The answer is to disable the compromised account and revoke its tokens. This is the fastest containment step because a service account with Domain Admin privileges is the direct vector for the attacker’s access; disabling the account immediately stops authentication, while revoking tokens—such as Kerberos TGTs via `Set-ADAccountControl -Disable` and clearing cached tickets—prevents lateral movement through active session reuse. On the CISSP exam, this tests your understanding of the incident response phase, specifically containment versus eradication: many candidates mistakenly choose to isolate systems or reset all passwords first, but those actions are slower and fail to address the immediate token-based access. A common trap is forgetting that a compromised domain admin account can still use cached Kerberos tickets even after password reset, so token revocation is critical. Memory tip: “Disable and revoke—stop the keys, stop the smoke.”
CISSP Security Operations Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
During an incident response, the team identifies that the attacker gained access through a compromised service account with domain admin privileges. Which of the following steps should be taken FIRST to contain the incident?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Disable the compromised account and revoke its tokens.
Disabling the compromised account and revoking its tokens (e.g., Kerberos TGTs via `Set-ADAccountControl -Disable` and clearing cached tickets) immediately stops the attacker's current authentication and lateral movement capabilities. This is the fastest containment step because the service account with Domain Admin privileges is the direct vector; isolating systems or resetting all passwords is slower and may not address active token reuse.
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.
✗
Isolate all affected systems from the network.
Why it's wrong here
May be too broad and slow; account disabling is faster.
✗
Reset all user passwords.
Why it's wrong here
Disruptive and not targeted; the immediate threat is the compromised account.
✗
Perform a full forensic analysis before any action.
Why it's wrong here
Delays containment; forensic analysis can occur after containment.
✓
Disable the compromised account and revoke its tokens.
Why this is correct
Directly removes the attacker's foothold.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the principle that containment must be immediate and targeted; candidates mistakenly choose isolation or forensic analysis first, forgetting that the compromised account is the root cause and that tokens can outlive password resets.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Active Directory, a service account with Domain Admin privileges can authenticate using Kerberos, NTLM, or OAuth tokens. Disabling the account in AD (via `Disable-ADAccount`) prevents new authentications, but existing Kerberos TGTs (Ticket-Granting Tickets) have a default lifetime of 10 hours and must be explicitly revoked by clearing the `msDS-ManagedPassword` or using `klist purge` on domain controllers. Token revocation is critical because the attacker may have already obtained a TGT that allows them to request service tickets for any resource without re-authentication.
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 SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CISSP question in full detail.
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: Disable the compromised account and revoke its tokens. — Disabling the compromised account and revoking its tokens (e.g., Kerberos TGTs via `Set-ADAccountControl -Disable` and clearing cached tickets) immediately stops the attacker's current authentication and lateral movement capabilities. This is the fastest containment step because the service account with Domain Admin privileges is the direct vector; isolating systems or resetting all passwords is slower and may not address active token reuse.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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