Quick Answer
The answer is to disable the employee’s user account immediately. This is the correct first step because, in incident response, the priority is containment—stopping the active threat before it causes further damage. By disabling the account, you cut off the attacker’s authenticated access, halting the data exfiltration and preventing lateral movement, regardless of the external IP address. On the Systems Security Certified Practitioner SSCP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the NIST incident response lifecycle, specifically the containment phase. A common trap is to jump to blocking the IP address, but attackers often use multiple exit nodes or have already established persistence. Another trap is notifying management first, which wastes critical time. Remember the mnemonic “DICE”: Disable, Isolate, Contain, Eradicate—Disable is always the first action for a compromised account.
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of security operations and administration. 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.
A security analyst notices that an employee's account has been sending large amounts of data to an external IP address during non-business hours. The analyst suspects the employee's credentials have been compromised. What is the FIRST step the analyst should take according to incident response procedures?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Block the external IP address at the firewall.
Why wrong: The attacker may change IPs or have other access.
Disable the employee's user account.
This contains the incident by stopping the unauthorized activity.
Contact law enforcement.
Why wrong: Law enforcement is contacted after containment and evidence preservation.
Inform the employee's manager.
Why wrong: Communication is important but not the first technical step.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Disable the employee's user account.
Option A is correct because disabling the account immediately stops the malicious activity. Option B is wrong; blocking the IP may not stop the attacker if they have other methods. Option C is wrong; informing the manager is important but not the first action. Option D is wrong; contacting law enforcement is premature.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Block the external IP address at the firewall.
Why it's wrong here
The attacker may change IPs or have other access.
Disable the employee's user account.
Why this is correct
This contains the incident by stopping the unauthorized activity.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Contact law enforcement.
Why it's wrong here
Law enforcement is contacted after containment and evidence preservation.
Inform the employee's manager.
Why it's wrong here
Communication is important but not the first technical step.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which SSCP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Security Operations and Administration — This question tests Security Operations and Administration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Disable the employee's user account. — Option A is correct because disabling the account immediately stops the malicious activity. Option B is wrong; blocking the IP may not stop the attacker if they have other methods. Option C is wrong; informing the manager is important but not the first action. Option D is wrong; contacting law enforcement is premature.
Identify which SSCP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Same concept, more angles
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. A system administrator notices that a user's account has been locked out multiple times within an hour. The admin reviews the logs and finds repeated failed login attempts from an unusual IP address. What is the BEST immediate action to mitigate further risk?
mediumWhy A: Disabling the account stops any further unauthorized access while the situation is investigated. Option A is a weak password after lockout; B removes logs needed for investigation; D misidentifies the issue as a DoS attack.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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