ISC2 CC Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response Practice Question
Which TWO actions are appropriate during the identification phase of incident response?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the distinction between identification and containment, so the trap here is that candidates mistake disconnecting systems (a containment step) for an identification action, when in fact identification must occur first to confirm the incident.
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
✓
Correlate alerts from multiple sources.
During the identification phase, responders must determine whether an incident has actually occurred and scope it, so option B (correlate alerts from multiple sources) is correct because aggregating and cross-referencing alerts from SIEM, IDS/IPS, EDR, and other telemetry helps confirm a true positive and establish the incident's extent. Option C (review system logs for anomalies) is also correct because examining OS, application, and security logs for unusual events, timestamps, and indicators of compromise is a core identification activity that validates and characterizes the suspected incident. Option A (post-mortem analysis) belongs to the lessons-learned/ post-incident phase after containment, eradication, and recovery. Option D (restore data from backups) is a recovery-phase action, and option E (disconnect affected systems from the network) is a containment action, both of which occur after the incident has been identified.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Conduct a post-mortem analysis.
Why it's wrong here
A post-mortem analysis happens in the lessons-learned phase after recovery, examining what occurred and improving future response. It is tempting because it is a genuine incident response activity, but identification covers detecting, scoping and confirming the incident, not retrospective review.
- ✓
Correlate alerts from multiple sources.
Why this is correct
Correlating alerts from multiple sources consolidates indicators during identification, distinguishing genuine incidents from isolated noise. This satisfies the phase's goal of scoping and validating what occurred, enabling accurate classification before containment or eradication activities begin.
- ✓
Review system logs for anomalies.
Why this is correct
Reviewing system logs for anomalies surfaces evidence of malicious or unexpected activity, supporting the identification phase's objective of detecting and scoping an incident. Log analysis confirms whether alerts represent genuine compromise, informing subsequent containment and eradication decisions.
- ✗
Restore data from backups.
Why it's wrong here
Restoring data from backups is a recovery-phase activity performed after eradication, not identification, which only detects and validates the incident. It is tempting because restoration is a recognised incident response action, but it belongs to recovery once containment and eradication are complete.
- ✗
Disconnect affected systems from the network.
Why it's wrong here
Disconnecting affected systems is containment, which follows identification once the incident is confirmed and scoped. It is tempting because isolating a compromised host feels like an immediate first step, but identification must establish what is affected before containment actions are taken.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Network Security Foundations
Key term
Incident
An incident is a security event that violates an organization's policies or threatens its data, systems, or operations, requiring a structured response.
Key term
Scope
In IT, scope defines the boundaries, goals, and deliverables of a project, assessment, or engagement, specifying what is included and what is excluded.
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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.