- A
Reset all domain user passwords and force a password change at next logon.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Passwords reset does not address hidden accounts or modified permissions.
- B
Use a tool to scan for hidden accounts and reset permissions on all file servers.
Why wrong: Incorrect: This addresses only part of the issue; domain controller may have additional backdoors.
- C
Perform a forensic analysis of the domain controller to identify all backdoors, hidden accounts, and unauthorized permission changes.
Correct: Forensic analysis provides a complete picture of the attacker's actions and allows targeted eradication.
- D
Rebuild the domain controller from a known good backup and reset all service account passwords.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Backup may not be clean; rebuilding without full analysis could miss backdoors in other systems.
Quick Answer
The answer is to perform a forensic analysis of the domain controller to identify all backdoors, hidden accounts, and unauthorized permission changes. This is the most comprehensive approach because the domain controller is the authoritative source for Active Directory, and any persistence mechanism—such as hidden user accounts, modified ACLs, or altered service principal names—must be discovered at the directory level to prevent the attacker from re-establishing access after recovery. On the SSCP exam, this question tests your understanding of the eradication phase within the incident response lifecycle, specifically the need for deep forensic analysis rather than simple password resets or server rebuilds, which can miss stealthy backdoors. A common trap is assuming that isolating or rebuilding the compromised servers alone is sufficient, but the attacker’s modifications to AD objects persist across the domain. Remember the mnemonic “DC First” — Domain Controller analysis must come first to uncover all hidden persistence before any recovery steps.
SSCP Incident Response and Recovery Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of incident response and recovery. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 has suffered a sophisticated attack where the attacker compromised a domain controller and used it to move laterally to several file servers. The incident response team has isolated the domain controller and some file servers, but they suspect that the attacker may have created hidden accounts and modified permissions to maintain access. The team needs to ensure that the attacker's access is entirely removed before restoring operations. The organization has a large number of users and complex Active Directory structure. The incident response plan outlines containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident analysis. The team has forensic imaging of the domain controller and file servers. What is the MOST comprehensive approach to eradicate the attacker's presence?
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
Perform a forensic analysis of the domain controller to identify all backdoors, hidden accounts, and unauthorized permission changes.
Option C is correct because the most comprehensive approach to eradicate an attacker's presence after a domain controller compromise is to perform a forensic analysis of the domain controller. This analysis can identify all backdoors, hidden accounts (e.g., accounts with the 'ACCOUNTDISABLE' flag removed or created via 'net user' with hidden attributes), unauthorized permission changes (e.g., modified ACLs on AD objects), and other persistence mechanisms like scheduled tasks or service principal name (SPN) modifications. Without this deep analysis, the attacker's access may persist even after password resets or server rebuilds.
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.
- ✗
Reset all domain user passwords and force a password change at next logon.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Passwords reset does not address hidden accounts or modified permissions.
- ✗
Use a tool to scan for hidden accounts and reset permissions on all file servers.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: This addresses only part of the issue; domain controller may have additional backdoors.
- ✓
Perform a forensic analysis of the domain controller to identify all backdoors, hidden accounts, and unauthorized permission changes.
Why this is correct
Correct: Forensic analysis provides a complete picture of the attacker's actions and allows targeted eradication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Rebuild the domain controller from a known good backup and reset all service account passwords.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Backup may not be clean; rebuilding without full analysis could miss backdoors in other systems.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose password resets or backup restoration as a quick fix, but fail to recognize that sophisticated attackers implant multiple persistence mechanisms (e.g., hidden accounts, modified ACLs, domain-level backdoors) that survive these actions without a comprehensive forensic analysis.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Forensic analysis of a compromised domain controller should include examination of the NTDS.dit file for hidden or disabled accounts, analysis of Security Account Manager (SAM) registry hives for local backdoors, and review of Active Directory replication metadata to detect unauthorized object modifications. Attackers often use tools like Mimikatz to extract credentials and create 'skeleton key' attacks or modify the AdminSDHolder container to grant persistent privileges. A thorough analysis also involves checking for unauthorized Group Policy Objects (GPOs) that could re-add backdoors after remediation.
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 team runs a vulnerability scan on a web application and discovers an unpatched SQL injection flaw. The team prioritises remediation by CVSS score — critical flaws are patched within 24 hours, high within 7 days. Questions like this test whether you understand vulnerability management processes, scanning tools, and remediation prioritisation.
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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Incident Response and Recovery — study guide chapter
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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: Perform a forensic analysis of the domain controller to identify all backdoors, hidden accounts, and unauthorized permission changes. — Option C is correct because the most comprehensive approach to eradicate an attacker's presence after a domain controller compromise is to perform a forensic analysis of the domain controller. This analysis can identify all backdoors, hidden accounts (e.g., accounts with the 'ACCOUNTDISABLE' flag removed or created via 'net user' with hidden attributes), unauthorized permission changes (e.g., modified ACLs on AD objects), and other persistence mechanisms like scheduled tasks or service principal name (SPN) modifications. Without this deep analysis, the attacker's access may persist even after password resets or server rebuilds.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 25, 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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