- A
DoS
Why wrong: No service disruption is indicated.
- B
Insider threat
Why wrong: Insider threat involves misuse by authorized users; this appears external.
- C
Social engineering
Why wrong: No evidence of deception or human interaction.
- D
Unauthorized access
The pattern indicates a brute-force attack resulting in unauthorized access.
Question 362 of 1,000
CISSP Security Operations Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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 security analyst is reviewing SIEM logs and notices multiple failed login attempts from a single IP address followed by a successful login. The account belongs to a user in finance. Which incident category is most appropriate?
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
✓
Unauthorized access
The sequence of multiple failed login attempts followed by a successful login from the same external IP address indicates a brute-force or password-spraying attack that succeeded. This constitutes unauthorized access because the attacker gained entry to an account without legitimate authorization, violating the confidentiality and integrity of the finance user's account.
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.
- ✗
DoS
Why it's wrong here
No service disruption is indicated.
- ✗
Insider threat
Why it's wrong here
Insider threat involves misuse by authorized users; this appears external.
- ✗
Social engineering
Why it's wrong here
No evidence of deception or human interaction.
- ✓
Unauthorized access
Why this is correct
The pattern indicates a brute-force attack resulting in unauthorized access.
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 may confuse 'insider threat' with any unauthorized access, but the external IP address clearly indicates the attacker is not an insider, making unauthorized access the correct category.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, SIEM correlation rules often detect brute-force patterns by counting failed logins (e.g., >10 within 5 minutes) from a single source IP, then flagging a subsequent success as a potential account compromise. In real-world scenarios, attackers may use distributed brute-force techniques (e.g., slow-and-low attacks) to evade threshold-based detection, but a single IP with a clear spike followed by success is a classic indicator of a successful password guessing attack. The finance account's sensitivity elevates the risk, as it may have access to payroll or financial records.
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.
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 CISSP question test?
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: Unauthorized access — The sequence of multiple failed login attempts followed by a successful login from the same external IP address indicates a brute-force or password-spraying attack that succeeded. This constitutes unauthorized access because the attacker gained entry to an account without legitimate authorization, violating the confidentiality and integrity of the finance user's account.
What should I do if I get this CISSP 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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This CISSP 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 CISSP exam.
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