- A
Patch compliance
Why wrong: Patch compliance measures the percentage of systems with up-to-date patches, not security events.
- B
Training completion
Why wrong: Training completion tracks employee completion of security awareness training.
- C
Mean time to detect (MTTD)
Why wrong: MTTD measures the time to detect an incident, not the count of incidents.
- D
Incident count
The failed and successful login attempts from an unusual IP indicate a potential security incident.
Question 106 of 1,000
SSCP Security Operations and Administration Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of security operations and administration. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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 notices multiple failed login attempts on a critical server followed by a successful login from an unusual IP address. Which metric would BEST capture this event?
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
✓
Incident count
The incident count metric directly captures the occurrence of a security event—multiple failed logins followed by a successful login from an unusual IP—as a discrete security incident. This metric is used to track the number of such events over time, enabling trend analysis and resource allocation for incident response. It is the most appropriate measure for logging and reporting this specific sequence of authentication anomalies.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Patch compliance
Why it's wrong here
Patch compliance measures the percentage of systems with up-to-date patches, not security events.
- ✗
Training completion
Why it's wrong here
Training completion tracks employee completion of security awareness training.
- ✗
Mean time to detect (MTTD)
Why it's wrong here
MTTD measures the time to detect an incident, not the count of incidents.
- ✓
Incident count
Why this is correct
The failed and successful login attempts from an unusual IP indicate a potential security incident.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'incident count' with 'mean time to detect' (MTTD), thinking MTTD captures the event itself, when in fact MTTD is a performance metric for detection speed, not a count of occurrences.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In practice, incident count is often derived from SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) correlation rules that aggregate authentication logs (e.g., Windows Event ID 4625 for failed logons and 4624 for successful logons). A real-world scenario might involve a brute-force attack where 100 failed attempts from a single IP are followed by a success—this would increment the incident count by one, triggering a ticket in a system like ServiceNow or Jira. Under the hood, this metric is typically stored as a counter in a database, with each unique attack sequence (based on source IP, target account, and time window) logged as a separate incident.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security team runs a vulnerability scan on a web application and discovers an unpatched SQL injection flaw. The team prioritises remediation by CVSS score — critical flaws are patched within 24 hours, high within 7 days. Questions like this test whether you understand vulnerability management processes, scanning tools, and remediation prioritisation.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Security Operations and Administration — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SSCP question test?
Security Operations and Administration — This question tests Security Operations and Administration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Incident count — The incident count metric directly captures the occurrence of a security event—multiple failed logins followed by a successful login from an unusual IP—as a discrete security incident. This metric is used to track the number of such events over time, enabling trend analysis and resource allocation for incident response. It is the most appropriate measure for logging and reporting this specific sequence of authentication anomalies.
What should I do if I get this SSCP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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