- A
Whether the source IP belongs to the company help desk
Why wrong: Knowing the source is internal may help, but it does not prove the logins were authorized or expected.
- B
Whether there is a change ticket or test plan for the access portal and the activity matches the approved maintenance window
A documented change, test plan, and matching maintenance window provide the strongest evidence that the alert reflects approved work rather than malicious activity.
- C
Whether the user account has MFA enabled
Why wrong: MFA status matters for risk, but it does not confirm whether the repeated login attempts were legitimate or expected.
- D
Whether the firewall is in inline mode
Why wrong: Firewall mode affects traffic handling, but it does not help determine whether the login pattern was authorized maintenance.
Quick Answer
The best evidence to check is whether a change ticket or test plan exists for the access portal that matches the observed activity. This is correct because change management documentation directly ties the SIEM alert—240 failed logins followed by one successful login—to an approved maintenance window, confirming it is a false positive caused by authorized testing rather than a malicious brute-force attack. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of operational controls and the importance of verifying alerts against change management records before escalating. A common trap is to focus on the successful login itself or the source IP, but without a corresponding change ticket, those indicators could still signal a real attack. Remember the mnemonic “CTP” for Change Ticket, Test Plan—if the activity matches the approved window, it’s a false positive, not an incident.
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 SOC analyst receives a SIEM alert for a possible brute-force attack against a remote access portal. The alert shows 240 failed logins from the same source IP over 4 minutes, followed by one successful login. Before escalating as an incident, what is the BEST evidence to check to determine whether the alert is a false positive caused by approved activity?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
Whether there is a change ticket or test plan for the access portal and the activity matches the approved maintenance window
A change ticket or test plan that matches the observed activity (240 failed logins followed by a successful login during an approved maintenance window) would indicate that the alert is a false positive caused by authorized testing or maintenance, not a malicious brute-force attack. This is the best evidence because it directly ties the SIEM alert to approved, scheduled activity, which is a standard operational control for change management.
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.
- ✗
Whether the source IP belongs to the company help desk
Why it's wrong here
Knowing the source is internal may help, but it does not prove the logins were authorized or expected.
- ✓
Whether there is a change ticket or test plan for the access portal and the activity matches the approved maintenance window
Why this is correct
A documented change, test plan, and matching maintenance window provide the strongest evidence that the alert reflects approved work rather than malicious activity.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Whether the user account has MFA enabled
Why it's wrong here
MFA status matters for risk, but it does not confirm whether the repeated login attempts were legitimate or expected.
- ✗
Whether the firewall is in inline mode
Why it's wrong here
Firewall mode affects traffic handling, but it does not help determine whether the login pattern was authorized maintenance.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume a help desk IP or MFA automatically validates the activity, but only a documented change ticket or test plan provides the necessary evidence to classify the alert as a false positive under standard incident response procedures.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a SIEM, brute-force detection rules typically trigger on a threshold of failed authentication attempts (e.g., 5 failures per minute) from a single source IP. A change ticket or test plan provides a documented exception to this rule, often logged in a change management system (e.g., ITIL-based) with a specific maintenance window and scope. Without this documentation, the activity would be treated as suspicious, as even legitimate testing should be pre-approved and logged to avoid false positives in security monitoring.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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: Whether there is a change ticket or test plan for the access portal and the activity matches the approved maintenance window — A change ticket or test plan that matches the observed activity (240 failed logins followed by a successful login during an approved maintenance window) would indicate that the alert is a false positive caused by authorized testing or maintenance, not a malicious brute-force attack. This is the best evidence because it directly ties the SIEM alert to approved, scheduled activity, which is a standard operational control for change management.
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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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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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