mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
200-201 Practice Question: A company's incident response policy defines four…
A company's incident response policy defines four phases: Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment Eradication & Recovery, and Post-Incident Activity. During an active ransomware outbreak, the IR team is unable to contain the spread because the containment plan did not account for the malware's use of PowerShell for lateral movement. Which phase had a deficiency?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Preparation
The deficiency lies in the Preparation phase. The incident response policy's Preparation phase should include threat modeling, playbooks, and planning for common attacker TTPs, such as PowerShell-based lateral movement. Since the containment plan did not account for this specific technique, the preparation was inadequate. Options A, D, and E represent later phases that depend on effective preparation; they are not the source of the deficiency.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Containment Eradication & Recovery
Why it's wrong here
The failure is due to lack of preparation.
- ✗
None of the above
Why it's wrong here
There is a clear deficiency.
- ✓
Preparation
Why this is correct
Preparation must anticipate attack vectors.
- ✗
Post-Incident Activity
Why it's wrong here
Not applicable during active incident.
- ✗
Detection & Analysis
Why it's wrong here
Detection may have worked, but containment failed.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on 200-201
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An incident response plan specifies that containment must be completed before eradication. A security analyst identifies a malware infection on a critical server. What should be done first?
medium- ✓ A.Disconnect the server from the network
- B.Run antivirus scans
- C.Notify law enforcement
- D.Reinstall the operating system
Why A: According to the incident response plan, containment must be completed before eradication. Disconnecting the server from the network (Option A) is the immediate containment action that prevents the malware from spreading laterally to other hosts, preserving the integrity of the network and allowing for forensic analysis. This step aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where containment is prioritized to limit damage before any eradication or recovery steps are taken.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.