Quick Answer
The answer is detection, preparation, and containment. These three phases are essential components of an incident response plan because the NIST SP 800-61 lifecycle establishes preparation as the foundational phase that enables effective detection and analysis, followed by containment, eradication, and recovery. Without thorough preparation—including documented policies, forensic tools, and trained personnel—the subsequent phases of detection and containment cannot be executed reliably. On the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam, this concept tests your understanding that preparation is not optional but a prerequisite; a common trap is assuming response begins with detection, when in fact preparation must come first. The exam also emphasizes that containment strategies, such as isolating affected systems, are distinct from detection activities like log analysis. A useful memory tip is to think of the acronym PDC: Prepare, Detect, Contain—the first three critical steps before any recovery begins.
This CC practice question tests your understanding of security operations. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Which THREE of the following are essential components of an incident response plan? (Select THREE.)
Preparation
Preparation includes training and tools.
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
These are the core response actions.
Business continuity plan activation
Why wrong: BCP is separate; incident response may feed into it but is not a component.
Detection and Analysis
Identifying and assessing incidents.
Vulnerability scanning schedule
Why wrong: Vulnerability scanning is proactive, not part of incident response.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Preparation
Preparation is the foundational phase of the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, ensuring policies, tools, and trained personnel are in place before an incident occurs. Without preparation, subsequent phases like detection and containment cannot be executed effectively. The CC exam emphasizes that preparation includes establishing communication plans, acquiring forensic tools, and conducting tabletop exercises.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Preparation
Why this is correct
Preparation includes training and tools.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
Why this is correct
These are the core response actions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Business continuity plan activation
Why it's wrong here
BCP is separate; incident response may feed into it but is not a component.
Detection and Analysis
Why this is correct
Identifying and assessing incidents.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Vulnerability scanning schedule
Why it's wrong here
Vulnerability scanning is proactive, not part of incident response.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between incident response phases and adjacent operational processes (like BCP or vulnerability management) to see if candidates confuse proactive security tasks with the reactive incident response lifecycle.
Detailed technical explanation
The NIST SP 800-61 revision 2 defines the incident response lifecycle with four phases: Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment/Eradication/Recovery, and Post-Incident Activity. Detection & Analysis involves correlating logs from sources like syslog, NetFlow, and IDS/IPS alerts to identify indicators of compromise (IoCs). In a real-world scenario, a SOC analyst might use SIEM rules to detect lateral movement via anomalous SMB traffic, triggering containment actions such as isolating the host via ACLs or EDR quarantine.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security team runs a vulnerability scan on a web application and discovers an unpatched SQL injection flaw. The team prioritises remediation by CVSS score — critical flaws are patched within 24 hours, high within 7 days. Questions like this test whether you understand vulnerability management processes, scanning tools, and remediation prioritisation.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Preparation — Preparation is the foundational phase of the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, ensuring policies, tools, and trained personnel are in place before an incident occurs. Without preparation, subsequent phases like detection and containment cannot be executed effectively. The CC exam emphasizes that preparation includes establishing communication plans, acquiring forensic tools, and conducting tabletop exercises.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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