- A
Check system logs for unauthorized registry modifications, scheduled tasks, or startup entries.
Correct: This directly checks for common persistence mechanisms used by attackers.
- B
Perform a full malware analysis of the file to understand its capabilities.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Malware analysis provides intelligence but does not immediately identify persistence on the system.
- C
Notify affected customers immediately as required by data breach notification laws.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Notification should occur after confirming the breach scope and impact, not before investigation.
- D
Reimage the user's workstation from a known good backup.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Reimaging may remove persistence but if other systems are compromised, the attacker could still have access; also need to understand the full extent first.
Quick Answer
The correct next step is to check system logs for unauthorized registry modifications, scheduled tasks, or startup entries. This is the priority because persistence detection after a phishing attack focuses on identifying mechanisms that allow malware to survive a reboot, such as Run keys in the registry, schtasks entries, or Startup folder shortcuts. On the SSCP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the eradication phase within the incident response lifecycle, where you must verify that no backdoors remain before declaring recovery complete. A common trap is jumping to reimaging the workstation without first analyzing logs, which could miss stealthy persistence like WMI subscriptions or service installations. Remember the memory tip: “Logs before reimage” — always audit persistence points like Run, RunOnce, and scheduled tasks to ensure the attacker cannot regain access after cleanup.
SSCP Incident Response and Recovery Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of incident response and recovery. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 medium-sized company recently experienced a phishing attack where an employee downloaded a malicious attachment, leading to a data breach. The incident response team has identified the affected user and the malware. However, the team is unsure whether the attacker has established persistence. The security analyst must recommend the next step. The company has a standard incident response plan that includes detection, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. The malware sample has been isolated for analysis. The user's account has been disabled temporarily. The network team has quarantined the user's workstation. The analyst needs to ensure the attacker cannot regain access after the initial cleanup. What should the analyst recommend next?
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
Check system logs for unauthorized registry modifications, scheduled tasks, or startup entries.
Option A is correct because the immediate priority after containment is to identify and remove any persistence mechanisms the attacker may have established. Checking system logs for unauthorized registry modifications (e.g., Run keys), scheduled tasks (e.g., schtasks), and startup entries (e.g., Startup folder or services) directly addresses the uncertainty about persistence. This step ensures the attacker cannot regain access after cleanup, aligning with the eradication phase of the incident response plan.
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.
- ✓
Check system logs for unauthorized registry modifications, scheduled tasks, or startup entries.
Why this is correct
Correct: This directly checks for common persistence mechanisms used by attackers.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Perform a full malware analysis of the file to understand its capabilities.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Malware analysis provides intelligence but does not immediately identify persistence on the system.
- ✗
Notify affected customers immediately as required by data breach notification laws.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Notification should occur after confirming the breach scope and impact, not before investigation.
- ✗
Reimage the user's workstation from a known good backup.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Reimaging may remove persistence but if other systems are compromised, the attacker could still have access; also need to understand the full extent first.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may jump to reimaging (Option D) as a quick fix, but without first verifying and removing persistence, the attacker could have established footholds on other systems or in the backup itself, making reimaging ineffective.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Persistence mechanisms often involve modifying Windows Registry keys like HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, creating scheduled tasks via schtasks.exe, or adding startup entries in the Startup folder. Attackers may also use WMI event subscriptions or service DLL hijacking. Checking these locations with tools like Autoruns or Sysinternals can reveal hidden persistence that standard antivirus might miss, especially if the malware uses rootkit techniques to hide its entries.
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
An employee at a financial services firm receives an email that appears to come from the IT helpdesk, asking them to reset their password via a link. The link leads to a convincing fake portal that harvests credentials. Security teams use phishing simulations and security-awareness training to reduce this attack vector. Questions like this test whether you can identify social engineering techniques and appropriate controls.
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: Check system logs for unauthorized registry modifications, scheduled tasks, or startup entries. — Option A is correct because the immediate priority after containment is to identify and remove any persistence mechanisms the attacker may have established. Checking system logs for unauthorized registry modifications (e.g., Run keys), scheduled tasks (e.g., schtasks), and startup entries (e.g., Startup folder or services) directly addresses the uncertainty about persistence. This step ensures the attacker cannot regain access after cleanup, aligning with the eradication phase of the incident response plan.
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
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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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