312-39 · Question #61
A SOC analyst monitoring authentication logs detects a sudden and significant spike in failed login attempts targeting multiple critical servers during non-business hours. These repeated…
The correct answer is D. Investigate and analyze. The analyst has already identified a clear anomaly (spike in failures), attributes (single external IP), and potential attack type (credential stuffing/brute force). At this point, the correct next step is to investigate and analyze: validate the activity, confirm scope, and…
Question
A SOC analyst monitoring authentication logs detects a sudden and significant spike in failed login attempts targeting multiple critical servers during non-business hours. These repeated authentication failures are abnormal compared to typical login activity. All attempts originate from a single external IP address, indicating a targeted attack rather than random scanning. Some login attempts use legitimate employee usernames, suggesting credential stuffing using previously compromised credentials or an ongoing brute-force attempt. Given this suspicious activity and its potential to escalate into unauthorized access, what is the appropriate next step in the threat- hunting process to assess the situation further?
Options
- ARapid response
- BContinuous improvement
- CEstablish a baseline
- DInvestigate and analyze
How the community answered
(37 responses)- A8% (3)
- B3% (1)
- C16% (6)
- D73% (27)
Explanation
The analyst has already identified a clear anomaly (spike in failures), attributes (single external IP), and potential attack type (credential stuffing/brute force). At this point, the correct next step is to investigate and analyze: validate the activity, confirm scope, and determine whether any attempts succeeded or led to additional malicious actions. In practical SOC threat hunting, this means pivoting from the initial observation to structured analysis: check for successful logons from the same source, identify targeted accounts and servers, correlate with geo/location anomalies, review authentication methods, and look for follow-on behaviors like privilege escalation, token issuance, or suspicious process execution on targeted hosts. “Establish a baseline” is a step used earlier when normal patterns are unknown; here the activity is already recognized as abnormal. “Continuous improvement” is a post-activity maturity step (tuning detections, updating playbooks). “Rapid response” can be part of containment if compromise is confirmed or imminent, but the question asks specifically for the next step in threat hunting to assess further. Therefore, investigation and analysis is the best fit, enabling informed containment actions such as IP blocks, account lockouts, MFA enforcement, and credential resets based on evidence.
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