200-201 Security Concepts Practice Question
A security analyst discovers that a server's configuration allows users to access files outside of their intended directory. In security terminology, what is this weakness called?
⚠ Common exam trap
200-201 often tests the distinction between vulnerability, threat, risk, and exploit — candidates pick 'exploit' or 'risk' because the scenario sounds like an active attack, but the question asks for the weakness itself.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Vulnerability
A vulnerability is a weakness or flaw in a system's design, configuration, or code that could be exploited to violate security. The scenario describes a path traversal weakness in the server configuration, which is a classic vulnerability. This is the precise security term for the condition described.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Exploit
Why it's wrong here
An exploit is the code or technique that leverages a weakness, not the weakness itself; here the directory-traversal flaw is the vulnerability. It is tempting because exploits and vulnerabilities appear together in attack chains, but the stem describes the misconfiguration enabling out-of-directory access, not the means of abusing it.
- ✓
Vulnerability
Why this is correct
A vulnerability is a weakness in a system's configuration or design that a threat could exploit. Directory traversal access outside intended directories is exactly such a flaw, so this term precisely describes the weakness the analyst found.
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Threat
Why it's wrong here
A threat is any potential cause of harm, such as an attacker or malware, rather than the misconfiguration itself. It is tempting because threats exploit weaknesses, but the directory-traversal flaw is the vulnerability; the threat would be the actor or event that could abuse it.
- ✗
Risk
Why it's wrong here
Risk is the potential for loss combining a threat exploiting a vulnerability, not the weakness itself. It is tempting because findings are often expressed as risk, but the stem describes the misconfiguration permitting out-of-directory access — that is the vulnerability, while risk is its likelihood and impact.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
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