Question

Difficulty: MediumAAA Framework Concepts (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting)

In an enterprise network infrastructure, AAA services and security protocols provide identity verification, access control, and activity tracking for administrative sessions. Match each operational requirement or behavioral characteristic on the left with its corresponding AAA framework pillar or security protocol on the right.

  • Determining whether an authenticated network engineer has permission to execute specific configuration commands on a switch.Authorization
  • Tracking and logging the start time, duration, and commands executed during an active CLI maintenance session.Accounting
  • Encrypting only the user password within the Access-Request packet payload while operating over UDP transport.RADIUS protocol
  • Encrypting the entire payload body of every communication packet exchanged over TCP port 49.TACACS+ protocol

Answer

The items correctly match as follows: Authorization corresponds to controlling command execution rights; Accounting corresponds to session duration and command execution logging; RADIUS protocol corresponds to password-only encryption over UDP; TACACS+ protocol corresponds to full packet payload encryption over TCP port 49.
Authorization handles user permissions and command execution rights, while Accounting handles session auditing and activity logs. From a protocol standpoint, RADIUS encrypts only the password using UDP, whereas TACACS+ encrypts the entire payload using TCP port 49.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the access control requirement for command execution.
Matches Authorization.
Authorization defines what actions, services, or commands an authenticated entity is permitted to perform.
2
Analyze the logging and reporting requirement for CLI activity.
Matches Accounting.
Accounting records session usage data, timestamping, and user activities for audit trails.
3
Analyze protocol transport and encryption behavior for partial payload protection.
Matches RADIUS protocol.
RADIUS relies on UDP transport and limits its encryption to the user password field.
4
Analyze protocol transport and encryption behavior for full payload protection.
Matches TACACS+ protocol.
TACACS+ uses reliable TCP transport on port 49 and encrypts all packet payloads.

Key Concept

AAA Pillars and AAA Protocol Mechanics (TACACS+ vs RADIUS)
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