The correct immediate action is to modify the firewall rules to allow SSH only from specific management IPs. This is because a firewall misconfiguration that permits SSH from the entire internet creates a direct, exploitable attack surface, allowing any malicious actor to attempt brute-force or credential-stuffing attacks against critical servers. The principle of least privilege dictates that administrative access should be restricted to only authorized, known management hosts, and leaving such a vulnerability open—even briefly—violates basic security hygiene. On the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the immediate remediation phase in incident response, where the priority is to contain and eliminate the risk before conducting a deeper investigation. A common trap is to first notify management or log the finding, but the correct order is to close the hole instantly. Memory tip: think “SSH from Anywhere = Shut the Hole First.”
ISC2 CC Security Operations Practice Question
This CC practice question tests your understanding of security operations. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
During a routine security audit, an analyst finds that several critical servers have misconfigured firewall rules allowing inbound SSH access from the entire internet. Which immediate action should the analyst take?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Modify the firewall rules to allow SSH only from specific management IPs
Option D is correct because the immediate priority is to eliminate the critical vulnerability by restricting inbound SSH access to only authorized management IPs. This aligns with the principle of least privilege and the immediate remediation steps in security incident response, as leaving the misconfiguration active even briefly exposes the servers to potential compromise.
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.
✗
Disable SSH on all servers
Why it's wrong here
Disabling SSH may be too disruptive; restricting access is more balanced.
✗
Notify the server owners and wait for their response
Why it's wrong here
Waiting introduces risk; the analyst should take immediate action if authorized.
✗
Document the finding and include it in the audit report
Why it's wrong here
Documentation is important, but immediate remediation takes precedence over reporting.
✓
Modify the firewall rules to allow SSH only from specific management IPs
Why this is correct
This directly mitigates the vulnerability by restricting access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the distinction between 'documenting' a finding and taking immediate remediation for a critical vulnerability, where candidates mistakenly choose documentation over action because they confuse audit procedures with incident response priorities.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SSH (TCP port 22) is a common target for automated brute-force and credential-stuffing attacks; a firewall rule allowing 0.0.0.0/0 inbound on port 22 effectively exposes the server to the entire internet. In practice, restricting SSH to a specific management subnet (e.g., 10.0.0.0/24) or a jump host IP reduces the attack surface to a known, controlled set of sources, and this change can be applied immediately via iptables, cloud security groups, or on-premises ACLs without service interruption.
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 CC question in full detail.
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: Modify the firewall rules to allow SSH only from specific management IPs — Option D is correct because the immediate priority is to eliminate the critical vulnerability by restricting inbound SSH access to only authorized management IPs. This aligns with the principle of least privilege and the immediate remediation steps in security incident response, as leaving the misconfiguration active even briefly exposes the servers to potential compromise.
What should I do if I get this CC question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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