This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of incident response and recovery. 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 is reviewing logs and finds multiple failed login attempts from an external IP address followed by a successful login. Which type of attack is most likely occurring?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Password spraying
Why wrong: Password spraying uses common passwords across many accounts, not repeated attempts on one.
Brute force attack
Multiple attempts from a single source indicate brute force.
Credential stuffing
Why wrong: Credential stuffing uses stolen username/password pairs.
Social engineering
Why wrong: Social engineering involves tricking users, not automated attempts.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Brute force attack
A brute force attack involves systematically trying all possible password combinations until the correct one is found. The log pattern of multiple failed attempts from a single external IP followed by a success is the classic signature of a brute force attack, as the attacker iterates through a password list or character space against the same username.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Password spraying
Why it's wrong here
Password spraying uses common passwords across many accounts, not repeated attempts on one.
Brute force attack
Why this is correct
Multiple attempts from a single source indicate brute force.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Credential stuffing
Why it's wrong here
Credential stuffing uses stolen username/password pairs.
Social engineering
Why it's wrong here
Social engineering involves tricking users, not automated attempts.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'brute force' with 'credential stuffing' because both involve multiple login attempts, but credential stuffing uses known breached credentials (often from different IPs) and shows a higher initial success rate, whereas brute force targets a single account with many guesses from one IP.
Detailed technical explanation
In a brute force attack, the attacker often uses tools like Hydra or Medusa to send repeated authentication requests, typically against protocols such as SSH (port 22), RDP (port 3389), or web login forms. The log entries would show a high frequency of 'Failed password' events from the same source IP, often with incremental or dictionary-based passwords, and the successful login occurs when the correct password is finally matched. Rate limiting or account lockout policies (e.g., after 5 failed attempts) are common mitigations, but attackers may bypass these by using distributed IPs or slow attack speeds.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
An employee at a financial services firm receives an email that appears to come from the IT helpdesk, asking them to reset their password via a link. The link leads to a convincing fake portal that harvests credentials. Security teams use phishing simulations and security-awareness training to reduce this attack vector. Questions like this test whether you can identify social engineering techniques and appropriate controls.
What to study next
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FAQ
Incident Response and Recovery — This question tests Incident Response and Recovery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Brute force attack — A brute force attack involves systematically trying all possible password combinations until the correct one is found. The log pattern of multiple failed attempts from a single external IP followed by a success is the classic signature of a brute force attack, as the attacker iterates through a password list or character space against the same username.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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