CS0-003 Vulnerability Management Practice Question
A vulnerability management analyst is reviewing scan results from a recent Nessus scan. The analyst notices a plugin with the output: 'The remote host is missing a security patch for CVE-2023-1234. The patch was released by the vendor on 2023-05-01.' Which phase of the vulnerability lifecycle is the analyst currently performing?
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
✓
Discovery
The analyst is reviewing scan results to identify vulnerabilities, which is the discovery phase of the vulnerability lifecycle.
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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Prioritization
Why it's wrong here
Prioritization occurs after vulnerabilities have been identified and involves ranking them based on risk factors such as CVSS scores, asset criticality, and threat intelligence. While reviewing scan results is a precursor to this phase, the act of running a scan to find these issues represents the initial identification phase rather than the subsequent risk-ranking process.
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Remediation
Why it's wrong here
Remediation is the phase where security teams actively mitigate or resolve identified flaws by applying patches, modifying configurations, or implementing compensating controls. Merely reviewing vulnerability scan results is an analytical step that precedes this operational phase, meaning no actual corrective actions have been taken yet.
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Verification
Why it's wrong here
Verification is the post-remediation step where analysts perform follow-up scans or manual checks to confirm that a previously identified vulnerability has been successfully resolved. Because the analyst in this scenario is reviewing initial scan results to identify existing exposures, they are not yet validating the effectiveness of applied fixes.
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Discovery
Why this is correct
Discovery is the fundamental phase of the vulnerability management lifecycle focused on identifying active assets and detecting their associated vulnerabilities through automated scanning. When an analyst reviews raw scan results, they are actively engaging in this phase to establish a baseline of the organization's current attack surface and security posture.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
API Security Testing and Analysis
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
Key term
Vulnerability
A vulnerability is a weakness in a system, network, or software that could be exploited by a threat to cause harm or unauthorized access.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CS0-004 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 CS0-004 exam.