The answer is to disable the account immediately because the user’s credentials have been stolen and are being used by an attacker. This conclusion is drawn from detecting a compromised account through log analysis: the remote login anomaly shows successful authentication at 2 AM from an unfamiliar IP, while the user’s workstation is powered off and only a password was used, bypassing two-factor authentication. On the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam, this scenario tests your ability to correlate SIEM logs with endpoint status and authentication factors to identify account takeover—a common trap is assuming the user simply forgot to log out, but the consistent off-hours pattern and missing 2FA confirm malicious intent. Remember the memory tip: “Off-hours login + offline workstation + missing second factor = account is a hijacker.”
ISC2 CC Security Operations Practice Question
This CC practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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.
A financial institution has a security operations center that monitors network traffic using a SIEM. The SIEM receives logs from all network devices, servers, and endpoints. One analyst notices an anomaly: a user account, 'jsmith', which is normally used during business hours (9 AM to 5 PM), has been logging in from a remote IP address at 2 AM every day for the past week. The logins are successful, and the user is accessing internal file shares. The user jsmith works in the accounting department and has access to sensitive financial reports. The analyst checks the user's workstation logs and finds that the workstation is powered off at the time of the remote logins. The company uses two-factor authentication, but the log entries show that only the password was used. Which of the following is the most likely explanation and the best immediate action?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The user's credentials have been stolen and are being used by an attacker; disable the account
The anomaly—successful logins at 2 AM from a remote IP while the user's workstation is powered off and only a password (bypassing 2FA) is used—strongly indicates credential theft and account takeover. The SIEM logs show authentication without the second factor, which means the attacker either obtained the password and bypassed 2FA (e.g., through a phishing attack that captured both factors or a session cookie) or the 2FA was not enforced for this specific remote login. Disabling the account immediately stops the unauthorized access to sensitive financial shares.
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.
✗
The user is working overtime from home; no action needed
Why it's wrong here
The lack of 2FA and the workstation being off indicate compromise, not overtime.
✗
The two-factor authentication system is malfunctioning; reconfigure the 2FA server
Why it's wrong here
The 2FA failure is a symptom; the account is compromised regardless.
✓
The user's credentials have been stolen and are being used by an attacker; disable the account
Why this is correct
This matches the indicators: off-hours, remote IP, no 2FA, workstation off.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The user's workstation is infected with a remote access trojan; run antivirus
Why it's wrong here
The workstation is off, so it cannot be the source; the credentials are used from elsewhere.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the distinction between a compromised account (where credentials are stolen and used remotely) and a compromised endpoint (where malware is present), and the trap here is that candidates may assume the user's workstation is infected (Option D) because the logins are successful, but the powered-off workstation proves the attacker is authenticating directly from a different device.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a typical Active Directory environment, successful authentication without the second factor can occur if the attacker uses a stolen password and the 2FA policy is configured to allow fallback to password-only for certain protocols (e.g., legacy authentication like NTLM or POP/IMAP). The SIEM event ID 4624 (successful logon) with Logon Type 10 (RemoteInteractive) would show the remote IP, and the absence of a 2FA token claim in the authentication logs confirms the bypass. Real-world attacks like 'MFA fatigue' or 'pass-the-cookie' often lead to this scenario, where the attacker reuses a session token after the user approves a push notification.
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
An employee at a financial services firm receives an email that appears to come from the IT helpdesk, asking them to reset their password via a link. The link leads to a convincing fake portal that harvests credentials. Security teams use phishing simulations and security-awareness training to reduce this attack vector. Questions like this test whether you can identify social engineering techniques and appropriate controls.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CC question in full detail.
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The user's credentials have been stolen and are being used by an attacker; disable the account — The anomaly—successful logins at 2 AM from a remote IP while the user's workstation is powered off and only a password (bypassing 2FA) is used—strongly indicates credential theft and account takeover. The SIEM logs show authentication without the second factor, which means the attacker either obtained the password and bypassed 2FA (e.g., through a phishing attack that captured both factors or a session cookie) or the 2FA was not enforced for this specific remote login. Disabling the account immediately stops the unauthorized access to sensitive financial shares.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best", "most likely". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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