easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
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 alert as a true incident is the initial step to ensure that response efforts are justified.
- ✗
Isolate the server from the network
Why it's wrong here
Isolation is a containment step that should occur after the incident is confirmed.
- ✗
Identify the root cause of the traffic spike
Why it's wrong here
Root cause analysis is part of the investigation and eradication phases, which follow confirmation.
- ✗
Notify senior management
Why it's wrong here
Notification occurs after the incident is confirmed and escalated as per policy.
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JA
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.