hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: An analyst detects outbound traffic from a…
An analyst detects outbound traffic from a workstation to a known malicious IP address. The workstation is a developer machine with local admin rights. Which containment action should be taken first?
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
✓
Isolate the workstation from the network
The first step is to isolate the workstation from the network (Option B) to prevent further communication with the malicious IP and lateral movement. Blocking only the IP (Option A) is insufficient because the malware may use other IPs. Shutting down (Option C) may lose volatile evidence. Disabling the user's account (Option D) does not stop network traffic from the workstation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Block the malicious IP on the firewall
Why it's wrong here
Malware may use other IPs; isolation is better.
- ✓
Isolate the workstation from the network
Why this is correct
Stops all malicious outbound traffic and lateral movement.
- ✗
Shut down the workstation immediately
Why it's wrong here
May destroy volatile evidence.
- ✗
Disable the user's domain account
Why it's wrong here
Account disable does not stop network traffic.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every SSCP question from scratch — 920 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or 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.