- A
Ignore the finding until the next quarterly review because there is no patch available.
Why wrong: Risk remains high, and deferring action leaves the exposed system unprotected longer.
- B
Move the appliance to a less critical VLAN and leave all access rules unchanged.
Why wrong: Changing VLANs alone does not reduce attack exposure if the service is still broadly reachable.
- C
Apply virtual patching or traffic filtering to block exploit attempts until remediation is possible.
Filtering malicious traffic is a practical compensating control when a permanent fix is not yet available.
- D
Disable logging so that attackers cannot learn the appliance version from log data.
Why wrong: Disabling logs reduces visibility and makes incident response harder without addressing the vulnerability.
SY0-701 Security Operations Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A monthly vulnerability scan identifies a critical vulnerability on a public-facing VPN appliance, but the vendor says no patch is available yet. The service must remain online for remote workers. What is the best compensating control to reduce risk right away?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
Apply virtual patching or traffic filtering to block exploit attempts until remediation is possible.
Option C is correct because virtual patching or traffic filtering (e.g., via an IPS or WAF) provides immediate, compensating protection by inspecting and blocking exploit traffic targeting the vulnerability, without requiring the vendor to release a patch. This allows the VPN appliance to remain online for remote workers while reducing the risk of exploitation until a permanent fix is available.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ignore the finding until the next quarterly review because there is no patch available.
Why it's wrong here
Risk remains high, and deferring action leaves the exposed system unprotected longer.
- ✗
Move the appliance to a less critical VLAN and leave all access rules unchanged.
Why it's wrong here
Changing VLANs alone does not reduce attack exposure if the service is still broadly reachable.
- ✓
Apply virtual patching or traffic filtering to block exploit attempts until remediation is possible.
Why this is correct
Filtering malicious traffic is a practical compensating control when a permanent fix is not yet available.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Disable logging so that attackers cannot learn the appliance version from log data.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling logs reduces visibility and makes incident response harder without addressing the vulnerability.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume a missing patch means no action is possible, or that VLAN segmentation alone is sufficient, when in fact compensating controls like virtual patching are the correct immediate response for unpatched critical vulnerabilities on internet-facing systems.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Virtual patching works by deploying intrusion prevention system (IPS) signatures or web application firewall (WAF) rules that detect and block the specific exploit patterns or protocol anomalies associated with the vulnerability, often at the network or application layer. For example, if the vulnerability is a buffer overflow in the VPN's SSL/TLS handshake, a virtual patch can inspect the handshake payload and drop packets exceeding a certain length, effectively mitigating the flaw without modifying the appliance's code.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security team runs a vulnerability scan on a web application and discovers an unpatched SQL injection flaw. The team prioritises remediation by CVSS score — critical flaws are patched within 24 hours, high within 7 days. Questions like this test whether you understand vulnerability management processes, scanning tools, and remediation prioritisation.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Apply virtual patching or traffic filtering to block exploit attempts until remediation is possible. — Option C is correct because virtual patching or traffic filtering (e.g., via an IPS or WAF) provides immediate, compensating protection by inspecting and blocking exploit traffic targeting the vulnerability, without requiring the vendor to release a patch. This allows the VPN appliance to remain online for remote workers while reducing the risk of exploitation until a permanent fix is available.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.
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