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 UEBA rule flags a user authenticating from London and Singapore within 12 minutes, followed by a mailbox forwarding rule creation. What should the analyst investigate first? In the alert triage phase, Which action gives the analyst the clearest next triage step?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Why wrong: Browser cache is not the authoritative source for sign-in and mailbox-rule activity.
B
The organisation's public DNS zone file
Why wrong: DNS zone data is unrelated to mailbox-forwarding abuse.
C
Sign-in logs, MFA result, device details, and mailbox audit events
Impossible travel plus forwarding rule creation is a strong account-compromise pattern; identity and mailbox audit data confirm whether the activity is malicious.
D
Only DHCP logs from the London office
Why wrong: DHCP logs cannot explain the remote sign-in or mailbox change.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Sign-in logs, MFA result, device details, and mailbox audit events
Option C is correct because the alert indicates a potential account compromise (impossible travel from London to Singapore in 12 minutes) followed by a suspicious mailbox rule creation. The clearest next triage step is to examine sign-in logs for authentication source IPs and timestamps, MFA result to verify if the second factor was passed, device details to check for known or managed devices, and mailbox audit events to confirm who created the forwarding rule and when. This combination directly validates whether the user's credentials were used from two geographically impossible locations and whether the mailbox rule was created by the legitimate user or an attacker.
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.
✗
Only the user's browser cache
Why it's wrong here
Browser cache is not the authoritative source for sign-in and mailbox-rule activity.
✗
The organisation's public DNS zone file
Why it's wrong here
DNS zone data is unrelated to mailbox-forwarding abuse.
✓
Sign-in logs, MFA result, device details, and mailbox audit events
Why this is correct
Impossible travel plus forwarding rule creation is a strong account-compromise pattern; identity and mailbox audit data confirm whether the activity is malicious.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Only DHCP logs from the London office
Why it's wrong here
DHCP logs cannot explain the remote sign-in or mailbox change.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the concept that during alert triage, the analyst must correlate multiple log sources (authentication, MFA, device, and mailbox audit) rather than focusing on a single, irrelevant log type like DHCP or DNS, which do not provide the necessary evidence for impossible travel and mailbox rule investigations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
UEBA rules for impossible travel rely on geolocation of authentication IP addresses via GeoIP databases, but these can be spoofed by VPNs or proxies; therefore, examining sign-in logs for actual IP addresses and comparing them with known corporate VPN exit points is critical. MFA result logs (e.g., from Azure AD or Okta) show whether the second factor was satisfied, which helps determine if the attacker had access to the user's MFA token or if MFA was bypassed. Mailbox audit events (Exchange Online or on-premises) log the creation of forwarding rules with the client application and user agent, allowing the analyst to distinguish between a user's action and an automated attacker tool.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CS0-003 question in full detail.
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Sign-in logs, MFA result, device details, and mailbox audit events — Option C is correct because the alert indicates a potential account compromise (impossible travel from London to Singapore in 12 minutes) followed by a suspicious mailbox rule creation. The clearest next triage step is to examine sign-in logs for authentication source IPs and timestamps, MFA result to verify if the second factor was passed, device details to check for known or managed devices, and mailbox audit events to confirm who created the forwarding rule and when. This combination directly validates whether the user's credentials were used from two geographically impossible locations and whether the mailbox rule was created by the legitimate user or an attacker.
What should I do if I get this CS0-003 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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