SY0-701 Security Architecture Practice Question
After a server rebuild, an administrator notices that Remote Desktop, SMBv1, and Print Spooler are still enabled on a Windows file server even though the server only stores department documents. The security team also wants to know if future changes drift away from the approved build. What should be implemented?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently think network segmentation (VLAN) or periodic reboots are sufficient to mitigate service-level vulnerabilities, but the question specifically asks for a solution that prevents future drift from an approved build, which requires a baseline and monitoring, not just isolation or temporary fixes.
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 the approved secure baseline and enable configuration drift monitoring against it.
Applying an approved secure baseline (e.g., via Group Policy or Security Compliance Toolkit) ensures that unnecessary services like Remote Desktop, SMBv1, and Print Spooler are explicitly disabled. Enabling configuration drift monitoring (e.g., using Azure Policy, DSC, or a SIEM) allows the security team to detect and alert on any unauthorized changes that deviate from the baseline, addressing both the immediate risk and the long-term compliance requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Apply the approved secure baseline and enable configuration drift monitoring against it.
Why this is correct
A secure baseline defines the expected hardened state, and drift monitoring detects unauthorized or accidental changes over time. This directly addresses both the current unnecessary services and the need to catch future deviations. It is the most complete and operationally useful response.
- ✗
Keep the server as-is and rely on the antivirus console to stop misuse.
Why it's wrong here
Antivirus tools operate reactively, scanning for signatures, heuristics, or behavioral indicators after malicious code is present; they do not inspect or harden the host's service configuration, startup types, or security account policies. Even if malware is blocked, unnecessary services and unsafe registry settings remain active, leaving the server exposed to non-malware attacks such as unauthenticated remote exploits. Relying on AV alone provides no continuous compliance state to detect configuration drift, so a risky setting introduced during the rebuild can go unnoticed indefinitely.
- ✗
Move the server into a different VLAN and leave the operating system settings unchanged.
Why it's wrong here
Moving the server to a different VLAN changes Layer 2 network segmentation and might limit which hosts are reachable, but it does not modify the operating system's active services, firewall rules, or local security settings that created the exposure. The host still advertises unnecessary remote management ports and insecure protocols, and those services remain bound to all interfaces unless explicitly reconfigured. VLAN segmentation treats the symptom of an excessive attack surface rather than correcting the configuration or establishing drift monitoring, so the same insecure baseline persists and will not be detected when it changes.
- ✗
Schedule a monthly reboot to clear temporary settings and reduce attack surface.
Why it's wrong here
A monthly reboot only refreshes ephemeral state such as kernel memory and temporary sessions; services configured with startup=Automatic will simply relaunch, preserving the same insecure server profile. It also provides no mechanism to detect or remediate unauthorized changes between scheduled reboots, so a service added by an attacker or an administrator's temporary misconfiguration remains operational for up to a month. This approach does not establish a reference state, enforce configuration compliance, or update security baselines—it is an operational ritual rather than a security control.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.