ISC2 CC Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response Practice Question
Which THREE are phases of the incident response process according to NIST SP 800-61?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests whether candidates recognize that 'Containment, Eradication, and Recovery' is a single phase in NIST SP 800-61, not three separate phases, and that 'Risk Assessment' and 'Vendor Management' are common distractors because they appear in other security frameworks but are not part of the incident response process.
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
✓
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
NIST SP 800-61 defines the incident response life cycle with four phases, three of which appear here. Option D, Preparation, is the first phase, covering establishing an incident response capability, acquiring tools and resources, and developing policies before incidents occur. Option C, Detection and Analysis, is the second phase, where events are monitored, indicators are validated, and incidents are confirmed and scoped. Option A, Containment, Eradication, and Recovery, is the third phase, where the incident is limited, the root cause removed, and systems restored to normal operation. The remaining options are not phases in the NIST SP 800-61 life cycle: Risk Assessment (B) is a broader risk management activity, and Vendor Management (E) is an organizational/procurement practice, neither of which is one of the defined incident response phases.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
Why this is correct
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery form one combined phase in NIST SP 800-61, covering limiting incident spread, removing the root cause, and restoring normal operations. Naming this phase satisfies the question's requirement for a documented stage within the four-phase incident response lifecycle.
- ✗
Risk Assessment
Why it's wrong here
Risk assessment is a preparatory management activity, not one of the four NIST SP 800-61 phases: preparation; detection and analysis; containment, eradication and recovery; and post-incident activity. It is tempting because assessing risk underpins preparation, but it is not a lifecycle phase itself.
- ✓
Detection and Analysis
Why this is correct
Detection and Analysis is the phase where monitoring identifies potential incidents and investigators determine scope, impact, and validity. It directly satisfies the question by naming a distinct NIST SP 800-61 phase that precedes containment, eradication, and recovery within the incident response lifecycle.
- ✓
Preparation
Why this is correct
Preparation establishes the policies, tools and communication channels before an incident occurs, and NIST SP 800-61 places it as the first of four phases, ahead of detection and analysis, containment, eradication and recovery, and post-incident activity.
- ✗
Vendor Management
Why it's wrong here
Vendor management governs third-party risk and contracts, not incident handling. NIST SP 800-61 defines four phases: preparation; detection and analysis; containment, eradication and recovery; and post-incident activity. Vendor management would be relevant when assessing supplier security posture or contractual breach obligations, not when sequencing response actions.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Incident Response and Management
Key term
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is the process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating potential threats to an organization's assets to determine the likelihood and impact of those threats, and to decide on appropriate treatment measures.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on CC
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. According to the NIST 800-61 incident response lifecycle, after containment and eradication have been performed, what is the next phase?
hard- ✓ A.Recovery
- B.Post-incident activity
- C.Detection and analysis
- D.Preparation
Why A: According to the NIST 800-61 incident response lifecycle, the phases are Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment/Eradication, and Recovery. After containment (isolating the threat) and eradication (removing malware, patching vulnerabilities), the next phase is Recovery, where systems are carefully restored to normal operations, often using clean backups and verifying system integrity before reconnecting to the network.
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.