200-201 Security Policies and Procedures Practice Question
This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of security policies and procedures. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 security analyst receives an alert that an employee's workstation is generating outbound traffic to a known malware command-and-control IP address at 3:00 AM. According to the company's incident response policy, what is the FIRST action the analyst should take?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Isolate the workstation from the network by disabling the switch port.
The first action is to isolate the workstation from the network by disabling the switch port. This immediately stops the outbound command-and-control (C2) traffic, preventing data exfiltration and further compromise, while preserving the system state for forensic analysis. According to the incident response policy, containment takes precedence over eradication or recovery to limit damage.
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.
✓
Isolate the workstation from the network by disabling the switch port.
Why this is correct
Containment stops the malicious traffic and prevents lateral spread.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Reimage the workstation immediately to remove the malware.
Why it's wrong here
Reimaging destroys volatile evidence and is done after forensics.
✗
Apply the latest security patches to the workstation.
Why it's wrong here
Patching is not an immediate containment step.
✗
Call the employee to ask if they are working late.
Why it's wrong here
This delays response and assumes non-malicious activity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the containment-first principle in incident response, and the trap here is that candidates rush to eradicate the malware (reimage) or fix the vulnerability (patch) instead of stopping the active threat by isolating the host.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Disabling the switch port at the access layer (e.g., using `shutdown` on the interface) immediately drops the Layer 2 connection, preventing any further IP traffic without altering the endpoint's disk or memory. This aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where containment strategies like network segmentation are prioritized before eradication. In a real-world scenario, the analyst would also log the switch port number and time for chain-of-custody documentation.
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 small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
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.
Security Policies and Procedures — This question tests Security Policies and Procedures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Isolate the workstation from the network by disabling the switch port. — The first action is to isolate the workstation from the network by disabling the switch port. This immediately stops the outbound command-and-control (C2) traffic, preventing data exfiltration and further compromise, while preserving the system state for forensic analysis. According to the incident response policy, containment takes precedence over eradication or recovery to limit damage.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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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