Question 190
A business uses software-defined networking to update routing and firewall rules centrally. Which new control-plane risk must be prioritized?
Explanation
Correct Answer
A compromised controller can rewrite policy for large portions of the network. A useful network control is testable in both directions: approved business traffic must continue while unrelated source, destination and port combinations are explicitly rejected. The case turns on a business uses software-defined networking to update routing and firewall rules centrally; “Protect SDN controllers and their programming interfaces from takeover” addresses that precise condition. “Treat each data-plane switch as unrelated to policy enforcement” is not equivalent because switches follow the controller's rules and remain affected by its trustworthiness.
Incorrect Answers
Even encrypted packets can be rerouted, dropped or exposed through malicious network rules. Encryption addresses readability of protected data. Authentication, correct permissions and availability must still be enforced separately. In the reported situation, a business uses software-defined networking to update routing and firewall rules centrally. The effective mechanism is “Protect SDN controllers and their programming interfaces from takeover”: a compromised controller can rewrite policy for large portions of the network.
Switches follow the controller's rules and remain affected by its trustworthiness. The evidence is a business uses software-defined networking to update routing and firewall rules centrally. Deployment models determine who controls the platform, which trust boundaries exist and where authentication, segregation and logging must be enforced. By contrast, “Protect SDN controllers and their programming interfaces from takeover” operates on the specific concern: a compromised controller can rewrite policy for large portions of the network.
Unauthenticated APIs invite unauthorized network-wide policy changes. Authentication checks a claimant, but it does not automatically narrow resource privileges or invalidate a different leaked secret. Here the decisive fact is a business uses software-defined networking to update routing and firewall rules centrally. “Protect SDN controllers and their programming interfaces from takeover” matches that requirement because a compromised controller can rewrite policy for large portions of the network.






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