- A
MD5 hash of a malicious executable
File hashes are used to identify known malware samples.
- B
IP addresses of known command and control servers
C2 IPs are classic IoCs used to detect compromised hosts communicating outbound.
- C
The current time of day
Why wrong: Time of day is not an IoC.
- D
The company's stock price
Why wrong: Stock price is unrelated to technical security monitoring.
- E
The number of employees in the company
Why wrong: This is organizational data, not a technical indicator of compromise.
Question 682 of 1,000
200-201 Security Monitoring Practice Question
This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of security monitoring. 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.
Which TWO of the following are examples of Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) used in network security monitoring? (Choose two.)
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
✓
MD5 hash of a malicious executable
An Indicator of Compromise (IoC) is a piece of forensic data that identifies potentially malicious activity on a network or system. The MD5 hash of a malicious executable is a file-based IoC that allows security monitoring tools to detect known malware by comparing file hashes against threat intelligence feeds. This is a standard IoC used in signature-based detection systems like Snort or YARA.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
MD5 hash of a malicious executable
Why this is correct
File hashes are used to identify known malware samples.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
IP addresses of known command and control servers
Why this is correct
C2 IPs are classic IoCs used to detect compromised hosts communicating outbound.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The current time of day
Why it's wrong here
Time of day is not an IoC.
- ✗
The company's stock price
Why it's wrong here
Stock price is unrelated to technical security monitoring.
- ✗
The number of employees in the company
Why it's wrong here
This is organizational data, not a technical indicator of compromise.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between IoCs (specific, actionable artifacts of compromise) and unrelated contextual data (like time, stock price, or employee count) to see if candidates understand that IoCs must directly indicate malicious activity, not just general system or business information.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In practice, IoCs are categorized into network-based (e.g., IP addresses, domain names, URLs) and host-based (e.g., file hashes, registry keys, mutexes). The MD5 hash is a 128-bit cryptographic digest that uniquely identifies a file; security information and event management (SIEM) systems like Splunk or Elasticsearch can correlate these hashes against known malware databases. Command and control (C2) IP addresses are often extracted from threat intelligence feeds and used in firewall rules or NetFlow analysis to block outbound connections to adversary infrastructure.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-201 question test?
Security Monitoring — This question tests Security Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: MD5 hash of a malicious executable — An Indicator of Compromise (IoC) is a piece of forensic data that identifies potentially malicious activity on a network or system. The MD5 hash of a malicious executable is a file-based IoC that allows security monitoring tools to detect known malware by comparing file hashes against threat intelligence feeds. This is a standard IoC used in signature-based detection systems like Snort or YARA.
What should I do if I get this 200-201 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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.
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