SSCP Risk Identification, Monitoring, and Analysis Practice Question
A SIEM correlation rule triggers when an administrative account logs in after hours and subsequently performs a bulk export of a customer database. Which THREE threat types does this scenario most likely indicate?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse 'insider threat' (Option E) with 'privilege escalation' (Option C), but the question asks for three threat types, and both are distinct: privilege escalation focuses on the abuse of elevated access, while insider threat is the broader category of malicious or negligent actions by authorized users.
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
✓
Privilege escalation
The scenario describes an administrative account performing actions (after-hours login and bulk database export) that exceed its normal privileges or intended use, which is the essence of privilege escalation. The SIEM rule detects this by correlating the account's elevated access with anomalous behavior, indicating the account may have been compromised or misused to gain unauthorized capabilities.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Malware infection
Why it's wrong here
Not directly indicated.
- ✗
Denial of service
Why it's wrong here
No evidence of service disruption.
- ✓
Privilege escalation
Why this is correct
After-hours admin login may indicate escalation or misuse.
- ✓
Data exfiltration
Why this is correct
Bulk export of database is a data exfiltration attempt.
- ✓
Insider threat
Why this is correct
Suspicious activity by an insider (or compromised account).
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
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.