SSCP Incident Response and Recovery Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

An organization's security team detects a potential data breach. After confirming the incident, they classify it as P2 (high severity) and begin containment. Which action should be performed FIRST to preserve evidence for forensic analysis?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Capture a memory dump using a tool like Magnet RAM Capture. When a high-severity incident (P2) is confirmed, the first priority for forensic preservation is capturing volatile data, which includes system memory (RAM). A memory dump using a tool like Magnet RAM Capture preserves running processes, network connections, encryption keys, and malware in memory that would be lost on shutdown or disconnection. This order follows the volatility principle: capture the most volatile data first before any other action that could alter the system state.

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Disconnect the system from the network

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Create a forensic image of the hard drive

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Run an antivirus scan to remove malware

Question 2

A security analyst receives a chain of custody form for a hard drive that was seized from a suspected insider threat. The form shows that the drive was handled by three individuals over two days. Which of the following is the PRIMARY reason for maintaining a chain of custody?

Accepted Answer

To prove that the evidence has not been tampered with and is admissible in legal proceedings. The chain of custody is a documented chronological record of evidence handling, which is essential to demonstrate that the hard drive has not been altered, damaged, or substituted since seizure. Without this unbroken record, the evidence could be challenged as inadmissible in court under rules like the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) 901, which require authentication. This is the primary reason because legal admissibility hinges on proving integrity and continuity of custody.

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To determine the cost of the forensic investigation

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To ensure the hard drive is stored in a secure location

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To track the productivity of forensic analysts

Question 3

During incident response, a team needs to isolate an infected workstation that is part of a critical manufacturing network. Which containment method is MOST appropriate to minimize disruption while preventing the spread of malware?

Accepted Answer

Place the workstation into a quarantine VLAN via switch configuration. Placing the workstation into a quarantine VLAN via switch configuration is most appropriate because it logically isolates the infected host from the rest of the network at Layer 2, preventing lateral spread of malware while allowing the manufacturing network to continue operating. This method uses 802.1Q VLAN tagging and access control lists (ACLs) on the switch to restrict traffic without physically disconnecting the device, which could disrupt time-sensitive manufacturing processes. It also preserves the ability to remotely manage or forensically image the workstation if needed.

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Apply a host-based firewall rule to block all inbound traffic

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Physically unplug the network cable

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Disable the user's Active Directory account

Question 4

After a ransomware incident, an organization decides to restore data from backups. The RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is 4 hours. What does this RPO indicate?

Accepted Answer

Backups must be taken at least every 4 hours to ensure data loss does not exceed 4 hours. The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) defines the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time. An RPO of 4 hours means the organization can tolerate losing up to 4 hours of data, so backups must be taken at least every 4 hours to ensure that in the worst case, no more than 4 hours of data is lost. This directly dictates the backup frequency, not the recovery time or downtime.

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The organization can tolerate 4 hours of downtime

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The system must be restored within 4 hours of the incident

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The recovery process will take a maximum of 4 hours

Question 5

Which DR testing type involves running recovery systems in parallel with production systems to verify functionality without impacting live operations?

Accepted Answer

Parallel test. A parallel test is the correct DR testing type because it involves running the recovery systems concurrently with the production systems. This allows the organization to verify that the backup systems function correctly and can handle the workload without any impact on live operations, as the production environment remains untouched.

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Full interruption test

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Simulation test

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Tabletop exercise

Question 6

A security team is collecting evidence from a compromised server. They need to create a forensic image. Which of the following is the CORRECT procedure to ensure data integrity?

Accepted Answer

Use a write blocker to create a bit-for-bit copy, then compute MD5 hash of the original and the copy to verify they match. Forensic imaging requires a write blocker to prevent any modification to the original evidence, and a bit-for-bit copy preserves all data, including slack space and deleted files. Computing an MD5 hash of both the original and the copy verifies integrity by ensuring the hashes match, confirming no data alteration occurred during acquisition.

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Take a photo of the screen and document file timestamps manually

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Create a compressed image file using software without a write blocker

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Boot the system and run a backup utility to copy files to an external drive

Question 7

What is the PRIMARY purpose of a lessons learned meeting after an incident?

Accepted Answer

To identify improvements in the incident response process. The primary purpose of a lessons learned meeting is to analyze the incident response process to identify what worked well and what did not, enabling the team to update procedures, playbooks, and tools to improve future responses. This aligns with the continuous improvement cycle mandated by frameworks like NIST SP 800-61, which emphasizes post-incident activity to refine detection and remediation capabilities.

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To assign blame for the incident

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To satisfy regulatory compliance requirements

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To calculate the financial cost of the incident

Question 8

An analyst detects suspicious outbound traffic from a workstation to a known command-and-control IP. Which IoC blocking method is MOST appropriate as an immediate containment measure?

