hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: Refer to the exhibit
Exhibit
{"policy": {"name": "IncidentResponse", "containment": "isolate", "eradication": "reimage", "recovery": "backup"}}Refer to the exhibit. An organization's incident response policy defines these actions. In what sequence should these phases be applied?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates mistakenly think restoration can occur before eradication, but in practice, restoring from backup without reimaging leaves the system vulnerable if the backup itself is compromised or if the root cause (e.g., a persistent rootkit) remains in the system firmware or boot sector.
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
✓
Isolate, reimage, restore from backup
The correct sequence is Isolate, reimage, restore from backup because containment (isolation) must occur first to prevent the incident from spreading, followed by eradication (reimaging) to remove the threat, and finally recovery (restoring from backup) to return the system to a known good state. This aligns with the NIST SP 800-61 incident response lifecycle, where containment, eradication, and recovery are performed in that order.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Isolate, reimage, restore from backup
Why this is correct
Containment before eradication before recovery is standard process.
- ✗
Reimage, isolate, restore
Why it's wrong here
Reimaging without containment may spread malware.
- ✗
Restore, isolate, reimage
Why it's wrong here
Restoring before containment could reintroduce the threat.
- ✗
Isolate, restore, reimage
Why it's wrong here
Restoring before eradication may leave malware present.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.