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350-701 · Question #308

Refer to the exhibit. A network engineer is testing NTP authentication and realizes that any device synchronizes time with this router and that NTP authentication is not enforced. What is the cause of

The correct answer is C. NTP authentication is not enabled.. The issue of unenforced NTP authentication, despite some configuration, usually stems from not explicitly enabling the authentication mechanism after defining the cryptographic keys.

Submitted by javi_es· Mar 30, 2026Network Security

Question

Refer to the exhibit. A network engineer is testing NTP authentication and realizes that any device synchronizes time with this router and that NTP authentication is not enforced. What is the cause of this issue?

Options

  • AThe hashing algorithm that was used was MD5 which is unsupported.
  • BThe key was configured in plain text.
  • CNTP authentication is not enabled.
  • DThe router was not rebooted after the NTP configuration updated

How the community answered

(38 responses)
  • A
    11% (4)
  • B
    3% (1)
  • C
    82% (31)
  • D
    5% (2)

Why each option

The issue of unenforced NTP authentication, despite some configuration, usually stems from not explicitly enabling the authentication mechanism after defining the cryptographic keys.

AThe hashing algorithm that was used was MD5 which is unsupported.

MD5 is a widely supported hashing algorithm for NTP authentication and would not typically cause authentication to fail to be enforced.

BThe key was configured in plain text.

While configuring keys in plain text is a security vulnerability, it does not prevent NTP authentication from functioning correctly if it is enabled and the key matches.

CNTP authentication is not enabled.Correct

Even if NTP authentication keys are defined, NTP authentication will not be enforced until it is explicitly enabled globally or for specific NTP servers, allowing any device to synchronize time without validation.

DThe router was not rebooted after the NTP configuration updated

NTP configuration changes, including enabling authentication, usually take effect dynamically and do not require a router reboot.

Concept tested: NTP authentication configuration

Source: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/ios-xml/ios/ipapp/configuration/xe-16/iap-xe-16-book/iap-ntp.html

Topics

#NTP authentication#NTP configuration#network time protocol#authentication enforcement

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