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Quick Answer
The answer is rebuilding compromised servers from a secure baseline image, along with isolating affected systems and removing malicious files. These three activities directly map to the core objectives of the Containment, Eradication, and Recovery phase: stopping the spread of the incident, eliminating the root cause, and restoring normal operations. Isolating systems achieves containment, removing malware and restoring from backups handles eradication and recovery, and rebuilding from a secure baseline ensures the environment is clean and trustworthy. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this question tests your understanding of the NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2 framework, which clearly separates this phase from identification and lessons learned. A common trap is confusing forensic data collection (which belongs to the analysis phase) with recovery actions. Remember the mnemonic "ICE": Isolate, Clean, and Establish—where "Establish" means rebuilding from a trusted baseline to prevent reinfection.
SY0-701 Security Operations Practice Question
This SY0-701 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 security analyst is reviewing incident response procedures. Which three of the following activities are typically performed during the 'Containment, Eradication, and Recovery' phase of the incident response process? (Choose three.)
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
✓
Isolating affected systems from the network to prevent further damage
The 'Containment, Eradication, and Recovery' phase focuses on stopping the spread of an incident, removing the root cause, and restoring normal operations. Isolating affected systems (containment), removing malicious files and restoring from backups (eradication/recovery), and rebuilding from a secure baseline (recovery) are all core activities in this phase, as defined by NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2 and CompTIA's incident response framework.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the 'Containment, Eradication, and Recovery' phase with the 'Detection and Analysis' phase, mistakenly selecting forensic imaging or escalation as part of containment when they are actually pre-containment steps to preserve evidence and notify stakeholders.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
During containment, techniques like network segmentation via VLAN ACLs or host-based firewall rules (e.g., iptables or Windows Firewall) are used to isolate compromised hosts without destroying volatile evidence. Eradication often involves using tools like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or Sysinternals Autoruns to remove persistence mechanisms, followed by a bare-metal restore from a verified backup (e.g., using Veeam or Windows Server Backup) to ensure no remnants of the threat remain. Rebuilding from a secure baseline image (e.g., using MDT or SCCM) ensures the system is free of malware and configuration drift, which is critical for recovery.
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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
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: Isolating affected systems from the network to prevent further damage — The 'Containment, Eradication, and Recovery' phase focuses on stopping the spread of an incident, removing the root cause, and restoring normal operations. Isolating affected systems (containment), removing malicious files and restoring from backups (eradication/recovery), and rebuilding from a secure baseline (recovery) are all core activities in this phase, as defined by NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2 and CompTIA's incident response framework.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.
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