CiscoAssociate level200-201Page 4 of 5

200-201 exam dumps: questions 301 to 400 of 403

Page 4 of the free 200-201 question bank for the Cisco Cybersecurity Associate exam. Questions 301 to 400 are listed below, the first 5 in full with answers and explanations. Back to page 1 for the exam overview and FAQ.

Question bank last updated January 2025

Free 200-201 practice questions

Questions 302 to 306 of 403

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200-201 Question 302

Single answer

A cybersecurity analyst is investigating suspicious traffic in a network. They observe that a particular source IP address is repeatedly attempting to access multiple destination IP addresses within the same subnet over a short period of time. What could this behavior most likely indicate?

  1. A

    A legitimate application scanning the network for available services

  2. B

    A Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack

  3. C

    A reconnaissance scan indicating a potential attacker gathering information

  4. D

    A misconfigured device causing unintended traffic

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The described behavior aligns with reconnaissance activity. Attackers often use scanning tools to probe multiple IP addresses within a subnet to identify active hosts, open ports, or other network details. Understanding the patterns of source and destination IP addresses is critical for detecting and mitigating such threats.

  • A. Incorrect.

    While legitimate applications may scan a network, they typically operate in a controlled and predictable manner, not repeatedly targeting multiple destinations in a short timeframe.

  • B. Incorrect.

    A DDoS attack usually involves multiple source IP addresses targeting a single destination, which is the opposite of the scenario described.

  • C. Correct.

    This behavior is characteristic of a reconnaissance scan, where an attacker probes multiple devices in a network to gather information about potential vulnerabilities.

  • D. Incorrect.

    A misconfigured device might cause unintended traffic, but it would not likely exhibit the systematic targeting of multiple destinations typical of a reconnaissance scan.

200-201 Question 303

Select 2

An analyst is investigating a potential security incident involving unusual traffic on a corporate network. The traffic shows communication between a client using port 56789 and a server using port 443. What can the analyst infer about this communication based on the client and server port identity?

  1. A

    The server is hosting a secure service, as port 443 is commonly used for HTTPS.

  2. B

    The client is running an unauthorized server because it is using a high-numbered port.

  3. C

    The communication is inherently malicious because port 56789 is not a standard port.

  4. D

    The client is initiating the connection to the server, as clients typically use ephemeral ports.

Show answer and explanation

Correct answers: A, D

Explanation

This question tests the candidate's understanding of client and server port identity. Typically, servers use well-known ports (like 443 for HTTPS), while clients use ephemeral ports for initiating a connection. By analyzing the port numbers, the analyst can infer that the server is hosting a secure service, and the client is initiating the connection using an ephemeral port.

  • A. Correct.

    Port 443 is the standard port for HTTPS, indicating that the server is hosting a secure service. This is a valid inference based on the server port identity.

  • B. Incorrect.

    The use of a high-numbered port by the client does not necessarily indicate unauthorized activity. High-numbered ports are often ephemeral ports assigned dynamically for client connections.

  • C. Incorrect.

    There is no inherent maliciousness in using a non-standard or high-numbered port. These ports are commonly used in legitimate communication.

  • D. Correct.

    Clients typically use ephemeral (high-numbered) ports for initiating connections to servers, which aligns with the observed behavior of the client using port 56789.

200-201 Question 304

Single answer

A cybersecurity analyst is investigating a suspected malicious connection between a client and a server. The server is running a web service on port 443, and the client is using a randomly assigned port. Which of the following best describes how the client and server ports are used in this scenario?

  1. A

    The server uses a well-known port, and the client uses an ephemeral port to establish the connection.

  2. B

    The client and server both use well-known ports to communicate.

  3. C

    The client uses a well-known port, and the server uses an ephemeral port to establish the connection.

  4. D

    The client and server both use ephemeral ports to communicate.

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A

Explanation

In a typical client-server communication, the server uses a well-known port to provide its service (e.g., port 443 for HTTPS), while the client uses an ephemeral port (a temporary, randomly assigned port) to initiate the connection. This distinction allows the server to be reliably reachable on a specific port while enabling the client to establish multiple connections without port conflicts.

  • A. Correct.

    Correct: The server uses port 443, which is a well-known port for HTTPS, and the client uses an ephemeral port (a randomly assigned port above 1023) to establish the connection.

  • B. Incorrect.

