The answer is to create a suppression rule for known benign patterns. This is the best approach because suppression rules allow the SIEM to filter out routine, non-malicious events—such as scheduled service checks or automated scans—while preserving full visibility into genuine threats on the critical server, thereby reducing alert noise without disabling monitoring. On the CISSP exam, this concept tests your understanding of the Security Operations domain, specifically how to balance operational efficiency with security posture; a common trap is choosing to disable logging entirely or increase the alert threshold, both of which can blind you to real attacks. Remember the memory tip: “Suppress the noise, not the signal”—you want to silence the benign patterns, not the entire alert stream, to maintain detection capability.
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.
A security analyst notices that the SIEM is generating an overwhelming number of low-priority alerts from a single application server. The server is critical to operations. What is the BEST approach to reduce noise without compromising security?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a suppression rule for known benign patterns.
Option C is correct because suppression rules allow the SIEM to filter out known benign patterns (e.g., routine service checks or scheduled scans) while still capturing genuine threats. This reduces alert fatigue without disabling monitoring for the critical server, preserving visibility into anomalous or malicious activity.
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.
✗
Increase the severity threshold for that server's alerts.
Why it's wrong here
Could cause critical events to be missed if threshold is too high.
✗
Disable all alerts from that server.
Why it's wrong here
Would eliminate security visibility for that server.
✓
Create a suppression rule for known benign patterns.
Why this is correct
Suppresses known benign events while keeping alerting for unusual activity.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Exclude the server from SIEM monitoring.
Why it's wrong here
Removes all monitoring, leaving the server unprotected.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'reducing noise' with 'reducing monitoring,' leading them to choose threshold increases or outright exclusion, when the correct approach is to surgically filter known benign events while maintaining full detection coverage.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SIEM suppression rules typically use correlation logic (e.g., matching event IDs, source IPs, or time windows) to filter out noise while retaining raw logs for forensic analysis. For example, a rule might suppress repeated 4625 (failed logon) events from a known patch management server but still alert on a single failed logon from an unknown IP. In real-world scenarios, suppression rules must be carefully tuned to avoid suppressing true positives, such as when an attacker mimics benign traffic patterns.
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.
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: Create a suppression rule for known benign patterns. — Option C is correct because suppression rules allow the SIEM to filter out known benign patterns (e.g., routine service checks or scheduled scans) while still capturing genuine threats. This reduces alert fatigue without disabling monitoring for the critical server, preserving visibility into anomalous or malicious activity.
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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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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