easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
200-201 Practice Question: A security analyst is monitoring network traffic…
A security analyst is monitoring network traffic and notices a sudden increase in outbound connections from a single workstation to multiple IP addresses on port 443 at regular intervals. The workstation is used for standard office applications. Which action should the analyst take first?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the candidate's understanding of the incident response process by presenting a plausible but premature containment action (like isolation or blocking) as a distractor, when the correct first step is always to gather and correlate evidence to confirm the threat.
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
✓
Correlate the connections with firewall logs and endpoint telemetry
The sudden increase in outbound connections to multiple IPs on port 443 (HTTPS) from a single workstation could indicate command-and-control (C2) traffic, data exfiltration, or a compromised system. The first step should be to correlate these connections with firewall logs and endpoint telemetry to gather contextual evidence—such as process names, parent processes, and connection durations—before taking any disruptive action. This aligns with the NIST incident response process (Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment, Eradication, Recovery) where analysis precedes containment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Correlate the connections with firewall logs and endpoint telemetry
Why this is correct
Correlation helps identify if the traffic is malicious or caused by legitimate software like updates or VoIP.
- ✗
Immediately block all outbound traffic from the workstation
Why it's wrong here
Blocking without analysis could disrupt legitimate services and is not the first step.
- ✗
Escalate to the incident response team immediately
Why it's wrong here
Escalation should follow initial analysis; jumping to escalation may waste resources.
- ✗
Isolate the workstation from the network
Why it's wrong here
Isolation should be done only after confirming malicious activity, not as a first 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.