The answer is a brute force attack. This is the most likely type of attack because the security administrator observed repeated failed login events for a single Administrator account, which is the hallmark of a brute force attempt where an attacker systematically tries many passwords against one target username. On the Systems Security Certified Practitioner SSCP exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between authentication attacks based on the pattern of failed events; a common trap is confusing this with password spraying, which instead uses one common password against many accounts. Remember the memory tip: “One account, many tries” equals brute force, while “many accounts, one try” equals password spraying. This distinction is critical for identifying brute force attack identification from failed login events in both the exam and real-world security monitoring.
SSCP Security Operations and Administration Practice Question
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.
Exhibit
Event ID 4625: An account failed to log on.
Logon Type: 10
Account Name: Administrator
Source Network Address: 192.168.1.200
Failure Reason: Unknown user name or bad password.
Refer to the exhibit. A security administrator notices repeated events with the same failure reason for the Administrator account. What is the MOST likely type of attack?
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.
Event ID 4625: An account failed to log on.
Logon Type: 10
Account Name: Administrator
Source Network Address: 192.168.1.200
Failure Reason: Unknown user name or bad password.
A
Spear phishing
Why wrong: Phishing involves social engineering, not repeated logins.
B
Password spraying
Why wrong: Password spraying targets many accounts with a few passwords.
C
Brute force
Multiple failed attempts for one account is characteristic of brute force.
D
Denial of service
Why wrong: DoS would aim to overwhelm the system, not to log in.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Brute force
Option A is correct because repeated failed logins for a single account indicate a brute force attack. Option B is wrong; password spraying uses many accounts with common passwords. Option C is wrong; phishing involves tricking users, not repeated login attempts. Option D is wrong; DoS aims to disrupt service, not gain access.
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.
✗
Spear phishing
Why it's wrong here
Phishing involves social engineering, not repeated logins.
✗
Password spraying
Why it's wrong here
Password spraying targets many accounts with a few passwords.
✓
Brute force
Why this is correct
Multiple failed attempts for one account is characteristic of brute force.
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.
✗
Denial of service
Why it's wrong here
DoS would aim to overwhelm the system, not to log in.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 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.
Security Operations and Administration — This question tests Security Operations and Administration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Brute force — Option A is correct because repeated failed logins for a single account indicate a brute force attack. Option B is wrong; password spraying uses many accounts with common passwords. Option C is wrong; phishing involves tricking users, not repeated login attempts. Option D is wrong; DoS aims to disrupt service, not gain access.
What should I do if I get this SSCP question wrong?
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.
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.
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 →
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. Based on the exhibit, which type of attack is most likely occurring?
medium
✓ A.Brute force attack
B.Man-in-the-middle attack
C.Denial of service attack
D.Social engineering attack
Why A: A brute force attack is most likely occurring because the exhibit shows repeated login attempts with different passwords for the same username, which is the hallmark of an automated password guessing attack. The rapid succession of failed authentication events indicates a systematic trial of credentials, not a single intercepted session or resource exhaustion.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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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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