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SSCP Practice Question: Which THREE of the following are standard phases…
Which THREE of the following are standard phases of the incident response lifecycle?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests candidates by including plausible-sounding business or audit terms (like Auditing or Budgeting) as distractors, expecting test-takers to confuse supporting activities with formal lifecycle phases defined in NIST or SANS frameworks.
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
✓
Preparation
Preparation is the foundational phase of the incident response lifecycle, as defined by NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2. This phase involves establishing policies, creating incident response plans, forming a CSIRT, and provisioning tools (e.g., SIEM, forensic workstations) before any incident occurs. Without proper preparation, all subsequent phases are significantly less effective.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Preparation
Why this is correct
Preparation is the first phase, involving planning and training.
- ✓
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
Why this is correct
This combined phase addresses stopping the incident and restoring operations.
- ✗
Auditing
Why it's wrong here
Auditing is a separate governance activity, not a response phase.
- ✗
Budgeting
Why it's wrong here
Budgeting is not a phase of incident response.
- ✓
Detection and Analysis
Why this is correct
Detection and analysis is the phase where incidents are identified.
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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.