200-201 Security Monitoring Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are common Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) used in threat intelligence?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between IoCs (specific, observable artifacts of an intrusion) and contextual data (like user-agent strings or port numbers) that are not reliable or specific enough to be used as standalone indicators in threat intelligence.
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
✓
IP addresses
IP addresses are a primary Indicator of Compromise (IoC) because they directly identify the network location of a malicious host, such as a command-and-control (C2) server or a source of an attack. In threat intelligence, IP addresses are used to block traffic, enrich alerts, and correlate events across different data sources. They are a foundational IoC because they are observable in network logs, firewall logs, and IDS/IPS alerts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
IP addresses
Why this is correct
IP addresses of known malicious hosts are common IoCs.
- ✗
User-agent strings
Why it's wrong here
User-agent strings can be spoofed and are not reliable IoCs.
- ✗
Port numbers
Why it's wrong here
Port numbers alone are not indicative of compromise without context.
- ✓
Domain names
Why this is correct
Malicious domains are used for C2 or phishing.
- ✓
File hashes (MD5, SHA-256)
Why this is correct
Hashes of known malware files are key IoCs.
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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.