The correct choice is to alert on multiple failed logins for the same account from different source IPs in 10 minutes. This correlation rule is most effective because a distributed brute force attack detection strategy relies on recognizing that attackers often rotate through multiple source addresses to bypass IP-based lockout policies, making the combination of Event ID 4625 and 4776 across diverse origins a clear signature of credential stuffing against a service account. On the Systems Security Certified Practitioner SSCP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of SIEM correlation logic and the difference between a simple threshold rule and a distributed attack pattern—a common trap is choosing a rule that only counts failures from a single IP, which would miss the attack entirely. Remember the memory tip: “Many IPs, one account, short time—that’s the brute-force climb.”
SSCP Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of risk identification, monitoring and analysis. 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 uses a SIEM to correlate events. The SIEM receives Windows Security Event ID 4625 (failed login) and 4776 (credential validation). An analyst wants to detect a brute-force attack against a service account. Which correlation rule is most effective?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Alert on multiple failed logins for the same account from different source IPs in 10 minutes
Option C is correct because a brute-force attack against a service account typically involves multiple failed login attempts from different source IPs, as attackers often distribute their attempts to evade IP-based blocking. Correlating Event ID 4625 (failed login) and 4776 (credential validation) across multiple source IPs for the same account within a short time window (e.g., 10 minutes) directly identifies this distributed brute-force pattern, which a single-IP threshold would miss.
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.
✗
Alert on more than 10 failed logins from a single IP in 5 minutes
Why it's wrong here
Single IP might be a brute force, but distributed attacks evade this.
✗
Alert on successful logins after multiple failures
Why it's wrong here
Success after failure is normal; attack may not succeed.
✓
Alert on multiple failed logins for the same account from different source IPs in 10 minutes
Why this is correct
Detects distributed brute force against a single account.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Alert on any Event ID 4625 or 4776 with severity high
Why it's wrong here
Too many alerts, high false positive rate.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often fixate on a single IP threshold (Option A) because it seems intuitive, but the SSCP exam tests the understanding that modern brute-force attacks distribute across many IPs, making account-based correlation across source IPs the correct detection method.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Windows Security Event ID 4625 logs failed logon attempts at the target machine, while Event ID 4776 logs credential validation failures from the domain controller (via NTLM or Kerberos). In a distributed brute-force attack, an attacker may use a botnet to send one attempt per IP per account, making a single-IP threshold ineffective; correlating by account across multiple source IPs within a tight time window (e.g., 10 minutes) is the standard technique to detect such attacks. Real-world scenarios include password spraying against service accounts, where attackers try a few common passwords across many IPs to avoid lockout thresholds.
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 security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
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.
Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis — This question tests Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Alert on multiple failed logins for the same account from different source IPs in 10 minutes — Option C is correct because a brute-force attack against a service account typically involves multiple failed login attempts from different source IPs, as attackers often distribute their attempts to evade IP-based blocking. Correlating Event ID 4625 (failed login) and 4776 (credential validation) across multiple source IPs for the same account within a short time window (e.g., 10 minutes) directly identifies this distributed brute-force pattern, which a single-IP threshold would miss.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Given the exhibit, what is the most likely conclusion?
medium
A.The SIEM alert is a false positive and can be ignored
B.The authentication server logs are misconfigured
C.The successful login is unrelated and coincidental
✓ D.The brute-force attack was successful and the admin account may be compromised
Why D: The exhibit shows a brute-force attack with multiple failed login attempts followed by a successful login from the same source IP. This pattern indicates that the attacker likely guessed or cracked the password, making the admin account compromised. Option D is correct because the sequence of events directly correlates with a successful brute-force attack.
Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
Question Discussion
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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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