A user reports that their laptop is suddenly encrypting files and showing a ransom note. What should the incident response team do first?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Immediately restore the laptop from backup before collecting any information.
Restoring too early can overwrite evidence needed for investigation.
Best answer
Isolate the laptop from the network to limit spread and preserve evidence.
Containment comes first to stop further damage while keeping the system available for analysis.
Distractor review
Return the laptop to the user and monitor for additional alerts.
Leaving the device connected can allow the attack to continue or spread.
Distractor review
Apply all pending software updates to the laptop while it remains online.
Patching is useful later, but it is not the first response to active ransomware.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A laptop is suspected of being used in a malware incident. It is still powered on and connected to Wi-Fi. What should the responder do before shutting it down?
Question 2
An employee reports a ransomware note on a file server. The server is still powered on, shares are still being accessed, and management wants service restored as quickly as possible. What should the incident response team do first?
Question 3
An employee reports a ransomware note on a finance laptop. The laptop is still powered on, connected to Wi-Fi, and the user says they were just working in a spreadsheet. Management wants the fastest safe response that also preserves evidence. What should the responder do first?
Question 4
You are handed a company laptop suspected in an insider theft case. Legal says the evidence may be needed in court. Which action best preserves admissibility?
Question 5
A developer wants to reduce the risk of SQL injection in a new customer search form. Which two changes are the best mitigations? Select two.
Question 6
A branch office uses a flat LAN, and a compromise on one user workstation could spread quickly to finance systems. Management wants finance workstations isolated from general users, but finance staff still need access to a central finance application and network printer. What is the best design change?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Isolate the laptop from the network to limit spread and preserve evidence. — The first priority is containment, so the laptop should be isolated from the network. That limits further encryption, prevents lateral movement, and helps preserve evidence for later analysis. In incident response, teams generally triage, contain, eradicate, recover, and then conduct lessons learned. For active ransomware, stopping spread is more important than restoring immediately or making unrelated changes that could erase useful forensic data. Why others are wrong: Option A risks destroying evidence before the team understands what happened. Option C allows the threat to remain active on the network. Option D addresses remediation, but patching an infected host while it is still connected is not the correct first step in the workflow.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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