Accepted Answer

Block the IP address at the perimeter firewall. Blocking the IP address at the perimeter firewall is the most appropriate immediate containment measure because it directly cuts the outbound communication channel to the known command-and-control (C2) server. This stops data exfiltration and prevents the attacker from issuing further commands, buying time for deeper analysis. Firewall ACLs or blackhole routes can be applied in seconds without altering the endpoint, which is critical when the malware may have persistence mechanisms or anti-forensic capabilities.

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Delete the malicious files from the system

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Remove the malware from the workstation using EDR

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Disable the user's account

Question 9

During a forensic investigation, an examiner needs to preserve volatile evidence. Which of the following lists the correct order of collection for volatile data?

Accepted Answer

RAM, network connections, running processes, hard drive image. Volatile data must be collected in order of decreasing volatility to prevent loss of critical evidence. RAM is the most volatile (lost on power-off), followed by network connections (state changes rapidly), then running processes (persist slightly longer), and finally the hard drive image (non-volatile). This order follows the RFC 3227 guidelines for evidence collection.

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Hard drive image, network connections, running processes, RAM

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Running processes, RAM, hard drive image, network connections

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Network connections, hard drive image, RAM, running processes

Question 10

A company is developing a DR plan for a critical database. The maximum acceptable downtime is 2 hours, and the maximum data loss is 1 hour. What are the RTO and RPO?

Accepted Answer

RTO = 2 hours, RPO = 1 hour. The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum acceptable downtime, which is 2 hours. The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum acceptable data loss, which is 1 hour. Therefore, option A correctly identifies RTO = 2 hours and RPO = 1 hour.

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RTO = 1 hour, RPO = 1 hour

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RTO = 1 hour, RPO = 2 hours

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RTO = 2 hours, RPO = 2 hours

Question 11

A security analyst is investigating a phishing incident that led to credential theft. Which TWO actions are appropriate during the containment phase? (Select TWO)

Accepted Answer

Reset the compromised user's password. Resetting the compromised user's password (A) immediately invalidates the stolen credentials, preventing the attacker from using them for further unauthorized access. This is a critical containment step because it cuts off the attacker's authenticated session and access to resources like email, VPN, or cloud services. Blocking the phishing domain at the email gateway (E) prevents additional users from receiving the phishing email, reducing the attack surface and stopping the spread of the incident. Both actions directly limit the impact and scope of the breach during the containment phase.

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Update the incident response plan

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Conduct a lessons learned meeting

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Restore the user's machine from backup

Question 12

During a ransomware incident, the incident response team needs to recover encrypted servers. Which THREE steps are essential for successful recovery? (Select THREE)

Accepted Answer

Restore data from the most recent clean backup. Restoring from the most recent clean backup is the primary recovery method for ransomware incidents. It ensures that encrypted data can be recovered without paying the ransom, provided the backup was taken before the infection and is stored offline or immutable to prevent encryption. This aligns with the 3-2-1 backup strategy (three copies, two media types, one offsite) and is a core step in the NIST SP 800-61 incident response process.

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Pay the ransom to obtain the decryption key

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Delete all user accounts and recreate them

Question 13

During which phase of the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle are lessons learned meetings conducted and metrics such as MTTD and MTTR tracked?

Accepted Answer

Post-Incident Activity. The Post-Incident Activity phase (D) is where lessons learned meetings are conducted and metrics such as Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) are tracked. This phase focuses on reviewing the incident response process, identifying improvements, and documenting findings to enhance future response efforts, as defined in NIST SP 800-61 Revision 2.

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Containment, Eradication, and Recovery

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Preparation

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Detection and Analysis

Question 14

Which of the following is the FIRST step in the volatile evidence collection order when responding to an incident on a live system?

Accepted Answer

Capture a RAM dump using a tool like Magnet RAM Capture or WinPmem. Volatile evidence is collected starting with the most volatile (memory) to preserve data that can be lost when the system is powered down. RAM dump must be done first.

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Disconnect the system from the network

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Run antivirus scans to identify malware

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Create a forensic image of the hard drive

Question 15

A security analyst receives an alert from the EDR system indicating that a workstation has been communicating with a known malicious IP address. The analyst confirms the alert and notes that the user is still logged in. Which immediate containment action should the analyst take FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Isolate the workstation using the EDR agent's network isolation capability. The first priority is to contain the incident by isolating the endpoint to prevent further communication. EDR agents often have a feature to isolate the host from the network immediately.

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Create a full forensic image of the hard drive

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Disable the user's Active Directory account

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Block the malicious IP address at the firewall