNMPv3 that provide significant improvements in security and management capabilities compared to its predecessor, SNMPv2. Message integrity ensures that the messages sent between the SNMP manager and agents have not been altered in transit. This feature helps prevent unauthorized modifications to SNMP messages, thereby fostering trust in the integrity of the management data. Authentication is crucial in SNMPv3 as it verifies the identity of the entities communicating over the network. This prevents unauthorized users from accessing or manipulating network management data, ensuring that only legitimate components can send or receive SNMP messages. Encryption is another important enhancement found in SNMPv3, which provides confidentiality by encrypting the messages exchanged between network devices. This helps protect sensitive information from eavesdropping or interception by unauthorized parties, making it difficult for attackers to gain insight into network management activities. While compression is a feature that could theoretically be desirable, it is not a part of the security enhancements specifically included in SNMPv3. Therefore, the focus remains on the core attributes of message integrity, authentication, and encryption as transformative features that cater to the evolved security landscape in network management.