- A
Reconnaissance port scanning
Why wrong: Port scanning is a different type of threat involving network probing.
- B
Ransomware activity
Why wrong: Ransomware typically involves file encryption, not cryptocurrency mining.
- C
Compromised IAM credentials exfiltration
Why wrong: This involves unauthorized use of credentials, not mining activity.
- D
Crypto mining on EC2
GuardDuty can detect EC2 instances generating traffic to known mining pools.
Question 63 of 1,000
CCSP Cloud Security Operations Practice Question
This CCSP practice question tests your understanding of cloud security operations. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
An organization uses AWS GuardDuty for threat detection. A finding indicates that an EC2 instance is communicating with a known cryptocurrency mining pool. What type of threat does this represent?
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
✓
Crypto mining on EC2
AWS GuardDuty detects threats by analyzing VPC Flow Logs, DNS logs, and CloudTrail events. A finding of communication with a known cryptocurrency mining pool indicates that the EC2 instance is likely compromised and running crypto mining software, which consumes excessive compute resources and represents a malicious activity type known as crypto mining.
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.
- ✗
Reconnaissance port scanning
Why it's wrong here
Port scanning is a different type of threat involving network probing.
- ✗
Ransomware activity
Why it's wrong here
Ransomware typically involves file encryption, not cryptocurrency mining.
- ✗
Compromised IAM credentials exfiltration
Why it's wrong here
This involves unauthorized use of credentials, not mining activity.
- ✓
Crypto mining on EC2
Why this is correct
GuardDuty can detect EC2 instances generating traffic to known mining pools.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse crypto mining with ransomware or credential theft, but the key differentiator is the specific network communication pattern to a mining pool, not data encryption or API abuse.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Crypto mining malware often uses Stratum protocol (e.g., stratum+tcp://) over port 3333, 4444, or 8333 to communicate with mining pools. GuardDuty's threat intelligence feeds include known mining pool IPs and domains, and the finding triggers when the EC2 instance's outbound traffic matches these indicators. In a real-world scenario, an attacker might have exploited a vulnerable web application to install a miner like XMRig, which silently consumes CPU/GPU resources and generates network traffic to the pool.
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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CCSP question test?
Cloud Security Operations — This question tests Cloud Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Crypto mining on EC2 — AWS GuardDuty detects threats by analyzing VPC Flow Logs, DNS logs, and CloudTrail events. A finding of communication with a known cryptocurrency mining pool indicates that the EC2 instance is likely compromised and running crypto mining software, which consumes excessive compute resources and represents a malicious activity type known as crypto mining.
What should I do if I get this CCSP 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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This CCSP 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 CCSP exam.
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