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200-201 Practice Question: Which TWO actions should an analyst take when a…
Which TWO actions should an analyst take when a critical alert is triggered?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that immediate containment actions like powering off a system are always the correct first step, when in fact verification and preservation of evidence are prioritized to avoid destroying critical forensic data.
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
✓
Verify the alert with other sources
Verifying a critical alert with other sources (e.g., correlating with firewall logs, NetFlow data, or endpoint detection responses) is a fundamental step to confirm the alert is a true positive and not a false positive. This cross-validation reduces the risk of acting on inaccurate information and ensures that the incident response process is based on reliable evidence. Without verification, an analyst might escalate a non-threatening event, wasting resources and potentially missing a real threat.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Delete the alert to reduce noise
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Deleting alerts hides potential threats.
- ✓
Verify the alert with other sources
Why this is correct
Correct. Corroborating the alert with other logs confirms its validity.
- ✓
Escalate to incident response team
Why this is correct
Correct. Critical alerts require immediate handling by the incident response team.
- ✗
Search for similar alerts in the past
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While helpful, this is not a top priority for a critical alert.
- ✗
Immediately power off the affected system
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Powering off may destroy evidence and disrupt operations without proper investigation.
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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.