Dive into practice questions
Question 1
An endpoint detection and response alert triggered on a host assigned to a network administrator. An analyst begins to review the network session logs for the host:
2025-05-01 11:46 duration: 30s process: chrome.exe src_port: 48026 dst_port: 443
2025-05-01 11:48 duration: 58s process: outlook.exe src_port: 49654 dst_port: 25
2025-05-01 11:48 duration: 2478s process: putty.exe src_port: 48652 dst_port: 22
2025-05-01 11:50 duration: 46s process: update.exe src_port: 36845 dst_port: 53
Which of the following processes requires further investigation?
A. chrome.exe
B. outlook.exe
C. update.exe
D. putty.exe
Question 2
A security operations center analyst reviews security information and event management logs and sees the following:
| Time stamp | Log entry |
| 2025-05-02T10:13:38Z | Failed login for user jdoe |
| 2025-05-02T10:13:38Z | Failed login for user jdoe |
| 2025-05-02T10:13:39Z | Successful login for user jdoe |
| 2025-05-02T10:13:49Z | Successful password change for user jdoe |
| 2025-05-02T10:18:09Z | User jdoe added to enterprise admin group |
Which of the following attacks has most likely occurred?
A. Phishing
B. Privilege escalation
C. Data exfiltration
D. A pass-the-hash attack
Question 3
A Security Information Event Manager (SIEM) alerts a security administrator to the following log:
| Username | Location | Date (mm/dd) | Time (UTC) | Login Attempt |
| User_265 | Denver, USA | 11/06 | 0901 | Success |
| User_591 | Yokohama, Japan | 11/06 | 0935 | Failed |
| User_591 | Sevilla, Spain | 11/06 | 0941 | Success |
| User_265 | Paris, France | 11/06 | 1005 | Failed |
| User_125 | Denver, USA | 11/7 | 0902 | Success |
Based on the log, which of the following most likely generated this alert?
A. Impossible travel
B. Rogue Device
C. Unauthorized Access
D. Account lockout
Question 4
An analyst scans the network during the middle of the week while most employees are on-site. The employees report performance issues to their leadership team. Which of the following should the analyst take into consideration for future scans?
A. Segmentation
B. External scans
C. Regulatory requirements
D. Scheduling
Question 5
After a risk assessment, a server was found hosting a vulnerable legacy system that has the following characteristics:
- There is no patch or official fix available from the vendor.
- There is no official support provided by the vendor.
- Customers consider the system mission critical.
Which of the following actions will best decrease the risk posed by the legacy system?
A. Decommission the server immediately and find a new solution to replace the legacy system.
B. Implement firewall rules to block inbound connections and allow outbound traffic.
C. Install and configure a web application firewall tailored to the legacy server.
D. Apply compensating controls, including isolation, restricted access, and continuous monitoring.
Question 6
A new policy prohibits external access to database servers. A recent external port scan identified the following open Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ports:
- 21
- 25
- 68
- 80
- 389
- 443
- 587
- 1514
- 3306
- 3389
- 8080
Which of the ports must be closed to be compliant with the new policy? (Select two).
A. 25
B. 587
C. 1514
D. 3306
E. 3389
F. 8080
Question 7
A security operations analyst observes an attacker scanning network ports and systems. Which of the following describes this phase of the Cyber Kill Chain?
A. Reconnaissance
B. Exploitation
C. Installation
D. Weaponization
E. Actions on objectives
Question 8
An analyst receives an alert that a binary infected with ransomware was detected on a remote employee's system. The analyst confirms the file matches the detection signature. Which of the following is the next step?
A. Triage
B. Recovery
C. Containment
D. Eradication
Question 9
Which of the following best describes the incident response phase in which a team brings systems and services back into operation?
A. Containment
B. Post-incident
C. Recovery
D. Prioritization
Question 10
During an incident response, an analyst discovers artifacts important to the investigation. These artifacts may need to be processed by law enforcement at a later time. Which of the following is the most important when handling the artifacts?
A. The artifacts must be immediately handed over to law enforcement officials to pursue legal action.
B. The artifacts must be preserved in their original state and maintained with a chain of custody.
C. The artifacts must be dissected as soon as possible to continue incident response operations.
D. The artifacts must be immediately removed because they may be malicious and hindering recovery efforts.
Answer key
Question 1: C (update.exe)
Question 10: B (The artifacts must be preserved in their original state and maintained with a chain of custody.)