A monthly scan finds a critical remote-code-execution vulnerability on an internet-facing VPN appliance. The vendor has not released a patch for six weeks, but the service must stay online. Which short-term action is the best risk treatment?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Accept the risk and wait for the next scheduled scan cycle.
Waiting does not reduce exposure, and the appliance remains directly reachable from the internet.
Best answer
Apply compensating controls such as strict access filtering, MFA, enhanced logging, and alerting.
When a patch is unavailable, the best short-term treatment is to reduce exposure and add monitoring. Tight access control, MFA, and logging do not remove the vulnerability, but they can meaningfully lower the likelihood of exploitation and improve detection. This is the correct operational response when the service must remain online and a permanent fix is not yet available.
Distractor review
Disable all logging so the appliance performs better under load.
Removing logs makes detection and investigation harder and offers no real security benefit.
Distractor review
Ignore the issue until the vendor confirms the vulnerability is being actively exploited.
Active exploitation is not required before mitigation; critical internet-facing issues should be addressed sooner.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
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Question 2
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Question 3
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Question 4
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Question 5
A developer wants to reduce the risk of SQL injection in a new customer search form. Which two changes are the best mitigations? Select two.
Question 6
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Apply compensating controls such as strict access filtering, MFA, enhanced logging, and alerting. — Because no patch is available and the service must remain online, compensating controls are the best risk treatment. Limiting source access, enforcing MFA, and increasing monitoring reduce the chance of successful exploitation and improve the ability to detect abuse quickly. This approach is consistent with practical vulnerability management when immediate remediation is not possible. It lowers risk without taking the service offline. Why others are wrong: A leaves the organization exposed to a critical internet-facing weakness. C removes visibility and makes response harder. D is reactive and unsafe because waiting for exploitation defeats the purpose of vulnerability management. The right response is to reduce risk now while tracking the issue for permanent remediation.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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