- A
Reset the password and leave the account enabled so the user can keep working.
Why wrong: A password reset helps only if the attacker is blocked from the session. It does not immediately stop any active access tokens or mailbox rule abuse.
- B
Disable the account and revoke active sessions and tokens.
This is the best immediate containment step because the signs strongly indicate account compromise. Disabling the account stops new authentication, while revoking sessions and tokens cuts off any already-established access that could continue to act as the user. That combination contains the incident quickly and limits further mailbox manipulation, data theft, or privilege misuse while the team investigates logs and confirms scope.
- C
Delete the forwarding rule and monitor the account for a few hours.
Why wrong: Removing the forwarding rule addresses only one symptom. If the attacker still has valid access, they can recreate the rule or perform other malicious actions immediately afterward.
- D
Wait for the user to confirm the login before taking any action.
Why wrong: User confirmation is useful, but it is too slow when the logs already show suspicious access and mailbox tampering. The priority is containment, not delay.
Compromised Account — Immediate Containment Actions | Security+ Explained
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 correlates three failed MFA prompts for a payroll admin account from one IP, a successful login two minutes later from the same IP, and a new mailbox forwarding rule to an external address. What is the best immediate action?
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
Disable the account and revoke active sessions and tokens.
Option B is correct because the combination of failed MFA prompts followed by a successful login and immediate creation of an external mailbox forwarding rule is a classic indicator of account compromise (e.g., adversary-in-the-middle or token theft). Disabling the account and revoking active sessions and tokens stops the attacker from maintaining access and prevents further data exfiltration via the forwarding rule, which is the most urgent containment step in 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.
- ✗
Reset the password and leave the account enabled so the user can keep working.
Why it's wrong here
A password reset helps only if the attacker is blocked from the session. It does not immediately stop any active access tokens or mailbox rule abuse.
- ✓
Disable the account and revoke active sessions and tokens.
Why this is correct
This is the best immediate containment step because the signs strongly indicate account compromise. Disabling the account stops new authentication, while revoking sessions and tokens cuts off any already-established access that could continue to act as the user. That combination contains the incident quickly and limits further mailbox manipulation, data theft, or privilege misuse while the team investigates logs and confirms scope.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Delete the forwarding rule and monitor the account for a few hours.
Why it's wrong here
Removing the forwarding rule addresses only one symptom. If the attacker still has valid access, they can recreate the rule or perform other malicious actions immediately afterward.
- ✗
Wait for the user to confirm the login before taking any action.
Why it's wrong here
User confirmation is useful, but it is too slow when the logs already show suspicious access and mailbox tampering. The priority is containment, not delay.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CompTIA often tests the misconception that deleting the malicious artifact (forwarding rule) is sufficient, when in reality the priority is to contain the compromised account by disabling it and revoking all sessions.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
User confirmation is useful, but it is too slow when the logs already show suspicious access and mailbox tampering. The priority is containment, not delay.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, SIEM correlation rules often flag sequences like 'multiple MFA failures + success + anomalous mailbox rule' as a known pattern for token replay or session hijacking attacks. Revoking tokens (e.g., OAuth 2.0 refresh tokens, SAML session tokens) is critical because password reset alone does not invalidate these; they must be explicitly revoked via the identity provider's API or directory service (e.g., Azure AD Revoke-AzureADUserAllRefreshToken). In real-world attacks, such as those using EvilGinx or Modlishka, the attacker captures the session cookie after the user completes MFA, so disabling the account immediately cuts off the attacker's active session.
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 developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
Quick reference
IPv4 Address Class Summary
| Class | First Octet Range | Default Mask | Networks | Hosts per Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–126 | /8 (255.0.0.0) | 126 | 16,777,214 |
| B | 128–191 | /16 (255.255.0.0) | 16,384 | 65,534 |
| C | 192–223 | /24 (255.255.255.0) | 2,097,152 | 254 |
| D | 224–239 | N/A | Multicast groups | — |
| E | 240–255 | N/A | Reserved / experimental | — |
127.x.x.x is reserved for loopback. Modern networks use CIDR (classless) rather than classful addressing.
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: Disable the account and revoke active sessions and tokens. — Option B is correct because the combination of failed MFA prompts followed by a successful login and immediate creation of an external mailbox forwarding rule is a classic indicator of account compromise (e.g., adversary-in-the-middle or token theft). Disabling the account and revoking active sessions and tokens stops the attacker from maintaining access and prevents further data exfiltration via the forwarding rule, which is the most urgent containment step in incident response.
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.
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 SIEM alert shows five failed logins to an administrator account, followed by a successful login from a new city three minutes later. The account owner says they did not sign in. What should the analyst do first?
easy- A.Ignore the alert because the login eventually succeeded.
- ✓ B.Temporarily disable the account and open an incident for investigation.
- C.Reset the password only and close the alert.
- D.Reboot the user's laptop to clear any malicious activity.
Why B: Option B is correct because the alert shows a classic indicator of account compromise: multiple failed logins followed by a successful authentication from an unusual location. The account owner's denial of the login confirms unauthorized access, so the immediate priority is to contain the threat by disabling the account and opening an incident for formal investigation. This aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response process, specifically the containment phase before eradication or recovery.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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