200-201 Host-Based Analysis Practice Question
During incident response on a Linux server, an analyst runs 'ss -tlnp' and sees an SSH service listening on a non-standard high port. Which step should the analyst take next to investigate potential unauthorized access?
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
✓
Examine /var/log/auth.log for successful logins.
Checking /var/log/auth.log for successful SSH logins on that port helps identify unauthorized connections.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Review the bash history of root user.
Why it's wrong here
Bash history shows commands but not network connections or authentication.
- ✗
Check /etc/crontab for malicious scheduled tasks.
Why it's wrong here
Cron jobs are for persistence, not directly for SSH access investigation.
- ✗
Run 'ps aux' to list all processes.
Why it's wrong here
While useful, it may not directly show SSH authentication history.
- ✓
Examine /var/log/auth.log for successful logins.
Why this is correct
Auth.log contains SSH login records that can reveal unauthorized access.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.