The Incident Response Team (IRT) is the correct choice because it is primarily responsible for coordinating the response to a ransomware attack, following a predefined incident response plan (IRP) that covers containment, eradication, and recovery. This team, composed of security analysts, forensic experts, and system administrators, executes technical steps like isolating affected systems, analyzing the ransomware strain, and restoring from backups, all guided by the NIST SP 800-61 framework to minimize damage. On the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam, this question tests your understanding of the IRT’s role within the incident response process, often appearing as a straightforward scenario where you must distinguish the IRT from other teams like the SOC or management. A common trap is confusing the IRT with the team that *detects* the attack; remember, detection is the SOC’s job, but coordination and execution of the response plan belong to the IRT. Memory tip: think “IRT = I Respond to Threats” to recall their primary duty of coordinating the entire response lifecycle.
ISC2 CC Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response Practice Question
This CC practice question tests your understanding of business continuity, dr & incident response. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
After a ransomware attack, which team is primarily responsible for coordinating the response?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Incident Response Team
The Incident Response Team (IRT) is primarily responsible for coordinating the response to a ransomware attack because it follows a predefined incident response plan (IRP) that includes containment, eradication, and recovery procedures. The IRT typically includes security analysts, forensic experts, and system administrators who execute technical steps such as isolating affected systems, analyzing the ransomware strain, and restoring from backups. This team operates under the NIST SP 800-61 framework, ensuring a structured and rapid response to minimize damage.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Executive Management
Why it's wrong here
Executive management provides oversight but does not coordinate the technical response.
✓
Incident Response Team
Why this is correct
The IRT is responsible for coordinating the response to security incidents.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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IT Support
Why it's wrong here
IT support may assist but is not primarily responsible for coordination.
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Legal Department
Why it's wrong here
Legal provides advice on compliance and notification but does not coordinate the operational response.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the misconception that Executive Management or Legal should lead the response due to their authority or compliance role, but the exam emphasizes that technical coordination belongs to the Incident Response Team as defined in the CC curriculum's incident response process.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Incident Response Team follows the SANS PICERL model (Preparation, Identification, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, Lessons Learned) to systematically handle ransomware. During containment, they may use EDR tools like CrowdStrike or SentinelOne to kill malicious processes and block C2 communication via firewall ACLs or DNS sinkholing. A real-world scenario where this matters is when ransomware encrypts network shares; the IRT must quickly disable SMBv1 and apply Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to prevent lateral movement, a step IT Support or Executive Management would not be equipped to execute.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CC question in full detail.
Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response — This question tests Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Incident Response Team — The Incident Response Team (IRT) is primarily responsible for coordinating the response to a ransomware attack because it follows a predefined incident response plan (IRP) that includes containment, eradication, and recovery procedures. The IRT typically includes security analysts, forensic experts, and system administrators who execute technical steps such as isolating affected systems, analyzing the ransomware strain, and restoring from backups. This team operates under the NIST SP 800-61 framework, ensuring a structured and rapid response to minimize damage.
What should I do if I get this CC question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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