- A
Disable the user account immediately to prevent further access
Why wrong: Disabling the account without first verifying with the user is too hasty. The activity could be legitimate (e.g., the user is on vacation) and disabling the account could cause unnecessary business disruption. Incident response best practices recommend gathering more information before taking irreversible actions.
- B
Contact the user to verify whether the authentication was legitimate
Contacting the user is the appropriate next step in the incident response process. The analyst needs to confirm if the user performed the action. If the user denies it, the account is likely compromised, and the incident should be escalated. This step helps avoid false positives and ensures accurate incident handling.
- C
Continuously monitor the account for additional suspicious activity
Why wrong: While monitoring is a valid security operation, it should not be the next action when a successful authentication from an unusual location is detected. Waiting could allow an attacker to continue using the account, potentially accessing sensitive data. The analyst should actively investigate rather than passively monitor.
- D
Revoke all active sessions for the user account
Why wrong: Revoking all sessions without first confirming whether the activity is legitimate could lock the user out of necessary systems, causing productivity loss. It also does not address the root cause if the account is compromised, as the attacker might simply initiate new sessions. The proper approach is to verify with the user before taking containment actions.
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 receives an alert about a user account that has been attempting to authenticate from an unusual geographic location outside of business hours. The analyst reviews the event logs and sees that the authentication attempt was successful, but the user has not reported any suspicious activity. Which of the following actions should the analyst take NEXT?
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
Contact the user to verify whether the authentication was legitimate
The correct next step is to contact the user to verify whether the authentication was legitimate. Since the authentication was successful and the user has not reported suspicious activity, the analyst must first gather context from the user before taking any disruptive action. This aligns with the incident response process of validation and scoping before containment.
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.
- ✗
Disable the user account immediately to prevent further access
Why it's wrong here
Disabling the account without first verifying with the user is too hasty. The activity could be legitimate (e.g., the user is on vacation) and disabling the account could cause unnecessary business disruption. Incident response best practices recommend gathering more information before taking irreversible actions.
- ✓
Contact the user to verify whether the authentication was legitimate
Why this is correct
Contacting the user is the appropriate next step in the incident response process. The analyst needs to confirm if the user performed the action. If the user denies it, the account is likely compromised, and the incident should be escalated. This step helps avoid false positives and ensures accurate incident handling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Continuously monitor the account for additional suspicious activity
Why it's wrong here
While monitoring is a valid security operation, it should not be the next action when a successful authentication from an unusual location is detected. Waiting could allow an attacker to continue using the account, potentially accessing sensitive data. The analyst should actively investigate rather than passively monitor.
- ✗
Revoke all active sessions for the user account
Why it's wrong here
Revoking all sessions without first confirming whether the activity is legitimate could lock the user out of necessary systems, causing productivity loss. It also does not address the root cause if the account is compromised, as the attacker might simply initiate new sessions. The proper approach is to verify with the user before taking containment actions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often jump to containment (disabling the account) without first validating the alert, confusing the 'detection and analysis' phase with the 'containment, eradication, and recovery' phase of the incident response process.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a typical enterprise, authentication logs from Active Directory or a cloud IdP (e.g., Azure AD) include geolocation data derived from the source IP address. A successful authentication from an unusual location outside business hours could indicate a compromised account or a legitimate user using a VPN or traveling. The analyst should correlate the event with the user's known travel schedule, VPN usage, or MFA prompts before escalating to containment.
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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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: Contact the user to verify whether the authentication was legitimate — The correct next step is to contact the user to verify whether the authentication was legitimate. Since the authentication was successful and the user has not reported suspicious activity, the analyst must first gather context from the user before taking any disruptive action. This aligns with the incident response process of validation and scoping before containment.
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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