    Incorrect: The server uses a well-known port (443), but the client does not use a well-known port; it uses an ephemeral port.

  • C. Incorrect.

    Incorrect: The client does not use a well-known port; it uses an ephemeral port, while the server uses a well-known port (443).

  • D. Incorrect.

    Incorrect: The server uses a well-known port (443), not an ephemeral port, for the web service.

200-201 Question 305

Single answer

A security analyst is investigating suspicious activity on a workstation and notices an unknown process running in the background. The process is attempting to modify a critical registry key often associated with boot configurations. What is the BEST course of action for the analyst to take?

  1. A

    Terminate the process immediately and delete the associated file.

  2. B

    Isolate the affected workstation from the network and investigate further.

  3. C

    Allow the process to continue running to gather more information.

  4. D

    Ignore the activity, as it could be a false positive.

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B

Explanation

When encountering suspicious activity, the priority is to contain the threat while preserving evidence for analysis. Isolating the affected workstation from the network minimizes the risk of lateral movement or exfiltration while allowing the analyst to investigate the process and registry changes in a controlled environment. Jumping to termination or ignoring the issue could result in loss of critical information or escalation of the attack.

  • A. Incorrect.

    Immediately terminating the process and deleting the associated file could result in losing important forensic evidence, making it harder to fully investigate the incident.

  • B. Correct.

    Isolating the workstation ensures that the potentially malicious activity does not spread to other systems in the network. It also allows for further analysis of the process and registry modification attempts without risking additional damage.

  • C. Incorrect.

    Allowing the process to continue running without first containing the system could lead to further compromise or spread of malicious activity across the network.

  • D. Incorrect.

    Ignoring the activity is not a recommended action in a cybersecurity investigation, as it could lead to escalation of the threat or data loss.

200-201 Question 306

Single answer

While investigating a potential malware infection on a Windows server, a cybersecurity analyst notices an unknown process running with a high privilege level. The analyst checks the associated registry keys and observes a suspicious entry in the 'Run' key under 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run'. What is the significance of this registry key, and what action should the analyst take next?

  1. A

    The registry key is used for temporarily storing malware scripts, and the analyst should delete it immediately.

  2. B

    The registry key is commonly used by Windows to execute programs at startup, and the analyst should investigate the associated process further.

  3. C

    The registry key is used for system updates, so the analyst should ignore the finding.

  4. D

    The registry key is for managing user permissions, and the analyst should analyze user account activity instead.

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run' registry key is a common persistence mechanism used by both legitimate software and malware to execute programs at startup. When an unknown or suspicious process is linked to this registry key, the analyst should investigate further to determine if it is malicious. This may involve analyzing the process, checking its file location, and reviewing its digital signature.

  • A. Incorrect.

    This is incorrect because the 'Run' registry key is not used for temporarily storing scripts. Deleting it immediately without further investigation could destroy evidence or cause system instability.

  • B. Correct.

    This is correct because the 'Run' registry key is a legitimate location where programs are configured to execute at system startup. If an unknown or suspicious process is associated with it, further investigation is warranted to determine whether it is malicious.

  • C. Incorrect.

    This is incorrect because the 'Run' registry key is not related to system updates. Ignoring the finding could allow the malware to persist on the system.

  • D. Incorrect.

    This is incorrect because the 'Run' registry key does not manage user permissions. While analyzing user activity might be useful in some cases, it is not the appropriate action in this scenario.

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200-201 practice questions 301 to 400 of 403

Every question has a page with the answer and explanation. Numbers are stable, so you can bookmark or share them. The bank is split into 5 pages of up to 100 questions.

