Addressing Risk During Time Lag
Question
There is a time lag between the time when a security vulnerability is first published, and the time when a patch is delivered.
Which of the following should be carried out FIRST to mitigate the risk during this time period?
Answers
Explanations
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A. B. C. D.A.
The best protection is to identify the vulnerable systems and apply compensating controls until a patch is installed.
Minimizing the use of vulnerable systems and communicating the vulnerability to system users could be compensating controls but would not be the first course of action.
Choice D does not make clear the timing of when the intrusion detection system (IDS) signature list would be updated to accommodate the vulnerabilities that are not yet publicly known.
Therefore, this approach should not always be considered as the first option.
When a security vulnerability is first published, there is typically a delay before a patch or update is available to mitigate the vulnerability. During this time, it is important to take measures to mitigate the risk of exploitation.
Out of the options provided, the FIRST step that should be taken to mitigate the risk during this time period is to identify the vulnerable systems and apply compensating controls. Compensating controls are measures put in place to compensate for a vulnerability that cannot be immediately remediated, and they can include technical, administrative, or physical controls. Examples of compensating controls include isolating vulnerable systems, restricting access to vulnerable systems, or adding additional monitoring and logging to detect potential exploitation.
The other options provided, while also important, are not the first step that should be taken. Minimizing the use of vulnerable systems is a good long-term strategy to reduce risk, but it may not be practical in the short term. Communicating the vulnerability to system users is important, but it should not be the first step taken, as it does not directly mitigate the risk of exploitation. Updating the signatures database of the intrusion detection system (IDS) is also important, but it should not be the first step taken, as it assumes that an IDS is in place and that the vulnerability can be detected through signatures.
In summary, the FIRST step that should be taken to mitigate the risk during the time period between when a security vulnerability is first published and when a patch is delivered is to identify the vulnerable systems and apply compensating controls.
