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 user reports that their laptop is suddenly encrypting files and showing a ransom note. What should the incident response team do first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Isolate the laptop from the network to limit spread and preserve evidence.
When a laptop suddenly encrypts files and displays a ransom note, it indicates an active ransomware infection. The incident response team's first priority is to isolate the laptop from the network to prevent the ransomware from spreading laterally to other systems and to preserve volatile evidence (e.g., memory contents, running processes) that could be lost if the system is powered off or reconnected. This aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response guidelines, which emphasize containment before eradication or recovery.
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.
✗
Immediately restore the laptop from backup before collecting any information.
Why it's wrong here
Restoring too early can overwrite evidence needed for investigation.
✓
Isolate the laptop from the network to limit spread and preserve evidence.
Why this is correct
Containment comes first to stop further damage while keeping the system available for analysis.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Return the laptop to the user and monitor for additional alerts.
Why it's wrong here
Leaving the device connected can allow the attack to continue or spread.
✗
Apply all pending software updates to the laptop while it remains online.
Why it's wrong here
Patching is useful later, but it is not the first response to active ransomware.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse incident response phases and choose a recovery action (like restoring from backup) before containment, or they may mistakenly think applying updates is a valid response to an active infection, when in fact isolation is the mandatory first step per the NIST framework.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Isolation typically involves disconnecting the network cable, disabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and possibly placing the system on a separate VLAN or air-gapped segment. Under the hood, ransomware often uses cryptographic APIs like CryptEncrypt (Windows CryptoAPI) or OpenSSL to encrypt files with a symmetric key (e.g., AES-256), which is then encrypted with an asymmetric public key. Preserving the laptop's memory (RAM) via tools like FTK Imager or LiME can capture the encryption key if it is still resident, which is critical for potential decryption without paying the ransom.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SY0-701 question in full detail.
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: Isolate the laptop from the network to limit spread and preserve evidence. — When a laptop suddenly encrypts files and displays a ransom note, it indicates an active ransomware infection. The incident response team's first priority is to isolate the laptop from the network to prevent the ransomware from spreading laterally to other systems and to preserve volatile evidence (e.g., memory contents, running processes) that could be lost if the system is powered off or reconnected. This aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response guidelines, which emphasize containment before eradication or recovery.
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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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