N10-009 CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam Free Practice Exam Questions (2026 Updated)

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) uses port 389 for standard connections and port 636 for LDAP over SSL (LDAPS), which secures directory service communication.

Breakdown of Options:

A. 22 – SSH port, not used for directory services.

B. 389 – Used for LDAP, but not encrypted.

C. 445 – Used for SMB file sharing, not LDAP.

D. 636 – Correct answer. LDAPS (LDAP over SSL/TLS) secures directory authentication.

The correct answer is Modify the CNAME record because a CNAME (Canonical Name) record maps one domain name (alias) to another domain name. If a user enters www.abc.com but is redirected to www.cba.com, it is likely that the DNS configuration includes an incorrect CNAME entry pointing abc.com to cba.com. Updating or correcting the CNAME record ensures the alias resolves to the intended host.

According to CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) objectives covering DNS record types, a CNAME record is used to alias one domain name to another, commonly for load balancing, CDN services, or website redirection.

A PTR record (Option B) is used for reverse DNS lookups (IP address to hostname) and does not control forward name resolution for websites. NTP settings (Option C) are used for time synchronization and have no impact on DNS resolution. A TXT record (Option D) stores descriptive text information (such as SPF, DKIM, or domain verification data) and does not affect website redirection.

Therefore, correcting the CNAME record resolves the issue and ensures users reach the correct website.

Out-of-band (OOB) management refers to using a dedicated management network that is physically separate from the regular data network. This management network uses a different set of IP addresses to ensure that management traffic is isolated from user data traffic, providing a secure way to manage network devices even if the main network is down or compromised.References: CompTIA Network+ study materials. ​

An access point (AP) provides users with an extended footprint that allows connections from multiple devices within a designated Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

Router: Typically used to connect different networks, not specifically for extending wireless coverage.

Switch: Used to connect devices within a wired network, not for providing wireless access.

Access Point (AP): Extends wireless network coverage, allowing multiple wireless devices to connect to the network.

Firewall: Primarily used for network security, controlling incoming and outgoing traffic based on security rules, not for providing wireless connectivity.

Network References:

CompTIA Network+ N10-007 Official Certification Guide: Explains the roles and functions of network appliances, including access points.

Cisco Networking Academy: Provides training on deploying and managing wireless networks with access points.

Network+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide: Covers network devices and their roles in creating and managing networks.

For an internal network using IPv6, the best option listed is OSPFv3, which is the OSPF version designed to support IPv6 routing. In Network+ (N10-009) routing objectives, OSPF is a common interior gateway protocol (IGP) used within an organization (an autonomous system) to exchange routes dynamically and converge efficiently. OSPFv3 maintains the link-state approach of OSPF while adding IPv6 support, making it a strong fit for enterprise internal routing where multiple routers and subnets need dynamic path calculation and fast convergence.

BGP4 and iBGP are associated with BGP, primarily used for inter-domain routing on the internet and between large networks; while BGP can carry IPv6 (via MP-BGP), it is generally not the “best” default choice for a typical internal-only enterprise network unless there is a specific design reason. EIGRP can support IPv6 in some implementations, but Network+ typically emphasizes OSPF/OSPFv3 as the widely adopted, vendor-neutral IGP for IPv6 deployments. Given the options and the “best for this setup” wording, OSPFv3 is the most appropriate answer.

The correct answer is traceroute, which is the diagnostic command specifically designed to determine the path a packet takes across a network. According to the CompTIA Network+ N10-009 objectives, traceroute is a key network troubleshooting tool used to identify routing paths, hop counts, and points of latency or failure between a source and a destination.

Traceroute works by sending packets with incrementally increasing Time to Live (TTL) values. Each router along the path decrements the TTL by one, and when it reaches zero, the router returns an ICMP Time Exceeded message. This process allows the administrator to see each intermediate hop, its response time, and where packets may be delayed or dropped.

The other options do not fulfill this purpose. Ping only verifies basic connectivity and round-trip time but does not show the route taken. Netstat displays active connections, ports, and routing tables but does not trace packet paths. Nslookup is used to resolve DNS names to IP addresses, and ipconfig displays local network configuration information.

The Network+ objectives emphasize traceroute (or tracert on Windows systems) as the primary tool for diagnosing routing issues, asymmetric paths, and network congestion, making it the correct and most appropriate choice in this scenario.

The correct answer is Switch because the question references a new logical layout segmenting the network using tagging, which indicates VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) configuration. VLAN tagging (IEEE 802.1Q) is performed on switches to logically separate broadcast domains within the same physical infrastructure.

According to CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) objectives under switching technologies, VLANs are used to improve security, reduce broadcast traffic, and logically segment network traffic. When VLAN tagging is misconfigured—such as incorrect trunk ports, access port assignments, or mismatched VLAN IDs—devices may lose connectivity to required network resources.

Since the issue began after changes involving tagging, the most likely cause is an incorrect switch configuration, such as improper VLAN assignments or trunking settings.

An access point (Option A) may use VLANs for SSID segmentation, but core tagging configuration is handled at the switch. A firewall (Option B) filters traffic but does not control VLAN tagging at Layer 2 in typical deployments. A load balancer (Option D) distributes traffic among servers and is unrelated to VLAN segmentation.

Therefore, reviewing the switch configuration is the appropriate action to restore connectivity.

Role of NTP (Network Time Protocol):

NTP is used to synchronize the clocks of network devices to a reference time source. Accurate time synchronization is critical for correlating events and logs from different systems.

