This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of security policies and procedures. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
An incident response plan specifies that containment must be completed before eradication. A security analyst identifies a malware infection on a critical server. What should be done first?
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.
Disconnect the server from the network
Disconnecting is a containment action that prevents further spread.
Run antivirus scans
Why wrong: Scanning is eradication, which should follow containment.
Notify law enforcement
Why wrong: Notification may be required but is not a containment action.
Reinstall the operating system
Why wrong: Reinstallation is an eradication step, not containment.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Disconnect the server from the network
According to the incident response plan, containment must be completed before eradication. Disconnecting the server from the network (Option A) is the immediate containment action that prevents the malware from spreading laterally to other hosts, preserving the integrity of the network and allowing for forensic analysis. This step aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where containment is prioritized to limit damage before any eradication or recovery steps are taken.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Disconnect the server from the network
Why this is correct
Disconnecting is a containment action that prevents further 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.
Run antivirus scans
Why it's wrong here
Scanning is eradication, which should follow containment.
Notify law enforcement
Why it's wrong here
Notification may be required but is not a containment action.
Reinstall the operating system
Why it's wrong here
Reinstallation is an eradication step, not containment.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the strict ordering of the incident response phases (Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, Post-Incident Activity), and the trap here is that candidates confuse eradication actions (like running antivirus or reinstalling the OS) with the required first containment step, leading them to choose a technically plausible but procedurally incorrect answer.
Detailed technical explanation
In a real-world scenario, disconnecting the network cable or disabling the virtual NIC at the hypervisor level (e.g., via vSphere) immediately stops all Layer 2/3 communication, preventing the malware from using protocols like SMB or RDP to propagate. This action also preserves the server's memory and disk state for later memory forensics (e.g., using Volatility) and disk imaging, which is critical for identifying the malware's indicators of compromise (IOCs) and root cause.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Security Policies and Procedures — This question tests Security Policies and Procedures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Disconnect the server from the network — According to the incident response plan, containment must be completed before eradication. Disconnecting the server from the network (Option A) is the immediate containment action that prevents the malware from spreading laterally to other hosts, preserving the integrity of the network and allowing for forensic analysis. This step aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where containment is prioritized to limit damage before any eradication or recovery steps are taken.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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