hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
200-201 Practice Question: A security analyst at a financial firm is…
A security analyst at a financial firm is investigating a potential data breach. The company uses Cisco Firepower NGFW and Stealthwatch for network visibility. Over the past week, an internal server with IP 10.10.10.50 has been sending large amounts of data to an external IP 203.0.113.55 on TCP port 443. The Stealthwatch flow records show that the server typically communicates with only internal hosts and a few known external update servers. The analyst checks the Firepower events and sees no alerts for this traffic. The server is running a custom web application that handles financial transactions. The analyst suspects data exfiltration. What should the analyst do next?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between flow/event data and full packet inspection, trapping candidates who think firewall logs or netstat alone can confirm exfiltration over encrypted channels.
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
✓
Capture a packet trace of the suspicious traffic and analyze the SSL/TLS handshake to determine if the traffic is legitimate.
The traffic is encrypted over TCP port 443 (HTTPS), so the analyst cannot determine the content or legitimacy of the data transfer without decrypting or inspecting the SSL/TLS handshake. Capturing a packet trace allows the analyst to examine the TLS handshake details, such as the server certificate, cipher suites, and SNI, which can reveal whether the external IP is a legitimate service or an unauthorized endpoint. This step is non-disruptive and provides forensic evidence before taking any blocking or quarantine actions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Capture a packet trace of the suspicious traffic and analyze the SSL/TLS handshake to determine if the traffic is legitimate.
Why this is correct
Deep packet inspection of the encrypted handshake can reveal certificate details or anomalies indicating a covert channel.
- ✗
Immediately block the destination IP on the firewall and quarantine the server.
Why it's wrong here
Blocking without evidence of malicious content may disrupt legitimate services and does not aid investigation.
- ✗
Review the server's web server logs for any unusual requests or responses.
Why it's wrong here
Web server logs record incoming HTTP requests, not outbound connections from the server itself; thus likely irrelevant.
- ✗
Check the server's running processes and network connections with a command line tool like netstat.
Why it's wrong here
Netstat shows active connections but not the encrypted content or handshake details; it is a secondary step.
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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.