200-201 Question 59
Single answerA security analyst is reviewing login attempts on a corporate network and notices that users are being denied access even though their credentials are correct. Upon investigation, the analyst identifies that the issue is related to the AAA server configuration. Which of the following most likely caused this issue?
- A
The authentication server is unreachable due to network misconfiguration.
- B
The users do not have sufficient privileges on the authorization server.
- C
The accounting server is generating incorrect logs.
- D
The users' passwords have expired and need to be reset.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) are critical components of securing access to network resources. In this scenario, the issue occurs during the authentication phase, as indicated by login denials despite correct credentials. The most plausible cause is the authentication server being unreachable, as it prevents the validation of user credentials. Authorization and accounting issues would occur after authentication or in different parts of the process.
- A. Correct.
If the authentication server is unreachable, the AAA system cannot verify user credentials, leading to access denial even with correct login details.
- B. Incorrect.
Authorization issues would occur after successful authentication. In this case, the issue is with login attempts, making this option less likely.
- C. Incorrect.
Problems with the accounting server would not directly prevent login attempts but might affect activity logging. This is not relevant to the described scenario.
- D. Incorrect.
Password expiration could cause login failures, but the scenario specifies that the credentials are correct, eliminating this option.