easyMultiple Choice
CISM Practice Question: A security analyst detects an unusual spike in…
A security analyst detects an unusual spike in outbound traffic from a database server. Which of the following is the FIRST step in the incident response process?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse the urgency of a potential breach with the structured incident response process, jumping to containment (isolate) or root cause analysis before verifying the alert is a true positive.
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
✓
Confirm the incident as a true positive
In the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, the first phase is preparation, followed by detection and analysis. The spike in outbound traffic is an indicator of compromise (IoC), but before any containment or eradication steps, the analyst must confirm that the alert is a true positive—not a false positive caused by a legitimate application update, backup replication, or monitoring tool. This validation typically involves correlating the traffic with known baselines, checking source/destination IPs against threat intelligence feeds, and reviewing logs to rule out benign causes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Confirm the incident as a true positive
Why this is correct
Confirming the incident as a true positive validates that the outbound traffic spike is genuinely malicious rather than benign, such as a backup or replication job. This satisfies the first-step requirement by preventing wasted response effort before containment or eradication actions are initiated.
- ✗
Isolate the server from the network
Why it's wrong here
Isolating the server precedes confirmation that an incident has occurred; containment before validation risks disrupting availability for benign traffic, such as a backup job or replication catch-up. Containment is tempting because it limits blast radius, and it would be correct once triage confirms malicious exfiltration rather than merely suspicious volume.
- ✗
Identify the root cause of the traffic spike
Why it's wrong here
Root cause analysis belongs to the post-incident or detailed investigation phase, after containment and eradication; performing it first leaves the threat active while the analyst investigates. Root cause identification is correct later, when determining why the compromise occurred to prevent recurrence.
- ✗
Notify senior management
Why it's wrong here
Management notification is an escalation and communication activity that occurs after the incident is triaged and its severity assessed, not the first action on detecting anomalous traffic. Notification is correct once analysis confirms a reportable incident with business or regulatory impact.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISM practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA 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 CISM exam.