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ISC2 CC Practice Question: A security analyst discovers that a user's…
A security analyst discovers that a user's account has been used to access sensitive data outside of normal business hours from an unfamiliar IP address. The user claims they were not logged in at that time. Which security operations process should be initiated first?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that immediate account disabling or password reset is the correct first response, but the CC exam emphasizes that initiating the incident response process is the foundational step to ensure proper handling, evidence preservation, and coordination.
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
✓
Initiate the incident response process
The scenario describes a potential security incident—unauthorized access to sensitive data from an unfamiliar IP address outside business hours—which requires immediate activation of the incident response process. The first step in any security operations workflow is to follow the organization's incident response plan (NIST SP 800-61) to contain, analyze, and remediate the threat. Jumping to forensic analysis, password resets, or account disabling without a coordinated incident response can destroy evidence or fail to address the root cause.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Perform a forensic analysis of the user's workstation
Why it's wrong here
Forensic analysis is a later step in incident response; first, the incident must be declared and the response team mobilized.
- ✗
Reset the user's password and enforce multi-factor authentication
Why it's wrong here
These are remediation steps that would follow the initial incident response actions like containment.
- ✗
Disable the user account immediately
Why it's wrong here
Disabling the account is a containment step that should be part of the incident response plan, but it is not the first process to initiate. First, the incident should be reported and triaged.
- ✓
Initiate the incident response process
Why this is correct
The incident response process begins with detection and analysis; this scenario meets the criteria for initiating that process.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Security Principles
Key term
Organization
An Organization is a top-level container in Google Cloud that represents your company or entities and serves as the root node for all your cloud resources, policies, and access control.
Key term
Threat
A threat is any potential danger that could harm a computer system, network, or data, whether from a malicious hacker, a natural disaster, or an accidental mistake.
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JA
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.