200-201 Security Policies and Procedures Practice Question
A SOC Tier 2 analyst receives an escalated alert about a potential command-and-control (C2) communication. The analyst needs to correlate network logs with threat intelligence. Which data format and transport protocol pair is specifically designed for standardized threat intelligence sharing?
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
✓
STIX and TAXII
STIX is the format, TAXII is the transport protocol for sharing threat intelligence.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
OpenIOC and MISP
Why it's wrong here
OpenIOC is a compromise-indicator format, not a transport, and MISP is a sharing platform rather than the standardised transport protocol the question requires. It is tempting because both relate to threat intel, and OpenIOC would fit a scenario needing indicator exchange between compatible tools.
- ✓
STIX and TAXII
Why this is correct
STIX provides a standardised schema for describing indicators, malware and campaigns, while TAXII defines the transport for exchanging that content between systems. Together they satisfy the requirement to correlate network logs with threat intelligence, since the escalated C2 alert's indicators can be ingested in a machine-readable, vendor-neutral form.
- ✗
MISP and STIX
Why it's wrong here
MISP is a threat-intelligence sharing platform, not the transport protocol; STIX is the data format, so the pair mismatches format and transport. It is tempting because both are widely used in threat intel, and MISP would be correct where the requirement is a sharing platform, not a protocol.
- ✗
TAXII and OpenIOC
Why it's wrong here
TAXII is the correct transport protocol, but OpenIOC is a proprietary indicator format, not the standardised data format TAXII carries. It is tempting because both are threat-intel terms, and TAXII with STIX would be correct for standardised sharing.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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