This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of security monitoring. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Which THREE are essential components of a security monitoring strategy? (Choose three.)
Antivirus software on all endpoints.
Why wrong: Prevention, not monitoring.
Data encryption at rest.
Why wrong: Protection, not monitoring.
Defined incident response procedures.
Ensures proper handling.
Centralized log collection from critical systems.
Provides visibility.
Correlation rules to identify suspicious patterns.
Enables detection.
Answer choices
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.
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.
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.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Centralized log collection from critical systems.
Why this is correct
Provides visibility.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Correlation rules to identify suspicious patterns.
Why this is correct
Enables detection.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
Centralized log collection (Option D) relies on protocols like syslog (RFC 5424) or Windows Event Forwarding to aggregate logs from firewalls, servers, and endpoints into a SIEM. Correlation rules (Option E) use techniques like threshold-based detection or statistical anomaly detection (e.g., 3-sigma deviation) to identify patterns such as a single source IP attempting multiple failed logins across different systems within a 5-minute window.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Security Monitoring — This question tests Security Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: 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.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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