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SSCP Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are effective methods…
Which TWO of the following are effective methods for monitoring risk in real-time?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse periodic review activities (like access reviews or vulnerability scans) with real-time monitoring, failing to recognize that only SIEM and IDS provide continuous, automated analysis of live data.
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
✓
Security information and event management (SIEM) systems
Option B is correct because SIEM systems aggregate and correlate log and event data from across the environment in real time, generating alerts on suspicious patterns so risk can be monitored continuously. Option E is correct because IDS solutions inspect network or host traffic continuously and raise alerts on malicious or anomalous activity as it happens, providing real-time risk visibility. The unmarked options do not belong because user access reviews (A) are periodic governance activities, quarterly vulnerability scanning (C) runs on a scheduled cadence rather than continuously, and annual penetration testing (D) is a point-in-time assessment performed only once a year.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
User access reviews
Why it's wrong here
User access reviews are periodic recertification exercises, typically run quarterly or annually, so they cannot detect risk continuously as real-time monitoring requires. They are tempting because they genuinely address access governance and dormant-account risk, and would be correct for a scheduled entitlement attestation requirement rather than live monitoring.
- ✓
Security information and event management (SIEM) systems
Why this is correct
SIEM systems aggregate and correlate log events from multiple sources in real time, generating alerts on suspicious patterns. This satisfies the stem's real-time monitoring constraint through continuous event correlation and rule-based detection, unlike periodic vulnerability scans or manual log reviews.
- ✗
Quarterly vulnerability scanning
Why it's wrong here
Quarterly scanning samples vulnerabilities at fixed intervals, leaving gaps between runs, so it cannot detect threats as they emerge. It is tempting because scanning does identify weaknesses, and it is the right control for periodic assurance rather than continuous, real-time risk monitoring.
- ✗
Annual penetration testing
Why it's wrong here
Annual penetration testing provides a point-in-time assessment, so changes occurring between tests go unnoticed and real-time risk monitoring is impossible. It is tempting because penetration testing does reveal exploitable weaknesses, and it is the correct choice for validating defences periodically.
- ✓
Intrusion detection systems (IDS)
Why this is correct
Intrusion detection systems inspect network or host traffic continuously, alerting on malicious signatures or anomalous behaviour as it occurs. This satisfies the stem's real-time monitoring requirement through live traffic analysis, complementing SIEM correlation by providing deeper packet-level and host-level detection.
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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.