200-201 Network Intrusion Analysis Practice Question
This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of network intrusion analysis. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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.
During a threat hunt, an analyst discovers sustained outbound traffic from a workstation to multiple IP addresses in different countries on port 443. The traffic patterns show periodic spikes at 5-minute intervals. The workstation is used by a sales representative who frequently accesses cloud CRM. Which additional evidence would most strongly suggest the workstation is compromised?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The outbound traffic includes connections to IPs not associated with the CRM
Option C is correct because outbound traffic to IP addresses not associated with the CRM application indicates the workstation is communicating with unknown or malicious destinations. Since the CRM is accessed via a known domain or IP range, connections to unrelated IPs on port 443 (HTTPS) suggest the workstation may be part of a botnet or exfiltrating data, especially given the periodic spikes at 5-minute intervals, which are characteristic of beaconing behavior used by malware to maintain command-and-control (C2) communications.
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.
✗
The CRM application uses port 443
Why it's wrong here
That is legitimate and not evidence of compromise.
✗
The sales representative reported slow performance
Why it's wrong here
Slow performance could have many causes.
✓
The outbound traffic includes connections to IPs not associated with the CRM
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The workstation has antivirus installed and up-to-date
Why it's wrong here
Antivirus does not rule out compromise.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the concept that legitimate application traffic (e.g., CRM on port 443) can be used as a smokescreen, and candidates mistakenly assume that any traffic on a standard port is benign, overlooking the importance of destination IP analysis and traffic patterns like beaconing.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Beaconing traffic often uses periodic intervals (e.g., 5 minutes) to check in with a C2 server, and the use of port 443 (HTTPS) helps blend in with legitimate web traffic. Analysts can use tools like Wireshark or Zeek to filter for outbound connections to suspicious IPs and correlate with threat intelligence feeds (e.g., AlienVault OTX) to identify known malicious hosts. In real-world scenarios, a compromised sales workstation might exfiltrate CRM data via encrypted tunnels, making the destination IP analysis critical.
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.
Network Intrusion Analysis — This question tests Network Intrusion Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The outbound traffic includes connections to IPs not associated with the CRM — Option C is correct because outbound traffic to IP addresses not associated with the CRM application indicates the workstation is communicating with unknown or malicious destinations. Since the CRM is accessed via a known domain or IP range, connections to unrelated IPs on port 443 (HTTPS) suggest the workstation may be part of a botnet or exfiltrating data, especially given the periodic spikes at 5-minute intervals, which are characteristic of beaconing behavior used by malware to maintain command-and-control (C2) communications.
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.
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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