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SSCP Containment Practice Question
A security analyst detects unusual outbound traffic from a server to a known malicious IP. The server is running a critical business application. What should the analyst do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates may think that alerting the system administrator is the first step, but in incident response, containment actions take precedence to stop active harm.
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
✓
Disconnect the server from the network
The first priority in incident response is containment. Disconnecting the server from the network immediately stops potential data exfiltration and prevents the attacker from causing further damage. Option A is too broad and would disrupt legitimate services. Option B (running antivirus) delays containment and may not be effective against advanced threats. Option D (alerting the system administrator) is important but should not precede containment; containment must be performed first to minimize impact.
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 all traffic from that server
Why it's wrong here
Blocking all traffic may disrupt the critical application unnecessarily; more targeted containment is preferred.
- ✗
Run antivirus on the server
Why it's wrong here
Running antivirus is a reactive measure and does not contain the threat.
- ✓
Disconnect the server from the network
Why this is correct
Disconnecting provides quick containment to prevent further data exfiltration.
- ✗
Alert the system administrator
Why it's wrong here
Alerting is important but does not immediately stop the suspicious traffic.
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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.