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CS0-003 Practice Question: Implementing a vulnerability management program
A company is implementing a vulnerability management program. Which of the following are essential components of a vulnerability management lifecycle? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between vulnerability scanning (continuous, automated, non-intrusive) and penetration testing (periodic, manual, intrusive) to see if candidates confuse the two as interchangeable lifecycle components.
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 scanning and assessment.
Vulnerability scanning and assessment is a core component of the vulnerability management lifecycle because it involves actively identifying security weaknesses in systems, applications, and network devices using tools like Nessus or Qualys. This step provides the raw data—CVEs, missing patches, misconfigurations—that drives the entire remediation process. Without regular scanning, the organization cannot maintain an accurate picture of its security posture.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Vulnerability scanning and assessment.
Why this is correct
Vulnerability scanning and assessment is the core detection activity of the lifecycle, using authenticated or unauthenticated tools such as Nessus or Qualys to compare installed software and configurations against known CVEs, and it forms the recurring engine that feeds every downstream prioritization and remediation decision the program makes.
- ✓
Discovery and inventory of assets.
Why this is correct
Discovery and asset inventory must happen before scanning can be meaningful because an organization cannot assess vulnerabilities on systems it does not know exist; shadow IT, unmanaged cloud instances, and forgotten servers routinely evade scan scope precisely because they were never captured in the CMDB or asset inventory feeding the scanner's target list.
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Penetration testing on all systems.
Why it's wrong here
Penetration testing on all systems is a separate, periodic, manual, and intrusive assessment activity typically performed annually or after major changes, distinct from the continuous, largely automated cadence of vulnerability scanning; the vulnerability management lifecycle does not require exhaustive pen testing of every asset as one of its defining phases.
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Remediation and verification.
Why this is correct
Remediation and verification closes the loop by applying the fix, whether a patch, configuration change, or compensating control, and then rescanning the affected asset to confirm the vulnerability no longer appears, which is essential because a remediation step without verification cannot distinguish a genuinely closed finding from a false negative or an incomplete fix.
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Automated patch deployment.
Why it's wrong here
Automated patch deployment is one specific mechanism used within the broader remediation phase, but it is a tool or technique rather than a standalone lifecycle stage, and not every remediation involves an automated patch; some fixes require manual configuration changes, compensating controls, or vendor workarounds that automated patching tools cannot apply.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Privileged Access Management and PAM Tools
Key term
Remediation
Remediation is the process of fixing or eliminating vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or security weaknesses in an IT environment.
Key term
Nessus
Nessus is a vulnerability scanner that automatically identifies security weaknesses, missing patches, and misconfigurations in computer systems and networks.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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