Can you explain these traceroute asterisks? CCNA Prep
Ever wonder why those asterisks show up mid-trace? Drop your answer in the comments before time runs out!
The question
Why does a traceroute output show asterisks (* * *) for an intermediate hop?
The answer
A ICMP Time Exceeded reply was filtered
Traceroute needs ICMP Type 11 Time Exceeded messages to map hops, so if a firewall drops them, you get stars. Don't confuse dropped probes with destination unreachable. Follow for tomorrow's rep.
Exam tip
Read what the question is actually asking before looking at the options. The wrong answers here are ones candidates genuinely pick — each is true of something adjacent, just not of what was asked.