  1. 302.A cybersecurity analyst is investigating suspicious traffic in a network. They observe that a particular...
  2. 303.An analyst is investigating a potential security incident involving unusual traffic on a corporate network....
  3. 304.A cybersecurity analyst is investigating a suspected malicious connection between a client and a server. The...
  4. 305.A security analyst is investigating suspicious activity on a workstation and notices an unknown process...
  5. 306.While investigating a potential malware infection on a Windows server, a cybersecurity analyst notices an...
  6. 307.You are a junior SOC analyst investigating suspicious behavior in a cloud-hosted application. During your...
  7. 308.A security analyst is investigating unusual activity on a web server. During the investigation, the analyst...
  8. 309.As a junior cybersecurity analyst, you are investigating a suspected malware file found on a company system....
  9. 310.During an incident investigation, a cybersecurity analyst is asked to verify the integrity of a suspicious...
  10. 311.A security analyst observes an alert indicating that an attacker attempted to exploit a vulnerable web...
  11. 312.A security analyst is investigating a phishing attack where an employee received an email that directed them...
  12. 313.As a junior cybersecurity analyst, you are tasked with creating a filter in a SIEM tool to identify log...
  13. 314.You are tasked with filtering log entries to identify IP addresses from a server log file. The log contains...
  14. 315.A cybersecurity analyst at your organization has identified an incident involving unauthorized access to...
  15. 316.A security operations team is tasked with implementing a new Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for all employees to...
  16. 317.A Security Operations Center (SOC) team is implementing a new access control policy to improve their...
  17. 318.A network administrator is tasked with implementing access control policies for a new system. They need to...
  18. 319.A cybersecurity analyst at an organization is reviewing the asset inventory to identify which devices are...
  19. 320.A cybersecurity analyst is tasked with creating an asset inventory for the organization. During this process,...
  20. 321.A security operations team is investigating a recent breach in which an unauthorized user gained access to...
  21. 322.As a cybersecurity analyst, you are investigating a security incident in which unauthorized changes were made...
  22. 323.A company has implemented a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution to secure employee devices accessing...
  23. 324.A company has recently implemented a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution to secure corporate data on...
  24. 325.A cybersecurity analyst at your organization is tasked with ensuring that all systems are protected against...
  25. 326.A cybersecurity analyst at your organization discovers that a critical vulnerability has been identified in a...
  26. 327.A company has recently deployed a new web application. During a routine vulnerability scan, the security...
  27. 328.A cybersecurity analyst at your organization has identified a critical vulnerability in one of the web...
  28. 329.A cybersecurity operations team is developing their organization's incident response plan in alignment with...
  29. 330.An organization is developing its incident response plan based on NIST SP 800-61 guidelines. Which of the...
  30. 331.Your organization’s security team has detected unusual outbound traffic from a corporate workstation,...
  31. 332.Your organization has detected unusual outbound traffic from a workstation, indicating a potential data...
  32. 333.During a cybersecurity incident, your team observes unusual outbound traffic from multiple systems in the...
  33. 334.During a cybersecurity incident at a financial institution, the security operations team is tasked with...
  34. 335.An organization is in the process of preparing for potential cybersecurity incidents. Which of the following...
  35. 336.Your organization is developing a cybersecurity incident response plan. As part of the preparation phase, you...
  36. 337.A cybersecurity analyst is monitoring a network using a SIEM solution and detects unusual outbound traffic...
  37. 338.A Security Operations Center (SOC) analyst is monitoring network traffic and notices unusual outbound...
  38. 339.During a cybersecurity incident, an organization's email server has been compromised and is being used to...
  39. 340.A cybersecurity analyst in your organization identifies malware spreading laterally across the network. After...
  40. 341.After a ransomware attack on an organization, the incident response team conducts a post-incident analysis....
  41. 342.After a ransomware attack on a company's network was mitigated, the cybersecurity team conducted a...
  42. 343.Your company is in the process of implementing a formal Incident Response (IR) plan based on the NIST SP...
  43. 344.A cybersecurity analyst is tasked with aligning organizational stakeholders with the NIST Incident Response...
  44. 345.A security analyst is monitoring a network using an intrusion detection system (IDS). The IDS generates an...
  45. 346.An organization has detected unusual outbound traffic from an internal server. As a security analyst, you...
  46. 347.A financial organization is preparing its cybersecurity team to respond to potential ransomware attacks. As...
  47. 348.Your organization is preparing for potential cybersecurity incidents by developing an incident response plan...
  48. 349.A security analyst is monitoring network traffic and notices a significant increase in outbound traffic to an...
  49. 350.You are a cybersecurity analyst monitoring network traffic in your organization. During your analysis, you...
  50. 351.You are a cybersecurity analyst responding to a ransomware attack on a company's file server. The attacker...
