This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of host-based analysis. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A financial firm uses Sysmon for endpoint monitoring on all Windows servers. One server, 'FIN-SRV-01', which hosts a critical database application, is exhibiting high CPU usage and unusual outbound network connections to a known malicious IP on port 8080. The Sysmon logs show Event ID 1 (Process Create) with a suspicious process 'rundll32.exe' spawned from 'winword.exe', and Event ID 3 (Network Connect) showing the connection to the malicious IP. The antivirus has not detected any threats. The analyst must decide the next immediate action to contain the threat while preserving evidence.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Isolate the server by disconnecting its network cable and taking a memory dump for further analysis.
Option D is correct because isolating the server by disconnecting its network cable immediately stops the outbound communication to the malicious IP on port 8080, containing the threat without destroying volatile evidence. Taking a memory dump preserves the running processes, including the suspicious rundll32.exe spawned from winword.exe, which is critical for forensic analysis of the attack chain. This approach aligns with incident response best practices: contain first, then analyze, while avoiding actions that could destroy evidence or alert the attacker.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Reboot the server to clear any suspicious processes from memory.
Why it's wrong here
May lose volatile evidence and not remove persistence.
✗
Immediately format the server's hard drive and reinstall the OS.
Why it's wrong here
Destroys all evidence and does not allow analysis.
✗
Restore the server from the most recent backup taken yesterday.
Why it's wrong here
Could restore the same infected files if the backup is compromised.
✓
Isolate the server by disconnecting its network cable and taking a memory dump for further analysis.
Why this is correct
Preserves evidence and stops malicious activity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the principle that containment must preserve evidence, and the trap here is that candidates may choose a destructive action like rebooting or formatting, mistakenly thinking it removes the threat, when in fact it destroys the forensic data needed to understand the attack.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Sysmon Event ID 1 captures process creation with command-line arguments, which can reveal that rundll32.exe was launched with a malicious DLL path (e.g., via a DllEntryPoint), while Event ID 3 logs the network connection with source/destination IPs and ports. In this scenario, the attacker likely used a macro in winword.exe to execute rundll32.exe as a LOLBins (Living Off the Land Binary) technique, bypassing antivirus by leveraging a trusted Microsoft binary. Taking a memory dump with tools like DumpIt or WinPmem allows analysts to extract the injected DLL, network artifacts, and process memory for reverse engineering.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 200-201 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Host-Based Analysis — This question tests Host-Based Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Isolate the server by disconnecting its network cable and taking a memory dump for further analysis. — Option D is correct because isolating the server by disconnecting its network cable immediately stops the outbound communication to the malicious IP on port 8080, containing the threat without destroying volatile evidence. Taking a memory dump preserves the running processes, including the suspicious rundll32.exe spawned from winword.exe, which is critical for forensic analysis of the attack chain. This approach aligns with incident response best practices: contain first, then analyze, while avoiding actions that could destroy evidence or alert the attacker.
What should I do if I get this 200-201 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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