easyMultiple Choice
SSCP Practice Question: After containing a malware outbreak, the incident…
After containing a malware outbreak, the incident response team needs to ensure the malware is completely removed from all systems. Which phase of the incident response process is this?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse eradication with recovery, as candidates often think 'removing malware' is part of getting systems back online, but recovery only begins after the threat is fully eradicated to avoid restoring infected data.
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
✓
Eradication
The eradication phase is specifically focused on removing the root cause of the incident, such as deleting malware files, registry keys, and disabling malicious services from all affected systems. After containment (which stops the spread), eradication ensures the threat is completely eliminated before recovery begins. This aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where eradication follows containment and precedes recovery.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Post-Incident
Why it's wrong here
Post-Incident covers lessons learned, reporting and improvement after eradication and recovery, not malware removal itself. It is tempting because eradication is followed by post-incident review, but the question describes eradication, the phase that actually removes the malware from all affected systems.
- ✓
Eradication
Why this is correct
Eradication removes malware artefacts, root causes and persistence mechanisms from affected systems, satisfying the stem's requirement for complete removal after containment. Unlike recovery, which restores normal operations, eradication focuses on eliminating the threat itself, ensuring no residual infection remains before systems return to production.
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Detection
Why it's wrong here
Detection identifies and validates that an incident has occurred; it does not remove malware. It is tempting because detection precedes containment and eradication, but the stem already states the outbreak was contained and now requires complete removal, which is eradication.
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Recovery
Why it's wrong here
Recovery restores systems to normal operation after eradication, not removing malware. It is tempting because recovery follows containment in the lifecycle, but the stem asks about eliminating the malware itself, which is eradication, performed before recovery begins.
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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.