  51. 352.You are a cybersecurity analyst responding to a ransomware attack on a company’s network. After isolating the...
  52. 353.Following a ransomware attack on a company's network, the security team conducts a post-incident analysis to...
  53. 354.After a recent cybersecurity incident in which an organization's sensitive data was leaked, the incident...
  54. 355.A cybersecurity operations team is tasked with conducting a digital forensic investigation after a data...
  55. 356.You are a cybersecurity analyst investigating a potential security incident at a financial institution....
  56. 357.A cybersecurity analyst is responding to a ransomware attack on a company network. The attack has encrypted...
  57. 358.You are a cybersecurity analyst responding to a suspected data breach in your organization's network. During...
  58. 359.A cybersecurity analyst is investigating a suspected data breach in an organization. During the analysis,...
  59. 360.A security analyst is investigating a suspected data breach where an attacker might have altered sensitive...
  60. 361.An organization has detected unauthorized access to a critical file server. The cybersecurity team has been...
  61. 362.A cybersecurity analyst is investigating a potential data breach at an organization. The analyst needs to...
  62. 363.A security analyst is responding to a suspected malware infection on a critical production server. The...
  63. 364.During an active incident response investigation, a cybersecurity analyst needs to collect volatile data from...
  64. 365.A network security analyst is tasked with creating a network profile to better understand the organization's...
  65. 366.During routine network monitoring, a cybersecurity analyst is tasked with profiling the organization's...
  66. 367.A cybersecurity analyst is monitoring the performance of a network intrusion detection system (NIDS) deployed...
  67. 368.A cybersecurity analyst is monitoring a network's total throughput to ensure that no single device or...
  68. 369.During a network investigation, a cybersecurity analyst notices unusually long session durations for a...
  69. 370.A cybersecurity analyst is monitoring a web application and notices several sessions with unusually long...
  70. 371.A cybersecurity analyst is investigating suspicious network activity on a corporate network. They observe a...
  71. 372.A security analyst is monitoring network traffic and notices a large amount of suspicious activity on TCP...
  72. 373.During a routine network scan, a cybersecurity analyst discovers that an unauthorized user has accessed a...
  73. 374.An organization has identified its critical asset address space, which includes its primary database servers,...
  74. 375.As a cybersecurity analyst, you are tasked with server profiling to identify potential risks in your...
  75. 376.You are a cybersecurity analyst tasked with profiling a web server in your organization's network. Which of...
  76. 377.During a routine network audit, you discover an unknown process running on a server. You use the netstat...
  77. 378.A cybersecurity analyst notices unusual activity on a critical server in the network. Upon investigation,...
  78. 379.During a routine security audit, you discover that several service accounts on a critical server are being...
  79. 380.A cybersecurity analyst is reviewing logs from a critical server and notices the presence of a service...
  80. 381.A cybersecurity analyst is investigating a potential malware infection on a Windows workstation. During the...
  81. 382.While investigating a compromised server, you suspect a malicious process is running on the system. Which of...
  82. 383.You are a junior cybersecurity analyst investigating a suspicious process running on a Windows server. You...
  83. 384.A SOC analyst is tasked with automating the process of checking for vulnerabilities in endpoint systems. They...
  84. 385.An incident response team has detected unusual traffic patterns from a web application server in their...
  85. 386.Your organization recently deployed a new web application to handle sensitive customer data. The application...
  86. 387.During a network security audit, you are tasked with identifying protected data being transmitted over the...
  87. 388.You are a security analyst investigating data traffic on your organization's network. During your analysis,...
  88. 389.You are a cybersecurity analyst reviewing a corporate database that stores customer data. During your...
  89. 390.You are working as a security analyst for a company, and you receive a report about a potential data breach...
  90. 391.A cybersecurity analyst in your organization is using Protocol Statistics Information (PSI) to monitor...
  91. 392.As a cybersecurity analyst, you are tasked with investigating unusual activity on a company's network. During...
  92. 393.You are a cybersecurity analyst working for a healthcare organization. During a routine investigation, you...
  93. 394.A healthcare organization has experienced a ransomware attack where sensitive patient information, including...
  94. 395.A cybersecurity analyst at your organization identifies an unauthorized attempt to exfiltrate a proprietary...
  95. 396.A cybersecurity analyst at your organization discovers that an employee has been using company resources to...
  96. 397.A security analyst is investigating an intrusion event where an attacker gained access to a system through a...
  97. 398.A security analyst is investigating an intrusion event where an attacker successfully sent a phishing email...
  98. 399.A cybersecurity analyst is investigating a recent intrusion into their organization's network. They decide to...
  99. 400.An organization has detected a potential intrusion in their network. During the investigation, the security...
  100. 401.A Security Operations Center (SOC) team is analyzing an incident involving suspicious network traffic. They...