- A
Preparation
Correct. Preparation includes the IR plan, team, tools, exercises, and communication plan.
- B
Post-Incident Activity
Why wrong: Post-Incident Activity occurs after recovery.
- C
Detection and Analysis
Why wrong: Detection and Analysis occurs after preparation.
- D
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
Why wrong: This phase follows detection.
Question 278 of 1,000
SSCP Incident Response and Recovery Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of incident response and recovery. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
An organization is developing its incident response plan. According to NIST SP 800-61, which phase should include establishing a communication plan, acquiring necessary tools, and conducting exercises?
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
✓
Preparation
According to NIST SP 800-61, the Preparation phase is where the organization establishes a communication plan, acquires necessary tools (e.g., forensic workstations, imaging software, network monitoring tools), and conducts exercises (e.g., tabletop exercises or full-scale simulations) to ensure readiness. This phase lays the foundation for all subsequent incident response activities by ensuring resources and procedures are in place before an incident occurs.
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.
- ✓
Preparation
Why this is correct
Correct. Preparation includes the IR plan, team, tools, exercises, and communication plan.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Post-Incident Activity
Why it's wrong here
Post-Incident Activity occurs after recovery.
- ✗
Detection and Analysis
Why it's wrong here
Detection and Analysis occurs after preparation.
- ✗
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
Why it's wrong here
This phase follows detection.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that Detection and Analysis includes proactive preparation activities, but NIST SP 800-61 clearly separates the proactive Preparation phase from the reactive Detection phase, which only begins after an incident is suspected.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NIST SP 800-61 Revision 2 explicitly lists the Preparation phase as including 'establishing policies, procedures, and communication mechanisms' and 'acquiring and maintaining incident response tools and resources.' Exercises in this phase often involve testing playbooks against specific attack scenarios (e.g., ransomware or DDoS) to validate tool interoperability and team coordination. A subtle but critical detail is that the communication plan must define escalation paths and out-of-band channels (e.g., encrypted messaging or satellite phones) to ensure resilience if primary networks are compromised.
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 SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
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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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SSCP question test?
Incident Response and Recovery — This question tests Incident Response and Recovery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Preparation — According to NIST SP 800-61, the Preparation phase is where the organization establishes a communication plan, acquires necessary tools (e.g., forensic workstations, imaging software, network monitoring tools), and conducts exercises (e.g., tabletop exercises or full-scale simulations) to ensure readiness. This phase lays the foundation for all subsequent incident response activities by ensuring resources and procedures are in place before an incident occurs.
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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