- A
A brute-force attack against a single account using many password guesses.
Why wrong: Brute force usually targets one account repeatedly with many guesses, rather than spreading a small number of attempts across many users.
- B
A password spraying attack using common passwords across many accounts.
This pattern matches password spraying because the attacker tests a small number of common guesses against many accounts to avoid lockouts.
- C
A replay attack using captured authentication traffic.
Why wrong: A replay attack would typically reuse an intercepted token or credential pair, not produce many scattered failed password attempts first.
- D
A successful SSO federation event after a directory sync delay.
Why wrong: A normal federation event would not usually generate repeated failures from the same source IP across many unrelated accounts.
Quick Answer
The answer is a password spraying attack using common passwords across many accounts. This is the correct explanation because the log pattern shows 68 distinct user accounts each suffering a single failed login from the same source IP, with no lockouts triggered, followed by one successful authentication—a classic signature of password spraying. Unlike brute force detection, which would flag multiple rapid attempts against a single account, password spraying deliberately spreads one or two common passwords across many accounts to evade lockout thresholds, typically set at three to five failures per account. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between attack types based on log patterns; a common trap is confusing it with a brute force attack, which would show repeated failures on one account. Memory tip: think “spray one password, many accounts” versus “brute force one account, many passwords.”
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 SIEM analyst reviews authentication logs and sees the following pattern over 15 minutes: 68 different user accounts each had one failed login attempt from the same source IP, followed by no lockouts, and then one of the accounts successfully authenticated from that same IP using a valid password. What is the most likely explanation?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
A password spraying attack using common passwords across many accounts.
The pattern of 68 different user accounts each experiencing a single failed login attempt from the same source IP, followed by one successful authentication from that IP using a valid password, is the classic signature of a password spraying attack. In password spraying, the attacker tries a small number of common passwords (often just one) against many accounts to avoid triggering account lockout policies, which typically lock an account after a small number of consecutive failures (e.g., 3–5 attempts). The single success indicates the attacker found an account using a weak or common password.
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.
- ✗
A brute-force attack against a single account using many password guesses.
Why it's wrong here
Brute force usually targets one account repeatedly with many guesses, rather than spreading a small number of attempts across many users.
- ✓
A password spraying attack using common passwords across many accounts.
Why this is correct
This pattern matches password spraying because the attacker tests a small number of common guesses against many accounts to avoid lockouts.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
A replay attack using captured authentication traffic.
Why it's wrong here
A replay attack would typically reuse an intercepted token or credential pair, not produce many scattered failed password attempts first.
- ✗
A successful SSO federation event after a directory sync delay.
Why it's wrong here
A normal federation event would not usually generate repeated failures from the same source IP across many unrelated accounts.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CompTIA often tests the distinction between brute-force (many passwords, one account) and password spraying (one password, many accounts), and the trap here is that candidates see 'failed login attempts' and immediately assume brute-force without noticing the unique pattern of one failure per account.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Password spraying exploits the fact that many organizations enforce account lockout policies only after a small number of consecutive failures (e.g., 3–5 attempts per account). By trying one common password (e.g., 'Spring2024!' or 'Password123') against hundreds of accounts, the attacker stays below the lockout threshold for each account. Tools like 'Spray' or 'DomainPasswordSpray' automate this, often using LDAP queries to enumerate valid usernames first. The success rate is low but can yield access to accounts with weak passwords, especially in environments without multi-factor authentication (MFA).
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.
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: A password spraying attack using common passwords across many accounts. — The pattern of 68 different user accounts each experiencing a single failed login attempt from the same source IP, followed by one successful authentication from that IP using a valid password, is the classic signature of a password spraying attack. In password spraying, the attacker tries a small number of common passwords (often just one) against many accounts to avoid triggering account lockout policies, which typically lock an account after a small number of consecutive failures (e.g., 3–5 attempts). The single success indicates the attacker found an account using a weak or common password.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SY0-701
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A security analyst is reviewing authentication logs and observes multiple failed login attempts for a single user account occurring within a short timeframe, followed by a successful login from an IP address located in a country where the user has never traveled. The failed attempts originate from various IP addresses and use different passwords. Which type of attack has most likely occurred?
medium- ✓ A.Brute-force attack
- B.Credential stuffing
- C.Password spraying
- D.Dictionary attack
Why A: The correct answer is A (Brute-force attack) because the log shows multiple failed login attempts from various IP addresses using different passwords, followed by a successful login from an unfamiliar country. This pattern indicates a distributed brute-force attack where the attacker systematically tries many passwords against a single account, often using a botnet or proxy rotation to evade IP-based rate limiting. The successful login from a foreign IP confirms the attacker eventually guessed the correct password.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 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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