Exam SY0-701 topic 1 question 71 discussion

Can be B or C, but leaning B Since they already have the password, its not a brute force attack

The scenario perfectly matches a common security issue where attackers gain partial access through stolen credentials but are thwarted by MFA, which they try to bypass unsuccessfully.The repeated success in password authentication suggests that the attacker has access to jsmith's password, but the failure of MFA points to an attempt to guess or brute-force the MFA code.

I think this is a poorly written question. A. If the user entered their MFA token incorrectly a bunch of times it possible that the system locked them out so it’s not working. B. This could be how the threat actor obtained the user’s password C. While foolish and a waste of time, attempting to guess the MFA code is essentially the same trying to guess the user’s password, thus making it a brute force attack. Given the limited information we have I’m going with C

B: Keylogger got the PW and is stuck on MFA. C is incorrect as MFA code changes every time so you cant brute force it. It would be possible to try the SAME code every time until you got lucky or got locked out but that aint BF.

An attacker is attempting to brute force jsmith’s account

It is not a brute force attack since the hacker already has the password because of the keylogger

The correct answer is A. The user jsmith’s account has been locked out. This is because the log shows multiple failed attempts with an “invalid code” error, which is typically a result of too many incorrect password attempts. This would trigger an account lockout policy to prevent brute-force attacks. Option B. There is no indication of a keylogger in the log. Keyloggers typically don’t trigger account lockouts. Option C. While this might be a possible scenario, the log doesn’t explicitly show a brute-force attack. The “invalid code” error suggests a lockout due to incorrect password attempts, not a brute force attack. Option D. There is no indication of ransomware in the log. Ransomware typically doesn’t trigger account lockouts.

The log entries show multiple successful password authentications followed by multiple failed MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) attempts due to invalid codes. This pattern suggests that the user’s password has been correctly entered multiple times, but the MFA codes are consistently failing. The best explanation for what the security analyst has discovered is: C. An attacker is attempting to brute force jsmith’s account. The repeated successful password authentications followed by failed MFA attempts indicate that an attacker may have obtained the user’s password and is now trying to bypass the second layer of security, the MFA, by attempting multiple invalid codes.

The log entries indicate that the user "jsmith" has successfully authenticated with a password but has repeatedly failed the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) step due to an invalid code. This pattern suggests that the correct password is known or has been compromised, but the attacker is unable to provide the correct MFA code. Given this information, the most likely explanation is: C. An attacker is attempting to brute force jsmith’s account. The repeated MFA failures suggest that someone other than the legitimate user is trying to gain access, potentially indicating a brute force attempt or another form of unauthorized access where the password is known, but the second factor of authentication is not.

Brute force involves trying different combinations of passwords/other credentials. This attacker knows the username and password and is clearly not guessing. A keylogger would know the username and password, but not have access to the MFA.

If the question mentioned a login from a specific workstation, or said its local login only, then yes it would be keylogger. However, this could be a login from home computer, mobile device, anything. Answer B could be correct but more info would be needed. Based on available info C is best.

If someone enter their credentials correctly but not their MFA you can indicate that the person can be a keylogger. I think "B" is a better answer because its more specific.

Brute force. They have the password but are guessing the MFA code repeatedly.

Clearly shows MFA Failed. So the most likely answer is the person knows the keys, but not the MFA. Which can be achieved by kwylogger.

This is a log of failed attempts to login (brute force), but are blocked by mfa. There is no indication of a keylogger based on this log.

The logs show that the password authentication for the user jsmith has succeeded multiple times, but the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) has failed repeatedly with an "invalid code" error. This pattern is consistent with an attacker who has obtained or guessed the user's password but is unable to bypass the MFA step, indicating a brute force attempt.

not C. password was correct MFA was wrong. they have the password