Quick Answer
The answer is to tune scan rules to reduce false positives while retaining critical checks, because this approach directly addresses the search intent of handling false positives in security scans without sacrificing security posture. By adjusting rule sensitivity and whitelisting known benign patterns, you eliminate noise that causes pipeline failures while ensuring that high-severity vulnerabilities are still detected, thus balancing security and efficiency. On the CISSP exam, this tests your understanding of the security operations and software development security domains, where the common trap is choosing to disable scans entirely or rely on manual review—both of which violate the principle of continuous monitoring and risk management. Remember the memory tip: “Tune, don’t turn off”—tuning preserves detection, while turning off invites risk.
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of software development security. 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 DevOps team implements a CI/CD pipeline that runs security scans automatically. The pipeline fails often due to false positives, causing delays. Which approach balances security and efficiency?
Tune scan rules to reduce false positives while retaining critical checks.
Reduces noise while keeping essential security.
Turn off all security scans.
Why wrong: Eliminates security detection.
Manually review every false positive.
Why wrong: Time-consuming and defeats automation.
Only run scans on code that is deployed to production.
Why wrong: Misses vulnerabilities early in the cycle.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Tune scan rules to reduce false positives while retaining critical checks.
Tuning scan rules reduces false positives while maintaining critical security checks, thus minimizing delays without disabling security. Turning off scans removes security. Manual review of every false positive is inefficient. Running scans only on production bypasses early detection.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Tune scan rules to reduce false positives while retaining critical checks.
Why this is correct
Reduces noise while keeping essential security.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Turn off all security scans.
Why it's wrong here
Eliminates security detection.
Manually review every false positive.
Why it's wrong here
Time-consuming and defeats automation.
Only run scans on code that is deployed to production.
Why it's wrong here
Misses vulnerabilities early in the cycle.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which CISSP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Software Development Security — This question tests Software Development Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Tune scan rules to reduce false positives while retaining critical checks. — Tuning scan rules reduces false positives while maintaining critical security checks, thus minimizing delays without disabling security. Turning off scans removes security. Manual review of every false positive is inefficient. Running scans only on production bypasses early detection.
Identify which CISSP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This CISSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CISSP exam.
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