easyMultiple Choice
ISC2 CC Practice Question: A security operations center (SOC) analyst…
A security operations center (SOC) analyst receives an alert for a potential malware infection on a workstation. Which of the following is the first action the analyst should take?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the principle that containment (isolation) must come before eradication (scanning or reimaging), and candidates mistakenly choose a remediation step like running a scan or reimaging as the first action.
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
✓
Isolate the workstation from the network to prevent spread
When a potential malware infection is detected, the immediate priority is containment to prevent lateral movement and further compromise. Isolating the workstation from the network (e.g., disabling the network interface or disconnecting the cable) stops the malware from communicating with command-and-control servers or spreading to other hosts. This aligns with the NIST incident response framework's containment phase, which precedes eradication and recovery actions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reimage the workstation
Why it's wrong here
Reimaging destroys evidence and should be done after forensic analysis.
- ✗
Run a full antivirus scan
Why it's wrong here
Scanning the workstation leaves the malware running and potentially spreading while the scan completes; containment via isolation must precede eradication. A full antivirus scan is the appropriate remediation step once the host is contained, to identify and remove the infection.
- ✓
Isolate the workstation from the network to prevent spread
Why this is correct
Isolation contains the threat before it can spread laterally or exfiltrate data, satisfying the containment-first requirement of incident response. Because the alert is unconfirmed, the analyst must still preserve volatile evidence, so network isolation is preferred over powering off, which would destroy memory-resident artefacts.
- ✗
Notify law enforcement
Why it's wrong here
Law enforcement is engaged after internal incident response confirms a criminal act, not as an initial containment step; notifying them first delays isolation while malware persists. It would be correct once the incident is scoped and evidence preserved, for reporting and prosecution.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Key term
Recovery
Recovery is the process of restoring systems, data, and operations after a security incident, failure, or disaster to return to normal functioning.
Key term
Containment
Containment is the incident response phase where security teams isolate a compromised system or network to prevent the threat from spreading further while preserving evidence.
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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.