Importance for SIEM Systems:

Event Correlation: SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems collect and analyze log data from various sources. Accurate timestamps are essential for correlating events across multiple systems.

Time Consistency: Without synchronized time, it is challenging to piece together the sequence of events during an incident, making forensic analysis difficult.

Comparison with Other Protocols:

DNS (Domain Name System): Translates domain names to IP addresses but is not related to time synchronization.

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol): Used for directory services, such as user authentication and authorization.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol): Assigns IP addresses to devices on a network but does not handle time synchronization.

Implementation:

Ensure that all network devices, servers, and endpoints are synchronized using NTP. This can be achieved by configuring devices to use an NTP server, which could be a local server or an external time source.

PaaS (Platform as a Service) is best suited for application development because it provides a managed platform that includes the runtime environment, development frameworks, middleware, databases (often), and build/deployment tooling. In a PaaS model, the cloud provider manages the underlying infrastructure (servers, storage, networking, OS patching, and often the application runtime), allowing developers to focus on writing code, testing, and releasing applications quickly. This aligns with Network+ cloud concepts where service models are compared by responsibility: PaaS reduces operational overhead for the customer and accelerates development through standardized environments and automation.

Mobile access is a use case for remote access solutions (VPN, zero trust access, MDM), not specifically PaaS. An e-commerce site could be hosted using many models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), so it’s not the most specific match. Cloud-native software describes an architectural style (microservices, containers, managed services) and can be built using PaaS components, but it is broader than a single “use case” and is not as directly tied to the PaaS definition as application development is. Therefore, application development is the clearest and most accurate PaaS use case.

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This scenario is best described as an on-path attack. In an on-path attack, a malicious actor positions themselves between the user and the intended destination, allowing them to intercept, inspect, redirect, or modify traffic. The clue is that the banking web page looks different when the user is not using the VPN, but appears correctly and allows login when the VPN is enabled. A VPN encrypts traffic between the user’s device and the VPN endpoint, which helps prevent local network attackers from altering or reading the traffic.

The CompTIA Network+ N10-009 objectives include common network attacks such as on-path attacks, ARP poisoning, rogue access points, and evil twin attacks. ARP spoofing and ARP poisoning are techniques that can be used to create an on-path position on a local network, but the question describes the broader attack outcome rather than specifically proving ARP manipulation. An evil twin is a fake wireless access point that impersonates a legitimate one, but the question does not directly state that the user connected to a fake SSID. Therefore, on-path attack is the best answer.

Security groups in cloud environments act as virtual firewalls for VM instances, controlling inbound and outbound traffic based on specified rules.

From Andrew Ramdayal’s guide:

“Network security groups are used to control inbound and outbound traffic to cloud resources within a VPC. They act as a virtual firewall for associated instances...”

Band steering allows wireless access points to automatically direct capable devices to the 5GHz band, which typically has higher throughput and less interference than the 2.4GHz band, improving performance. The document confirms:

“Band steering helps balance wireless client loads by steering dual-band capable devices to the 5GHz band, which offers higher speeds and less channel congestion than 2.4GHz.”

Role-based access control, or RBAC, assigns permissions according to a user’s job role or responsibility within the organization. In this question, granting data center access only to server and network administrators is the best example because the permission is tied directly to the users’ operational roles. Server administrators and network administrators typically require physical or logical access to data center infrastructure to perform maintenance, troubleshooting, configuration, and support tasks. This aligns with the CompTIA Network+ N10-009 security objectives related to authentication, authorization, and access control.

Option B is too broad because giving the entire IT department access to an application development server may violate least privilege. Not every IT employee needs that access. Option C describes multifactor authentication, which strengthens authentication but does not define authorization by role. Option D is closer to discretionary access control because the HR director is deciding who can access files. RBAC is centrally defined by roles, not by an individual data owner’s discretion. Therefore, option A is the strongest RBAC example.

To monitor server availability, SNMP traps are the best choice. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) allows devices to send alerts (traps) when certain conditions are met, such as server downtime or high resource usage.

Breakdown of Options:

A. Packet capture – Capturing packets provides insights into network traffic but does not actively monitor server availability.

B. Data usage reports – These analyze network traffic consumption but do not indicate whether a server is available or not.

C. SNMP traps – Correct answer. SNMP traps notify administrators of server issues in real time.

D. Configuration monitoring – This tracks configuration changes rather than availability.

The correct answer is Active-active because a stock exchange broker requires extremely high availability, minimal downtime, and near-zero data loss. According to CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) objectives under high availability and disaster recovery concepts, an active-active configuration involves multiple systems or sites operating simultaneously and sharing the workload. If one system fails, the other continues processing traffic without service interruption.

This model provides the lowest Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO), which is critical in financial trading environments where even seconds of downtime can result in major financial loss. Active-active architectures also support load balancing, redundancy, and continuous synchronization between systems.

A warm site (Option A) contains preconfigured hardware but may require data restoration and configuration before becoming fully operational, resulting in some downtime. A full mesh (Option C) is a network topology design and does not specifically address disaster recovery at the service level. In-band (Option D) refers to management traffic sharing the production network and is unrelated to DR strategy.

Therefore, an active-active approach is the most suitable solution for mission-critical financial operations.

AnAccess Control List (ACL)configured on theedge firewallis the correct and most effective solution tofilter inbound traffic. The administrator can allow TCP port 443 (HTTPS) and deny all other traffic. This is a classic firewall configuration for securing public-facing servers.