SSCP Incident Response and Recovery Practice Question
A security analyst is investigating a phishing incident that led to credential theft. Which TWO actions are appropriate during the containment phase? (Select TWO)
⚠ Common exam trap
In the SSCP exam, candidates often confuse the containment phase with recovery or other phases. A common mistake is selecting actions like restoring from backup (recovery) or conducting lessons learned (post-incident), instead of immediate containment steps such as password resets or blocking malicious infrastructure.
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
✓
Reset the compromised user's password
Resetting the compromised user's password (A) immediately invalidates the stolen credentials, preventing the attacker from using them for further unauthorized access. This is a critical containment step because it cuts off the attacker's authenticated session and access to resources like email, VPN, or cloud services. Blocking the phishing domain at the email gateway (E) prevents additional users from receiving the phishing email, reducing the attack surface and stopping the spread of the incident. Both actions directly limit the impact and scope of the breach during the containment phase.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Reset the compromised user's password
Why this is correct
Correct. Prevents further unauthorized access with stolen credentials.
- ✗
Update the incident response plan
Why it's wrong here
Plan updates are post-incident.
- ✗
Conduct a lessons learned meeting
Why it's wrong here
Lessons learned is post-incident, not containment.
- ✗
Restore the user's machine from backup
Why it's wrong here
Restoration is part of recovery, not initial containment.
- ✓
Block the phishing domain at the email gateway
Why this is correct
Correct. Stops further phishing emails from that source.
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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.