CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) Practice

Which of the following is a valid SNMP request for retrieving a single value?

1. GetNext

2. GetBulk

3. Set

4. Get

The correct answer is: Get

The SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) allows for various types of requests to interact with network devices. In the context of retrieving a single value, the most appropriate method is "Get." The Get request is specifically designed for retrieving the value of a specific OID (Object Identifier) in a network device's Management Information Base (MIB). When a manager sends a Get request, it specifies the exact object it wants to retrieve, and the device responds with the current value associated with that OID. The other options serve different purposes. For example, GetNext is used for retrieving the next value in a sequence of OIDs, making it suitable for walking through a list of values rather than retrieving a specific one. GetBulk is utilized for retrieving large amounts of data efficiently, typically in a single request, allowing a manager to request multiple values or a range of values, but it does not focus on a single value. The Set request, on the other hand, is used to modify the value of an OID rather than to retrieve it. Thus, selecting Get aligns perfectly with the requirement of retrieving a single specific value, clarifying its purpose in the context of SNMP operations.