easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: A security analyst notices an increase in failed…
A security analyst notices an increase in failed login attempts from a single IP address. What is the best immediate action?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers choose 'Block the IP at the firewall' (Option C) as the fastest immediate action, but the SSCP exam emphasizes that the first step in incident response is to gather and correlate evidence to confirm the threat before taking potentially disruptive actions.
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
✓
Check the SIEM for correlated events.
Checking the SIEM for correlated events (Option D) is the best immediate action because it allows the analyst to gather context around the failed login attempts—such as whether they target multiple accounts, originate from a known malicious IP, or coincide with other suspicious activity—before taking a potentially disruptive or irreversible step. This aligns with the incident response principle of 'verify before you act,' ensuring the response is proportional and informed by correlated data from multiple sources.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Run an antivirus scan.
Why it's wrong here
Antivirus scans are for malware detection, not for investigating failed login attempts.
- ✗
Disable the user accounts.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling accounts is drastic and may impact productivity; it should only be done if the accounts are confirmed compromised.
- ✗
Block the IP at the firewall.
Why it's wrong here
Blocking immediately may disrupt legitimate traffic if the IP is not malicious; correlation is needed first.
- ✓
Check the SIEM for correlated events.
Why this is correct
The SIEM can correlate multiple events to determine if the IP is part of a larger attack or a false positive.
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This SSCP question is part of Courseiva's 920-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.