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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
[alert from SIEM]
Alert: High Priority
Rule: Possible Brute Force Attack
Source IP: 192.168.1.50
Target: Server 10.0.0.10
Count: 150 failed logins in 5 minutes
Time: 2024-03-21 14:32:15
[additional log from authentication server]
Log: Successful login from 192.168.1.50 to 10.0.0.10 at 14:34:20 for user 'admin'.
Given the exhibit, what is the most likely conclusion?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Refer to the exhibit.
[alert from SIEM]
Alert: High Priority
Rule: Possible Brute Force Attack
Source IP: 192.168.1.50
Target: Server 10.0.0.10
Count: 150 failed logins in 5 minutes
Time: 2024-03-21 14:32:15
[additional log from authentication server]
Log: Successful login from 192.168.1.50 to 10.0.0.10 at 14:34:20 for user 'admin'.
A
The SIEM alert is a false positive and can be ignored
Why wrong: The successful login indicates the attack may have succeeded.
B
The authentication server logs are misconfigured
Why wrong: No evidence of misconfiguration.
C
The successful login is unrelated and coincidental
Why wrong: The timing strongly suggests it is related to the brute force.
D
The brute-force attack was successful and the admin account may be compromised
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The brute-force attack was successful and the admin account may be compromised
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.
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.
✗
The SIEM alert is a false positive and can be ignored
Why it's wrong here
The successful login indicates the attack may have succeeded.
✗
The authentication server logs are misconfigured
Why it's wrong here
No evidence of misconfiguration.
✗
The successful login is unrelated and coincidental
Why it's wrong here
The timing strongly suggests it is related to the brute force.
✓
The brute-force attack was successful and the admin account may be compromised
Why this is correct
The pattern indicates successful compromise.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may dismiss the successful login as a false positive or coincidence, failing to recognize that the sequential pattern of failures followed by a success from the same source is the definitive signature of a successful brute-force attack.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a brute-force attack, automated tools like Hydra or Medusa send multiple authentication requests (e.g., over SSH, RDP, or HTTP Basic Auth) until a valid credential is found. The SIEM correlates these events by source IP and target account; a successful login after many failures is a high-confidence indicator of compromise. Real-world scenarios often involve rate-limiting or account lockout policies to mitigate this, but if absent, the attack succeeds.
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.
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: The brute-force attack was successful and the admin account may be compromised — 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.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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