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ISC2 CC Practice Question: A security operations center (SOC) analyst…
A security operations center (SOC) analyst receives an alert for a high volume of outbound traffic from an internal server to a known malicious IP address. Which step should the analyst take next?
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 server from the network.
Isolating the server stops the suspicious traffic and prevents further data exfiltration or lateral movement while the incident is investigated. Other actions are either too broad or premature.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Shut down the server.
Why it's wrong here
Too drastic and may destroy volatile data.
- ✗
Disregard the alert as a false positive.
Why it's wrong here
Alert requires investigation, not dismissal.
- ✗
Block all outbound traffic from the server.
Why it's wrong here
May disrupt legitimate services; more targeted isolation is better.
- ✓
Isolate the server from the network.
Why this is correct
Immediately contains the potential compromise.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Security Principles
Key term
Alert
An alert is a notification that something unusual or potentially harmful has happened in a computer system or network.
Key term
SOC
A Security Operations Center (SOC) is a centralized team that monitors, detects, analyzes, and responds to cybersecurity incidents to protect an organization's information systems.
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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.