easyMultiple Choice
ISC2 CC Practice Question: A security analyst receives an alert indicating…
A security analyst receives an alert indicating multiple failed login attempts from a single IP address targeting a user account. Which action should the analyst take FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the principle that verification and analysis must precede any containment or eradication action, tempting candidates to jump to blocking the IP or disabling the account as a quick fix without confirming the alert's validity.
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
✓
Verify the alert and check if the account is compromised
The first step in incident response is to validate the alert. The analyst must verify that the failed login attempts are not a false positive (e.g., a user mistyping their password) and then check if the account has been compromised by reviewing logs for successful logins from the same IP or anomalous behavior. Prematurely disabling the account or blocking the IP could disrupt legitimate access or alert an attacker, while escalation to law enforcement is premature without confirmation of a breach.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disable the user account immediately
Why it's wrong here
Disabling the account locks out the legitimate user before confirming whether the attempts succeeded, and failed logins alone do not prove compromise. Account disablement is the right first move once credential theft is confirmed, or when the account is actively being used maliciously and containment outweighs availability.
- ✓
Verify the alert and check if the account is compromised
Why this is correct
Triage demands validating the alert before acting, since a single-source brute-force pattern may be a false positive or authorised testing. Confirming whether the account is actually compromised determines whether containment, password reset or escalation follows, satisfying the stem's requirement to identify the FIRST action.
- ✗
Escalate the alert to law enforcement
Why it's wrong here
Law enforcement involvement follows internal triage, containment and evidence gathering; a handful of failed logins from one IP is routine telemetry, not a reportable incident. It is tempting because escalation paths exist for confirmed breaches, but that scenario requires validated compromise and organisational notification procedures, not an unverified alert.
- ✗
Block the IP address at the firewall
Why it's wrong here
Firewall blocking presumes the source is external and ignores that the same IP may be a proxy, NAT gateway or legitimate partner address; it also skips validating whether any attempt succeeded. Blocking is appropriate once the source is confirmed hostile and the traffic is not required for business.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Incident Response and Management
Key term
Alert
An alert is a notification that something unusual or potentially harmful has happened in a computer system or network.
Key term
User
A user is any person, system, or device that interacts with an IT service, resource, or identity system, typically authenticated through credentials and authorized to perform specific actions.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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