SY0-701 Security Program Management and Oversight Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security program management and oversight. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 vendor-supported application cannot be patched for 30 days, but the business must keep it online. What is the best short-term risk treatment?
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 the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Apply a compensating control, such as restricting access and monitoring traffic
Option B is correct because when a known vulnerability cannot be patched immediately, applying a compensating control—such as restricting network access via firewall rules (e.g., allowing only specific source IPs) and enabling deep packet inspection (DPI) or an intrusion prevention system (IPS) to monitor for exploit attempts—reduces the risk to an acceptable level without taking the application offline. This approach aligns with the principle of defense in depth, buying time until the vendor patch 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.
✗
Accept the risk without any additional controls
Why it's wrong here
This leaves the known exposure unchanged and offers no extra protection during the delay.
✓
Apply a compensating control, such as restricting access and monitoring traffic
Why this is correct
A compensating control reduces the risk while the permanent fix is unavailable and the system must remain online.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Delete the application so the vulnerability no longer exists
Why it's wrong here
This avoids the risk only by removing a needed business service, which may not be practical.
✗
Transfer the risk by telling users to work faster
Why it's wrong here
Changing user behavior alone does not transfer risk and does not reduce the technical exposure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'risk acceptance' (Option A) as a valid short-term treatment, but the question explicitly requires the best treatment when the business must keep the application online, making compensating controls the correct choice over passive acceptance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Compensating controls often involve segmenting the vulnerable application into a separate VLAN with strict ACLs, enabling Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block known exploit payloads (e.g., SQL injection or buffer overflow patterns), and deploying host-based intrusion detection (HIDS) to alert on anomalous process behavior. In a real-world scenario, a critical Apache Struts server with a CVE-2017-5638 vulnerability might be isolated behind a reverse proxy that filters out malicious Content-Type headers, allowing business continuity while the patch is tested and deployed.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SY0-701 question in full detail.
Security Program Management and Oversight — This question tests Security Program Management and Oversight — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Apply a compensating control, such as restricting access and monitoring traffic — Option B is correct because when a known vulnerability cannot be patched immediately, applying a compensating control—such as restricting network access via firewall rules (e.g., allowing only specific source IPs) and enabling deep packet inspection (DPI) or an intrusion prevention system (IPS) to monitor for exploit attempts—reduces the risk to an acceptable level without taking the application offline. This approach aligns with the principle of defense in depth, buying time until the vendor patch 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.
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Question Discussion
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