200-201 Network Intrusion Analysis Practice Question
During an intrusion analysis, a SOC analyst reviews logs showing an outbound connection from an internal host to an external IP at 03:00 AM every 60 seconds. The traffic is HTTPS to a suspicious domain with a high entropy name. Which phase of the Cyber Kill Chain does this activity represent?
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
✓
Command and Control (C2)
Regular beaconing to an external domain indicates command and control (C2) communication.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Actions on Objectives
Why it's wrong here
Actions on objectives is the final stage like exfiltration or encryption.
- ✗
Delivery
Why it's wrong here
Delivery is the transmission of the weapon, not C2.
- ✓
Command and Control (C2)
Why this is correct
Periodic callbacks to an external domain are typical C2 behaviour.
- ✗
Weaponisation
Why it's wrong here
Weaponisation involves creating the exploit payload, not beaconing.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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