Purpose of a Vulnerability Management Framework

A.

A vulnerability management framework is a structured approach to identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and mitigating security vulnerabilities in an organization's IT environment. The primary purpose of a vulnerability management framework is to help organizations identify and remediate vulnerabilities in their systems before they can be exploited by attackers.

Option A, "identifies, removes, and mitigates system vulnerabilities," is the correct answer.

To elaborate, a vulnerability management framework typically includes the following steps:

1. Discovery: Identify all systems, devices, applications, and network components in the organization's environment.
2. Assessment: Conduct vulnerability scans and assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities.
3. Prioritization: Determine which vulnerabilities pose the greatest risk to the organization and prioritize them based on severity.
4. Remediation: Develop and implement a plan to mitigate or remediate the identified vulnerabilities.
5. Verification: Verify that the remediation efforts have been successful and that the vulnerabilities have been addressed.

The framework may also include ongoing monitoring and reporting to ensure that new vulnerabilities are identified and addressed in a timely manner.

Option B, "detects and removes vulnerabilities in source code," refers to a specific type of vulnerability management that focuses on identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in software code before it is deployed. While this is an important aspect of overall vulnerability management, it is not the primary purpose of a vulnerability management framework.

Option C, "conducts vulnerability scans on the network," is a step within the vulnerability management framework but not its sole purpose. Vulnerability scans are a way to identify potential vulnerabilities in an organization's network and systems, but the ultimate goal is to use this information to remediate the vulnerabilities and improve the organization's overall security posture.

Option D, "manages a list of reported vulnerabilities," is not a complete description of a vulnerability management framework. While maintaining a list of reported vulnerabilities is one component of vulnerability management, it does not capture the full range of activities involved in identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and remediating vulnerabilities in an organization's IT environment.