This CS0-003 practice question tests your understanding of security operations. 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.
A company uses a centralized logging solution. A security analyst receives a log from a host indicating a user account 'jsmith' was created locally on a server. The analyst suspects this is a backdoor account. Which of the following log sources would provide the most context to confirm the creation method and identify the responsible process?
Sysmon Event ID 1 (Process creation)
Sysmon process creation logs include the parent process, providing context for how the account was created.
Network logs
Why wrong: Network logs show traffic but not local process activities.
Application logs
Why wrong: Application logs typically do not record process creation details.
Windows Security Event Logs (Event ID 4720)
Why wrong: This log shows the account creation but not the parent process.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Sysmon Event ID 1 (Process creation)
Sysmon Event ID 1 captures every process creation event with detailed command-line arguments, parent process information, and hashes. This allows the analyst to see exactly which executable (e.g., net.exe, powershell.exe, or a custom script) created the 'jsmith' user account and what command-line parameters were used, providing definitive evidence of the creation method and responsible process.
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.
Sysmon Event ID 1 (Process creation)
Why this is correct
Sysmon process creation logs include the parent process, providing context for how the account was created.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Network logs
Why it's wrong here
Network logs show traffic but not local process activities.
Application logs
Why it's wrong here
Application logs typically do not record process creation details.
Windows Security Event Logs (Event ID 4720)
Why it's wrong here
This log shows the account creation but not the parent process.
Common exam traps
CompTIA often tests the distinction between detection (Event ID 4720) and forensic attribution (Sysmon Event ID 1), leading candidates to choose the security log that confirms the event occurred rather than the log that reveals how and by what process it was executed.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Network logs show traffic but not local process activities.
Detailed technical explanation
Sysmon Event ID 1 includes fields such as ProcessId, ParentProcessId, CommandLine, and Image, which together enable full process ancestry reconstruction. In a real-world scenario, an attacker might use wmic.exe or a PowerShell script to create a local account; Sysmon captures the exact command line (e.g., 'net user jsmith P@ssw0rd /add'), while Security Event 4720 would only show the account creation timestamp and creator SID, missing the execution context.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Sysmon Event ID 1 (Process creation) — Sysmon Event ID 1 captures every process creation event with detailed command-line arguments, parent process information, and hashes. This allows the analyst to see exactly which executable (e.g., net.exe, powershell.exe, or a custom script) created the 'jsmith' user account and what command-line parameters were used, providing definitive evidence of the creation method and responsible process.
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 30, 2026
This CS0-003 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 CS0-003 exam.
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