CS0-003 Incident Response and Management Practice Question
A security analyst detects ransomware on a critical server. Which containment strategy should be implemented FIRST to minimize 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
✓
Disconnect the server from the network
Immediate network isolation (short-term containment) stops lateral spread and limits damage.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Run a full antivirus scan on the server
Why it's wrong here
Running a full antivirus scan is a reactive measure that consumes significant system resources and fails to stop active encryption or lateral movement. While it may identify known signatures, it does not contain the threat, allowing the ransomware to continue spreading across the network during the scan.
- ✗
Block the ransomware's command-and-control IP at the firewall
Why it's wrong here
Blocking the command-and-control (C2) IP address at the perimeter firewall prevents external communication but fails to isolate the infected host locally. The ransomware can still execute its payload, encrypt local files, and propagate laterally to adjacent subnet hosts via internal protocols like SMB.
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Rebuild the server from a clean backup
Why it's wrong here
Rebuilding the server from a clean backup is an eradication and recovery phase action rather than an immediate containment step. Attempting this prematurely before isolating the threat risks re-infecting the new deployment and destroys volatile memory evidence crucial for root-cause analysis.
- ✓
Disconnect the server from the network
Why this is correct
Disconnecting the server from the network is the primary containment action to halt active ransomware propagation. This immediate physical or logical isolation prevents the malware from encrypting mapped network drives, communicating with its command-and-control server, or spreading to other vulnerable hosts on the segment.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Executive Security Reporting
Key term
Containment strategy
A containment strategy is a set of actions taken during a security incident to stop the threat from spreading or causing further damage while preserving evidence for analysis.
Key term
Containment
Containment is the incident response phase where security teams isolate a compromised system or network to prevent the threat from spreading further while preserving evidence.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CS0-004 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 CS0-004 exam.