The best course of action is to escalate the finding to the risk management team for formal risk acceptance. This is correct because a vulnerability finding from patch management must be formally documented and approved by the appropriate risk owners to ensure alignment with the organization’s risk appetite, rather than being informally accepted by a business owner. On the CISSP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the risk acceptance process within the Risk Management framework, where compensating controls like VLAN isolation may reduce likelihood but do not eliminate the need for formal acceptance when policy deadlines are breached. A common trap is to assume that compensating controls alone justify delay, but the exam emphasizes that any deviation from patch management policy requires documented risk acceptance to maintain accountability and auditability. Remember the mnemonic “RAD” for Risk Acceptance Documentation: if a patch is overdue, get it formally signed off.
CISSP Security Assessment and Testing Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security assessment and testing. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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 financial institution is conducting a vulnerability assessment of its internal network. The assessor runs a comprehensive scan and discovers that several Windows servers have missing security patches. The organization has a patch management policy that requires all critical patches to be applied within 30 days. The scan results show that some patches have been pending for 45 days. The assessor also finds that the servers are isolated in a separate VLAN with strict firewall rules limiting inbound traffic to only necessary ports. The business owner argues that because the servers are isolated, the risk is low and the patches can be delayed. As the security assessor, what should be the BEST course of action?
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
✓
Escalate the finding to the risk management team for formal risk acceptance.
Option B is correct because the finding should be formally documented and accepted by the risk management team to ensure accountability and alignment with the organization's risk appetite. Option A is wrong because simply accepting risk without formal documentation is not proper risk management. Option C is wrong because patches should not be applied without proper change management due to potential operational impact. Option D is wrong because while compensating controls may be considered, the best first step is to escalate for formal risk acceptance.
Key principle: A trunk being up does not mean the VLAN is allowed across it. Always verify the allowed VLAN list and whether the VLAN exists on both switches.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Recommend additional compensating controls such as intrusion prevention.
Why it's wrong here
While compensating controls help, the best initial action is to follow formal risk acceptance procedures.
✗
Accept the risk and close the finding.
Why it's wrong here
Informal acceptance without documentation bypasses proper risk management processes.
✓
Escalate the finding to the risk management team for formal risk acceptance.
Why this is correct
Formal risk acceptance ensures the decision is documented and approved by appropriate stakeholders.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
✗
Immediately apply the patches without further approval.
Why it's wrong here
Uncontrolled patching may disrupt operations and bypass change management.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: an active trunk can still block the VLAN you need
A trunk being up does not prove every VLAN is crossing it. Check allowed VLAN lists, native VLAN mismatch, VLAN existence and access-port assignment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VLAN questions usually combine access-port and trunking clues. The key is to identify whether the issue is local to one switchport, caused by the trunk, or caused by the VLAN not existing where it needs to exist.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
Trunk ports carry multiple VLANs between switches.
Allowed VLAN lists decide which VLANs can cross a trunk.
Native VLAN mismatch can create confusing symptoms.
TExam Day Tips
→Use show vlan brief to verify access VLANs.
→Use show interfaces trunk to verify trunk state and allowed VLANs.
→Do not treat every same-VLAN issue as a routing problem.
Key takeaway
A trunk being up does not mean the VLAN is allowed across it. Always verify the allowed VLAN list and whether the VLAN exists on both switches.
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 CISSP question in full detail.
Review VLAN allowed lists, native VLAN mismatch detection, and how to verify VLAN membership with show vlan brief and show interfaces trunk. Then practise related CISSP questions on switching, trunking, and access-port configuration.
Security Assessment and Testing — This question tests Security Assessment and Testing — Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Escalate the finding to the risk management team for formal risk acceptance. — Option B is correct because the finding should be formally documented and accepted by the risk management team to ensure accountability and alignment with the organization's risk appetite. Option A is wrong because simply accepting risk without formal documentation is not proper risk management. Option C is wrong because patches should not be applied without proper change management due to potential operational impact. Option D is wrong because while compensating controls may be considered, the best first step is to escalate for formal risk acceptance.
What should I do if I get this CISSP question wrong?
Review VLAN allowed lists, native VLAN mismatch detection, and how to verify VLAN membership with show vlan brief and show interfaces trunk. Then practise related CISSP questions on switching, trunking, and access-port configuration.
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?
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
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