- A
Accept the risk until the patch arrives because the server is needed for payroll processing.
Why wrong: Acceptance may be appropriate only when leadership explicitly chooses to live with the risk after understanding the exposure. In this case, the vulnerability is critical and the server must stay online, so doing nothing leaves the business unnecessarily exposed. A temporary control is needed to reduce the chance of exploitation while the patch is unavailable.
- B
Mitigate the risk with compensating controls such as segmentation, restricted access, and monitoring.
Mitigation is the best short-term treatment because the server must remain available and the vendor cannot patch it yet. Compensating controls can reduce exposure by limiting who can reach the system, narrowing network paths, and improving detection. This lowers likelihood without shutting down payroll operations. It is the most practical choice when full remediation is delayed.
- C
Avoid the risk by permanently decommissioning the server this week.
Why wrong: Avoidance means removing the risky activity entirely, but that would stop payroll processing and create an immediate business problem. Since the system must remain available, permanent decommissioning is not realistic as a short-term treatment. This option ignores operational requirements and would trade one major risk for another major disruption.
- D
Transfer the risk by purchasing support coverage and waiting for the patch.
Why wrong: Transferring the risk does not meaningfully reduce the technical exposure of a vulnerable server. A support contract may help with vendor coordination, but it does not stop exploitation in the meantime. The business still needs a control that lowers the chance of compromise right away, which is why mitigation is better.
Quick Answer
The best short-term risk treatment is to mitigate the risk with compensating controls such as segmentation, restricted access, and monitoring. This approach is correct because it directly addresses the vulnerability of an unpatched legacy system without sacrificing availability, which is critical for payroll processing. Compensating controls like network segmentation isolate the server from the broader network, while strict access controls and enhanced monitoring reduce the attack surface and detect suspicious activity, effectively lowering the risk until the vendor patch arrives. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of risk treatment options—specifically that mitigation, not acceptance or avoidance, is the appropriate response when a system must remain operational. A common trap is choosing risk acceptance, but the exam emphasizes that compensating controls are the preferred short-term treatment for unpatched legacy systems. Memory tip: think “Segregate, Restrict, Monitor” as the three pillars of compensating control defense.
SY0-701 Security Program Management and Oversight Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security program management and oversight. 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 legacy payroll server contains a critical vulnerability. The vendor says a patch is 45 days away, and the system must remain available for payroll processing. Which risk treatment is the best short-term choice?
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
Mitigate the risk with compensating controls such as segmentation, restricted access, and monitoring.
Option B is correct because compensating controls like network segmentation, strict access controls, and enhanced monitoring can reduce the risk of exploitation while keeping the legacy payroll server operational. This approach directly addresses the need for availability during the 45-day patch window, aligning with the principle of defense-in-depth for unpatched systems.
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 until the patch arrives because the server is needed for payroll processing.
Why it's wrong here
Acceptance may be appropriate only when leadership explicitly chooses to live with the risk after understanding the exposure. In this case, the vulnerability is critical and the server must stay online, so doing nothing leaves the business unnecessarily exposed. A temporary control is needed to reduce the chance of exploitation while the patch is unavailable.
- ✓
Mitigate the risk with compensating controls such as segmentation, restricted access, and monitoring.
Why this is correct
Mitigation is the best short-term treatment because the server must remain available and the vendor cannot patch it yet. Compensating controls can reduce exposure by limiting who can reach the system, narrowing network paths, and improving detection. This lowers likelihood without shutting down payroll operations. It is the most practical choice when full remediation is delayed.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Avoid the risk by permanently decommissioning the server this week.
Why it's wrong here
Avoidance means removing the risky activity entirely, but that would stop payroll processing and create an immediate business problem. Since the system must remain available, permanent decommissioning is not realistic as a short-term treatment. This option ignores operational requirements and would trade one major risk for another major disruption.
- ✗
Transfer the risk by purchasing support coverage and waiting for the patch.
Why it's wrong here
Transferring the risk does not meaningfully reduce the technical exposure of a vulnerable server. A support contract may help with vendor coordination, but it does not stop exploitation in the meantime. The business still needs a control that lowers the chance of compromise right away, which is why mitigation is better.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'accepting the risk' (Option A) as a valid short-term strategy, but CompTIA expects you to recognize that acceptance without active monitoring or controls is not appropriate when the vulnerability is critical and the system handles sensitive data.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Compensating controls for legacy systems often involve placing the server in a separate VLAN with strict firewall rules (e.g., allowing only specific IPs and ports), implementing host-based intrusion detection (HIDS) to monitor for exploit attempts, and applying application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized executables. In real-world scenarios, organizations may also use a web application firewall (WAF) or reverse proxy to inspect traffic if the payroll server exposes a web interface, effectively creating a virtual patch until the official fix is 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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
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: Mitigate the risk with compensating controls such as segmentation, restricted access, and monitoring. — Option B is correct because compensating controls like network segmentation, strict access controls, and enhanced monitoring can reduce the risk of exploitation while keeping the legacy payroll server operational. This approach directly addresses the need for availability during the 45-day patch window, aligning with the principle of defense-in-depth for unpatched systems.
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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