Quick Answer
The answer is to identify the root cause. After isolating affected systems to contain the ransomware, the incident response team must determine how the attack occurred—such as the specific vulnerability exploited, the entry vector like a phishing email, or the compromised user account—before proceeding to eradication or recovery. This step is critical because skipping root cause analysis risks reinfection from a persistent backdoor or the same vulnerability, even after reimaging or restoring from backup. On the Systems Security Certified Practitioner SSCP exam, this question tests your understanding of the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where identification and analysis follow containment. A common trap is choosing “restore from backup” too early, forgetting that the root cause must be removed first. Memory tip: think “Isolate, Investigate, then Eradicate”—the middle “I” for identify root cause is the step you cannot skip.
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 experiences a ransomware attack that encrypts critical data. The incident response team isolates affected systems. What is the NEXT step?
Reimage systems
Why wrong: Reimaging is an eradication step that should occur after root cause analysis.
Notify law enforcement
Why wrong: Notification may be required but is not the immediate next step after containment.
Identify the root cause
After containment, the team must analyze to determine the cause before proceeding to eradication.
Restore from backup
Why wrong: Restoration is part of recovery, which occurs after eradication.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Identify the root cause
After isolating affected systems to contain the ransomware, the next step is to identify the root cause (e.g., how the ransomware entered, which vulnerability was exploited, or which user account was compromised). This aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where identification and analysis precede eradication and recovery. Without determining the root cause, reimaging or restoring from backup risks reinfection or missing a persistent backdoor.
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.
Reimage systems
Why it's wrong here
Reimaging is an eradication step that should occur after root cause analysis.
Notify law enforcement
Why it's wrong here
Notification may be required but is not the immediate next step after containment.
Identify the root cause
Why this is correct
After containment, the team must analyze to determine the cause before proceeding to eradication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Restore from backup
Why it's wrong here
Restoration is part of recovery, which occurs after eradication.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often jump to 'Restore from backup' (Option D) as the immediate next step, but the SSCP exam emphasizes that containment and root cause analysis must precede recovery to prevent reinfection and ensure the backup is clean.
Detailed technical explanation
Root cause analysis in ransomware incidents often involves examining logs (e.g., Windows Event ID 4625 for failed logins, Sysmon Event ID 1 for process creation), network traffic captures (e.g., SMB exploitation via EternalBlue), and memory forensics to identify the initial access vector (e.g., phishing email with macro, RDP brute force). Tools like Volatility can extract process memory to find encryption keys or C2 communication artifacts. In real-world cases, failing to identify the root cause led to repeated infections, such as the NotPetya outbreak where lateral movement via PsExec was not initially blocked.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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Incident Response and Recovery — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Incident Response and Recovery — This question tests Incident Response and Recovery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Identify the root cause — After isolating affected systems to contain the ransomware, the next step is to identify the root cause (e.g., how the ransomware entered, which vulnerability was exploited, or which user account was compromised). This aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where identification and analysis precede eradication and recovery. Without determining the root cause, reimaging or restoring from backup risks reinfection or missing a persistent backdoor.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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