ISC2 CC Security Operations Practice Question
A company's SIEM solution aggregates logs from various sources and generates an alert when multiple failed logins occur within a short timeframe. Which log source is most likely to provide the data for this alert?
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
✓
Authentication logs
Authentication logs record login attempts, including failures, and are the primary source for detecting brute-force attacks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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System logs
Why it's wrong here
System logs capture operating system events like service starts, kernel messages and driver faults, not user authentication attempts. Failed logins are recorded by identity or authentication logs. System logs would be the correct source when investigating an OS-level fault or a reboot on a host.
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Firewall logs
Why it's wrong here
Firewall logs record allowed and denied network connections by IP address and port, not user credential validation. Multiple failed logins are captured by identity or authentication logs. Firewall logs would be the source when detecting port scans or blocked traffic to a specific host.
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Application logs
Why it's wrong here
Application logs record events internal to application code, such as exceptions or business transactions, not authentication attempts against a directory. Failed sign-ins are captured by identity or authentication logs. Application logs would be the source when diagnosing a crash or tracing a specific request through custom code.
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Authentication logs
Why this is correct
Authentication logs record each login attempt with success or failure and the originating account or source, so repeated failures within a short window are detectable. This directly satisfies the SIEM correlation rule for multiple failed logins.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Authentication and Authorization Methods
Key term
SIEM
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is a system that collects and analyzes log data from across an IT environment to detect and respond to security threats in real time.
Key term
Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying that someone or something is who or what it claims to be before granting access to a system or resource.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.