CAS-004 Security Operations Practice Question
An organization has a critical vulnerability in a legacy application that cannot be patched due to vendor end-of-life. The application is required for business operations and is accessible only from the internal network. Which compensating control would best reduce the risk of exploitation while maintaining availability?
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
✓
Implement network segmentation and strict ACLs to limit access to the application
Network segmentation and strict ACLs limit access to the vulnerable application, reducing the attack surface without patching.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Deploy a host-based intrusion prevention system (HIPS) on the server
Why it's wrong here
HIPS may add protection but not as effective as segmentation for reducing exposure.
- ✗
Apply a vendor-supplied patch
Why it's wrong here
The vendor is end-of-life, so no patch is available.
- ✓
Implement network segmentation and strict ACLs to limit access to the application
Why this is correct
This reduces the likelihood of exploitation by restricting access.
- ✗
Uninstall the application
Why it's wrong here
The application is required for business operations.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CAS-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CAS-005 exam.