CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) Practice 2025 - Free CPSA Practice Questions and Study Guide

The Spanning Tree Protocol is indeed known as STP. It is a network protocol that ensures a loop-free topology for computer networks. By creating a tree structure that spans all the devices in a network, STP prevents broadcast storms and network loops, which can cripple network performance and reliability. STP allows for redundancy in the network while ensuring that only one active path exists at a time. If there is a change in the network topology, such as a switch failing or a new switch being added, STP recalculates the active paths and adjusts accordingly to ensure continuous connectivity.

In contrast, other options serve different purposes within networking. CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol) is used for network discovery and device communication, while DTP (Dynamic Trunking Protocol) pertains to the management of trunk links between switches. VLAN refers to Virtual Local Area Networks, which segment a network logically rather than physically. Each of these protocols and technologies has its distinct roles, but none serve the specific function of maintaining a loop-free network topology like STP does.