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200-301 · Question #831

According to security best practices, which two actions must you take to protect an unused switch port? (Choose two.)

The correct answer is A. Administratively shut down the port. E. Configure the port as an access port on a VLAN other than VLAN 1.. According to security best practices, unused switch ports should be secured by administratively shutting them down and moving them to an isolated, unused VLAN.

Submitted by joshua94· Mar 5, 2026Security Fundamentals

Question

According to security best practices, which two actions must you take to protect an unused switch port? (Choose two.)

Options

  • AAdministratively shut down the port.
  • BConfigure the port as a trunk port.
  • CConfigure the port to automatically come online.
  • DEnable CDP.
  • EConfigure the port as an access port on a VLAN other than VLAN 1.

How the community answered

(38 responses)
  • A
    84% (32)
  • B
    3% (1)
  • C
    8% (3)
  • D
    5% (2)

Why each option

According to security best practices, unused switch ports should be secured by administratively shutting them down and moving them to an isolated, unused VLAN.

AAdministratively shut down the port.Correct

Administratively shutting down an unused port using the `shutdown` command prevents any unauthorized devices from connecting and gaining access to the network, effectively disabling it.

BConfigure the port as a trunk port.

Configuring an unused port as a trunk port is a security risk because it allows traffic for all VLANs to potentially traverse the port, increasing the attack surface.

CConfigure the port to automatically come online.

Configuring a port to automatically come online (using `no shutdown`) is the opposite of securing an unused port, as it makes the port active and vulnerable to unauthorized connections.

DEnable CDP.

Enabling Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) on an unused port can unintentionally disclose sensitive network information about the switch and its neighbors to anyone who plugs into that port, aiding in network reconnaissance by attackers.

EConfigure the port as an access port on a VLAN other than VLAN 1.Correct

Configuring the unused port as an access port on a VLAN other than VLAN 1 (preferably a dedicated 'blackhole' VLAN) isolates any accidental or malicious connection attempts from reaching active network segments or the default VLAN.

Concept tested: Securing Unused Switch Ports

Source: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/lan/catalyst3750/software/release/12-2_55_se/configuration/guide/scg/swvlan.html#wp1026078

Topics

#Port security#Switch port shutdown#VLAN segmentation#Layer 2 security

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