easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CV0-004 Practice Question: A company hosts its critical applications on a…
A company hosts its critical applications on a cloud provider's virtual machines within a virtual private cloud. The security team receives an alert from the intrusion detection system indicating that one of the VMs is exhibiting signs of a ransomware infection. The administrator connects to the VM via a bastion host and observes that several important files have been encrypted and a ransom note has been left. The incident response plan is still being developed, but the administrator knows the immediate priority is to contain the threat and prevent it from spreading to other VMs and storage resources. The company has daily backups stored in a separate cloud storage service that is not directly accessible from the production network. Which of the following actions should the administrator take FIRST to contain the incident and minimize further damage?
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
✓
Immediately disconnect the network interface of the infected VM.
Isolating the infected VM by disconnecting its network interface stops the ransomware from communicating with command-and-control servers and prevents lateral movement. Restoring from backup without verification may reintroduce the infection. Notifying law enforcement is important but not the first step. Running antivirus on the active VM could trigger further encryption or be ineffective.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Restore the VM from the most recent backup.
Why it's wrong here
The backup might also be encrypted; restoration should only occur after isolate and verify clean backup.
- ✗
Notify law enforcement about the ransomware attack.
Why it's wrong here
Notification is part of the response but containment is the immediate priority.
- ✗
Run a full antivirus scan on the infected VM.
Why it's wrong here
Running AV on an active infected VM may trigger more encryption or fail against modern ransomware.
- ✓
Immediately disconnect the network interface of the infected VM.
Why this is correct
This isolates the VM, preventing lateral movement and further encryption.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CV0-004 exam.