Introduction
In today’s digital landscape, the number and complexity of cyberattacks are growing at an alarming rate. Whether it’s a data breach, phishing attempt, or ransomware infection, identifying the source of the attack—the attacking host—is crucial to mitigating the threat and securing your infrastructure. That brings us to a common but critical question in cybersecurity certification exams and real-world practice: which two actions can help identify an attacking host during a security incident? (choose two.)
Understanding how to pinpoint the origin of an attack enables rapid response, helps prevent future incidents, and supports forensic investigations. In this blog post brought to you by DumpsQueen Official, we’ll dive deep into the two most effective actions that can help you identify an attacking host during a security breach. We’ll also include sample multiple-choice questions to help you prep for exams and real-world scenarios.
Why It’s Important to Identify the Attacking Host
Security incidents can range from unauthorized access and malware infections to full-scale data breaches. Knowing who or what is attacking your systems is essential to:
- Stop the attack in real-time
- Reduce damage and data loss
- Initiate proper containment and remediation
- Gather evidence for legal and compliance purposes
Failing to identify the attacking host can lead to repeated attacks, misattribution, and weakened defenses in the future.
Which Two Actions Can Help Identify an Attacking Host During a Security Incident? (Choose Two.)
When a security incident is underway, your response team needs actionable intelligence—and fast. Among the numerous incident response techniques, two primary actions stand out:
1. Check the System Logs
System logs are often the first place security analysts look when investigating a breach. Logs can include:
- Firewall logs
- IDS/IPS logs
- Application logs
- Operating system logs
- Authentication and access logs
These logs help track IP addresses, timestamps, and unauthorized login attempts, often pointing directly to the attacking host’s location or activity pattern.
For example, if a brute-force attack is occurring on your network, the logs might reveal multiple failed login attempts from a single IP. That IP could be the attacking host or a compromised intermediary.
Pro Tip: Use SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tools to aggregate and analyze logs in real-time for faster incident response.
2. Inspect Network Traffic (Packet Capture)
Another powerful method to identify the attacking host is through network traffic analysis using packet capture tools such as Wireshark, tcpdump, or more advanced NDR (Network Detection and Response) platforms.
By analyzing packets:
- You can trace suspicious traffic back to its origin
- Identify C2 (Command and Control) communications
- Spot exfiltration activities
- Determine the behavior and tools used by the attacker
Network monitoring helps you detect and trace malicious actions while they are happening and provides visibility that logs alone might not offer.
Bonus Tip: Ensure your network is segmented and you have packet capture set up at key ingress and egress points.
Other Useful Actions (But Not Always Primary)
While the two actions above are top-tier, other methods that can support the identification of an attacking host include:
- Reviewing endpoint telemetry from EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) tools
- Checking threat intelligence feeds for IP and domain reputation
- Analyzing malware samples (if dropped by the attacker)
- Conducting memory forensics
These actions, while useful, are typically secondary steps that supplement log review and traffic inspection.
Best Practices During a Security Incident
Now that we know the answer to the question, "which two actions can help identify an attacking host during a security incident? (choose two.)", let’s explore best practices during incident handling:
- Activate Incident Response Plan: Follow your organization’s documented incident response procedures.
- Isolate Affected Systems: Disconnect compromised devices from the network to contain the breach.
- Document Everything: Maintain logs of your investigative steps for compliance and reporting.
- Preserve Evidence: Don’t delete or alter logs or disk images.
- Engage Stakeholders: Alert IT, security, management, and legal teams.
How DumpsQueen Helps You Prepare for Real-World Scenarios
At DumpsQueen Official, we provide reliable, updated, and real-world-focused exam dumps for top cybersecurity certifications including:
- CompTIA Security+
- Cisco CCNA and CCNP Security
- CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)
- CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
Our dumps include questions like “which two actions can help identify an attacking host during a security incident? (choose two.)”, designed to enhance both your theoretical knowledge and practical readiness.
Tools to Use for Identifying Attacking Hosts
If you're preparing for exams or working in a professional setting, here are some recommended tools:
- Wireshark – for deep packet inspection
- Splunk / ELK Stack – for log aggregation and analysis
- Snort / Suricata – IDS tools to monitor suspicious traffic
- CrowdStrike / SentinelOne / Carbon Black – for endpoint visibility
- AlienVault / Recorded Future – for threat intelligence enrichment
Real-World Scenarios
Let’s imagine a real-life incident where an organization experiences a DDoS attack. By checking the firewall logs, the security team sees thousands of incoming requests from a handful of IPs. Simultaneously, packet capture tools help analyze the request headers and payloads to confirm attack patterns. Using this evidence, the team geo-locates the IPs and blocks them using ACLs or firewalls—thus identifying and mitigating the attacking host.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, let’s revisit the core question: which two actions can help identify an attacking host during a security incident? (choose two.) The answer is:
- Reviewing system and firewall logs
- Performing network packet capture
These two steps are your best line of defense in tracing and containing malicious activities. At DumpsQueen Official, we make it our mission to prepare you with practice questions and dumps that reflect real-world challenges and certification exam patterns. Whether you’re aiming for a career in cybersecurity or boosting your knowledge, knowing how to identify an attacking host is essential.
Stay prepared, stay informed—and always choose DumpsQueen for your IT certification journey.
Sample MCQs on Identifying an Attacking Host
To further your learning, here are some sample multiple-choice questions aligned with real exam formats:
Question 1:
Which two actions can help identify an attacking host during a security incident? (Choose two.)
A. Review system and firewall logs
B. Reboot the compromised system
C. Perform network packet capture
D. Delete suspicious files immediately
Correct Answer: A, C
Question 2:
During an ongoing ransomware attack, what would be the most effective steps to locate the attacking host?
A. Isolate all systems from the internet
B. Analyze IDS/IPS logs and conduct traffic capture
C. Run a full system backup
D. Inform the marketing team
Correct Answer: B
Question 3:
Which method is least effective in identifying an attacking host during a live security incident?
A. DNS sinkholing
B. Reviewing application logs
C. Packet sniffing
D. Disconnecting the power supply
Correct Answer: D
Question 4:
A network admin suspects lateral movement by an attacker. Which two actions should be prioritized?
A. Inspect logs from domain controllers
B. Format all connected drives
C. Review traffic between hosts
D. Update the email signature policy
Correct Answer: A, C
