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CS0-003 Practice Question: Prioritize vulnerabilities based on…
A company wants to prioritize vulnerabilities based on exploitability and impact. Which industry standard framework should the analyst use?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between a vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) and a vulnerability identification system (CVE), causing candidates to confuse CVE as a prioritization tool.
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
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CVSS v3
CVSS v3 (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) is the industry-standard framework for prioritizing vulnerabilities based on exploitability and impact. It provides a numerical score (0-10) derived from metrics such as Attack Vector, Attack Complexity, Privileges Required, User Interaction, and Scope, along with Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability impact. This allows analysts to objectively rank vulnerabilities for remediation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
CVSS v3
Why this is correct
CVSS v3 (Common Vulnerability Scoring System version 3) is the industry standard for assessing the severity of software vulnerabilities. It provides a quantitative score from 0 to 10, derived from metrics evaluating exploitability, impact, and temporal and environmental factors. This comprehensive scoring allows organizations to prioritize vulnerabilities effectively based on their potential risk and ease of exploitation, directly addressing the need for a prioritization mechanism.
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OWASP Top 10
Why it's wrong here
The OWASP Top 10 is a widely recognized awareness document outlining the most critical security risks to web applications. While it highlights common vulnerability categories like injection or broken authentication, it does not offer a specific scoring methodology or quantitative framework for prioritizing individual vulnerabilities. Its purpose is to educate developers and organizations on prevalent threats, not to provide a numerical prioritization score for specific instances.
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CVE
Why it's wrong here
A Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) entry is a unique identifier assigned to publicly disclosed cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Its primary function is to standardize the naming of vulnerabilities across various security databases and tools, facilitating information sharing and tracking. However, a CVE ID itself does not include any information about the severity, exploitability, or impact of the vulnerability, thus it cannot be used for prioritization scoring.
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NIST SP 800-53
Why it's wrong here
NIST Special Publication 800-53 provides a comprehensive catalog of security and privacy controls for federal information systems and organizations. This framework guides the selection, implementation, and assessment of controls to manage risk, rather than offering a system for scoring or prioritizing specific vulnerabilities. It focuses on establishing a robust security posture through controls, not on the direct numerical prioritization of discovered weaknesses based on exploitability.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Vulnerability Scanning Techniques
Key term
Exploitability
Exploitability is a measure of how easy or difficult it is for an attacker to take advantage of a vulnerability in a system or software.
Key term
Remediation
Remediation is the process of fixing or eliminating vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or security weaknesses in an IT environment.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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