Quick Answer
The answer is eradication. According to NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2, the correct order of the incident response phases after containment is eradication, then evidence preservation, because eradication removes the root cause—such as malware, backdoors, or compromised accounts—before forensic collection begins. Without this step, residual threats could actively tamper with or destroy evidence during the preservation process, compromising legal or investigative integrity. On the Cisco CyberOps Associate 200-201 exam, this question tests your knowledge of the NIST incident response lifecycle sequence, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly place evidence preservation immediately after containment. A common memory tip is to think of "clean first, then collect"—you must eliminate the threat before you can safely gather uncontaminated evidence. Remember the mnemonic "C-E-R-P": Containment, Eradication, Recovery, Post-Incident Activity, with evidence preservation occurring after eradication but before recovery.
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.
A security analyst is reviewing the incident response plan for a small business. The plan states that after an incident is contained, the next step is to preserve evidence. The CISO wants to ensure that the plan follows NIST guidelines. Which step should be added between containment and evidence preservation according to NIST?
Lessons learned
Why wrong: Lessons learned is the final phase.
Recovery
Why wrong: Recovery comes after eradication.
Evidence collection and analysis
Why wrong: Evidence collection should occur before containment to avoid tampering.
Eradication
NIST places eradication after 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
Eradication
According to NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2, the incident response lifecycle includes Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, and Post-Incident Activity (Lessons Learned). Eradication (option D) must follow containment to remove artifacts such as malware, backdoors, or compromised accounts before evidence is preserved for legal or forensic purposes. Without eradication, residual threats could tamper with or destroy evidence during collection.
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.
Lessons learned
Why it's wrong here
Lessons learned is the final phase.
Recovery
Why it's wrong here
Recovery comes after eradication.
Evidence collection and analysis
Why it's wrong here
Evidence collection should occur before containment to avoid tampering.
Eradication
Why this is correct
NIST places eradication after containment.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the NIST incident response phase order, and the trap here is that candidates confuse 'evidence collection and analysis' with 'evidence preservation' or assume recovery immediately follows containment, when in fact eradication is the mandatory intermediate step.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, NIST SP 800-61 defines eradication as the step where all malicious code, registry keys, scheduled tasks, and user accounts associated with the incident are removed. For example, if a PowerShell-based backdoor is found, eradication would involve deleting the script, terminating the process, and revoking the attacker's credentials. Only after this clean removal can evidence be preserved without risk of the attacker re-establishing access and altering logs or memory dumps.
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Security Policies and Procedures — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Security Policies and Procedures practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All 200-201 questions
507 questions across all exam domains
Cisco CyberOps Associate 200-201 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
200-201 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Security Policies and Procedures.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Security Concepts.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Security Monitoring.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Host-Based Analysis.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to Network Intrusion Analysis.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to 200-201 fundamentals.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to 200-201 scenario.
Practise 200-201 questions linked to 200-201 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Eradication — According to NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2, the incident response lifecycle includes Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, and Post-Incident Activity (Lessons Learned). Eradication (option D) must follow containment to remove artifacts such as malware, backdoors, or compromised accounts before evidence is preserved for legal or forensic purposes. Without eradication, residual threats could tamper with or destroy evidence during collection.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.