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200-201 Practice Question: Which THREE are essential components of a…
Which THREE are essential components of a security monitoring strategy? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between preventive controls (antivirus, encryption) and detective/monitoring controls (log collection, correlation, incident response procedures), causing candidates to mistakenly include security hygiene measures as monitoring components.
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
✓
Defined incident response procedures.
Defined incident response procedures (Option C) are essential because they provide a structured, repeatable workflow for detecting, analyzing, and containing security incidents. Without pre-defined procedures, a security team cannot consistently execute the 'Respond' phase of the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, leading to delayed containment and increased dwell time.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Antivirus software on all endpoints.
Why it's wrong here
Prevention, not monitoring.
- ✗
Data encryption at rest.
Why it's wrong here
Protection, not monitoring.
- ✓
Defined incident response procedures.
Why this is correct
Ensures proper handling.
- ✓
Centralized log collection from critical systems.
Why this is correct
Provides visibility.
- ✓
Correlation rules to identify suspicious patterns.
Why this is correct
Enables detection.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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