ISC2 Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) Practice Question
Your organization is deploying port-based network access control to block unauthorized devices from connecting to the wired LAN. All access switches already operate as 802.1X authenticators and are configured to forward credentials to an internal RADIUS server. Which additional element must exist on every managed employee laptop to allow the 802.1X authentication exchange to complete successfully?
Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU) Guard enabled on the laptop's Ethernet adapter
An IPsec pre-shared key stored in the operating system's VPN client
A pre-configured static MAC address entry on each access-layer switch
An 802.1X-capable supplicant that can send and receive EAPOL frames
IEEE 802.1X defines three roles: the supplicant (software on the endpoint), the authenticator (typically an edge switch or wireless access point), and the authentication server (commonly RADIUS). The supplicant initiates the Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPOL) conversation with the switch, which then relays the credentials to the RADIUS server. Without an 802.1X-capable supplicant on the workstation, the endpoint cannot generate or respond to EAPOL messages, so authentication never begins and the port remains in an unauthorized state. Features such as BPDU Guard, static CAM entries, or IPsec pre-shared keys are unrelated to the mandatory client-side component of 802.1X.
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ELI5: What is an 802.1X-capable supplicant?
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What is EAPOL and why is it needed?
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What roles do the RADIUS server and the authenticator play in 802.1X?
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ISC2 Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)
Network and Communication Security
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