easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: Experiences a ransomware attack that encrypts…
An organization experiences a ransomware attack that encrypts critical data. The incident response team isolates affected systems. What is the NEXT step?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often jump to 'Restore from backup' (Option D) as the immediate next step, but the SSCP exam emphasizes that containment and root cause analysis must precede recovery to prevent reinfection and ensure the backup is clean.
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
✓
Identify the root cause
After isolating affected systems to contain the ransomware, the next step is to identify the root cause (e.g., how the ransomware entered, which vulnerability was exploited, or which user account was compromised). This aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where identification and analysis precede eradication and recovery. Without determining the root cause, reimaging or restoring from backup risks reinfection or missing a persistent backdoor.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reimage systems
Why it's wrong here
Reimaging is an eradication step that should occur after root cause analysis.
- ✗
Notify law enforcement
Why it's wrong here
Notification may be required but is not the immediate next step after containment.
- ✓
Identify the root cause
Why this is correct
After containment, the team must analyze to determine the cause before proceeding to eradication.
- ✗
Restore from backup
Why it's wrong here
Restoration is part of recovery, which occurs after eradication.
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About these practice questions
One of 920 original SSCP practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. 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.