Quick Answer
The answer is Eradication. According to NIST SP 800-61, the incident response lifecycle follows a specific sequence: Preparation, Detection and Analysis, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, and Post-Incident Activity (Lessons Learned). Eradication is the phase where the team removes the root cause of the incident—such as deleting malware, closing backdoors, or disabling compromised accounts—ensuring the threat is fully eliminated from the environment before normal operations resume. On the Certified Information Security Manager CISM exam, this question tests your understanding of the NIST framework’s logical flow, often appearing as a straightforward sequence check. A common trap is confusing Recovery with Eradication, but remember: you must remove the threat before you can safely restore systems. A useful memory tip is the acronym “C.E.R.L.”—Contain, Eradicate, Recover, Lessons Learned—keeping Eradication as the critical cleanup step after containment.
This CISM practice question tests your understanding of incident management. 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.
After containing an incident, the incident response team is ready to proceed. According to NIST SP 800-61, what is the next phase?
Communication
Why wrong: Incorrect: Communication is ongoing, not a distinct next phase.
Recovery
Why wrong: Incorrect: Recovery comes after Eradication.
Eradication
Correct: Eradication removes the threat from the environment.
Lessons Learned
Why wrong: Incorrect: Lessons Learned is the final phase.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Eradication
Option C is correct because NIST's incident response lifecycle includes Eradication after Containment. Recovery and Lessons Learned come later, and Communication occurs throughout.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Communication
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Communication is ongoing, not a distinct next phase.
Recovery
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Recovery comes after Eradication.
Eradication
Why this is correct
Correct: Eradication removes the threat from the environment.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Lessons Learned
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Lessons Learned is the final phase.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CISM exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which CISM exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Incident Management — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Incident Management — This question tests Incident Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Eradication — Option C is correct because NIST's incident response lifecycle includes Eradication after Containment. Recovery and Lessons Learned come later, and Communication occurs throughout.
Identify which CISM exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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