CS0-003 Incident Response and Management Practice Question
This CS0-003 practice question tests your understanding of incident response and management. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
After containing a compromised host, analysis shows persistence through a scheduled task and a stolen service account. What is required before recovery? During containment, which decision is most defensible?
Why wrong: Reconnection before eradication can allow reinfection.
B
Disable logging to improve performance
Why wrong: Logging is critical during recovery validation.
C
Close the incident after isolation
Why wrong: Isolation is containment, not full eradication or recovery.
D
Remove persistence, rotate affected credentials, and verify no related hosts remain compromised
Recovery should follow eradication of persistence and credential exposure. In containment, responders need action that reduces risk while preserving the investigation record.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Remove persistence, rotate affected credentials, and verify no related hosts remain compromised
Option D is correct because before recovery, you must remove the persistence mechanism (the scheduled task), rotate the stolen service account credentials to prevent re-entry, and verify that no other hosts are compromised using the same foothold. This ensures the attacker cannot regain access after the host is restored to production, which is a fundamental step in the eradication phase of incident response.
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.
✗
Reconnect the host because users need it
Why it's wrong here
Reconnection before eradication can allow reinfection.
✗
Disable logging to improve performance
Why it's wrong here
Logging is critical during recovery validation.
✗
Close the incident after isolation
Why it's wrong here
Isolation is containment, not full eradication or recovery.
✓
Remove persistence, rotate affected credentials, and verify no related hosts remain compromised
Why this is correct
Recovery should follow eradication of persistence and credential exposure. In containment, responders need action that reduces risk while preserving the investigation record.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CompTIA often tests the misconception that isolation alone is sufficient to close an incident, but the trap here is that persistence and credential theft require active eradication and credential rotation before recovery can be considered safe.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, scheduled tasks on Windows (using schtasks.exe or Task Scheduler API) can be set to run with SYSTEM or a specified user account, and a stolen service account credential (e.g., a domain account with SPN) could be cached in LSASS or used for pass-the-hash attacks. Rotating the credential involves immediately disabling the account, resetting its password, and revoking any Kerberos tickets (using `klist purge` or `Reset-ADAccountPassword`). Verification should include checking event logs (Event ID 4698 for task creation, 4624 for logon events) and scanning for similar persistence on other endpoints using tools like Sysinternals Autoruns or PowerShell Get-ScheduledTask.
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 SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CS0-003 question in full detail.
Incident Response and Management — This question tests Incident Response and Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Remove persistence, rotate affected credentials, and verify no related hosts remain compromised — Option D is correct because before recovery, you must remove the persistence mechanism (the scheduled task), rotate the stolen service account credentials to prevent re-entry, and verify that no other hosts are compromised using the same foothold. This ensures the attacker cannot regain access after the host is restored to production, which is a fundamental step in the eradication phase of incident response.
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.
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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