hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: A medium-sized e-commerce company uses a SIEM…
A medium-sized e-commerce company uses a SIEM with correlation rules. During peak sales hours, the SIEM generates an alert: multiple failed login attempts from internal IP 172.16.10.50 followed by a successful login to a critical database server. The account used is 'dbadmin', which normally only authenticates from the IT department subnet. The user 'dbadmin' reports that they had to try several passwords because they forgot theirs earlier. The incident responder is under pressure to quickly restore normal operations. Which course of action should the responder take?
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
✓
Investigate the user's recent activity, check for abnormal logins, and look for lateral movement from the source IP.
While the user's explanation seems plausible, the alert indicates a deviation from normal behavior (logins from an unexpected subnet). The responder should investigate the user's recent activity, check for abnormal logins, and look for lateral movement from the source IP to rule out a potential compromise. Option A (blocking the user's account immediately) could be disruptive if it's a false positive and may prevent legitimate access. Option B (resetting password and enabling MFA) is a good security measure but does not address the need to verify whether the account was actually compromised or if there is ongoing malicious activity. Option C (dismissing the alert as a false positive) is premature and ignores the possibility of credential stuffing or account takeover. Therefore, investigating further is the most appropriate course of action.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Block the user's account immediately to prevent any further access.
Why it's wrong here
Blocking without confirmation could disrupt legitimate business operations if the user is legitimate.
- ✗
Reset the user's password and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Why it's wrong here
While MFA is good, this does not address the potential that the account is already compromised.
- ✗
Dismiss the alert as a false positive since the user explained the failed attempts.
Why it's wrong here
Dismissing without investigation could miss a real attack, especially from an unusual source IP.
- ✓
Investigate the user's recent activity, check for abnormal logins, and look for lateral movement from the source IP.
Why this is correct
Thorough investigation is warranted given the anomalous source IP and the critical nature of the target.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SSCP 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 SSCP exam.