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
Option A is correct because resetting the compromised user's password immediately invalidates the stolen credentials, preventing the attacker from continuing to use the phished account during containment. Option E is correct because blocking the phishing domain at the email gateway stops further phishing emails from that domain reaching other users, limiting the spread of the incident. Option B is not a containment action; updating the incident response plan is a post-incident improvement activity. Option C is also post-incident, as lessons learned meetings occur after eradication and recovery to improve future response. Option D is a recovery action, since restoring from backup is used to return systems to normal operation after the threat is contained and removed.
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
Resetting the password immediately invalidates the stolen credentials, cutting off the attacker's authenticated access before they can pivot or exfiltrate further. This directly satisfies the containment phase's goal of limiting damage while the phishing incident is still active.
- ✗
Update the incident response plan
Why it's wrong here
Updating the incident response plan is a post-incident improvement activity, not containment. It is tempting because documenting lessons strengthens future handling of phishing, and it would be correct during the lessons learned phase after containment, eradication and recovery are complete.
- ✗
Conduct a lessons learned meeting
Why it's wrong here
A lessons learned meeting occurs after eradication and recovery, during post-incident review, not containment. It is tempting because it improves future response and is a recognised incident response phase activity, yet containment requires immediate actions that stop the spread, such as isolating affected hosts or resetting compromised credentials.
- ✗
Restore the user's machine from backup
Why it's wrong here
Restoring from backup is a recovery activity performed after the threat is eradicated, so it does not contain the incident. It is tempting because restoring a clean image removes attacker persistence, and it would be correct during recovery once credentials are reset and the phishing vector is closed.
- ✓
Block the phishing domain at the email gateway
Why this is correct
Blocking the phishing domain at the email gateway prevents further delivery of malicious messages to other users, halting the campaign's spread. This contains the incident by removing the delivery vector rather than only remediating the already-compromised account.
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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.