CISSP Security Operations Practice Question
Which of the following is the most important factor when prioritizing vulnerability remediation in a vulnerability management program?
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
✓
Exploitability and business impact
Risk-based prioritization considers exploitability and potential impact, not just CVSS score.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
CVSS base score
Why it's wrong here
The CVSS base score provides an inherent technical severity rating for a vulnerability, based on factors like attack vector and complexity. However, it does not inherently account for an organization's specific environmental factors, asset criticality, or the actual likelihood of exploitation within a particular threat landscape. Therefore, while a useful starting point, it lacks the contextual information necessary to be the *most* important factor for risk-based prioritization.
- ✓
Exploitability and business impact
Why this is correct
Exploitability and business impact are paramount because they directly align with the fundamental principles of risk management, where risk equals likelihood multiplied by impact. Exploitability assesses the probability of a threat actor successfully leveraging a vulnerability, while business impact quantifies the potential damage or disruption to critical assets and operations. Prioritizing based on these factors ensures that remediation efforts focus on vulnerabilities that pose the greatest actual risk to the organization's mission and assets.
- ✗
Number of systems affected
Why it's wrong here
The sheer number of systems affected by a vulnerability, while a consideration for resource allocation, is not the most important factor for prioritization. A vulnerability impacting a single, highly critical system, such as a core financial database or an industrial control system, often poses a far greater risk than one affecting numerous non-critical workstations. Prioritization must focus on the qualitative impact and criticality of the assets involved, rather than merely the quantitative count of affected devices.
- ✗
Time since discovery
Why it's wrong here
The time since a vulnerability's discovery is not the primary determinant of its current risk level. While older vulnerabilities might have publicly available exploits, their relevance depends on whether the affected systems are still in use, their exposure to potential attackers, and the actual business impact if compromised. A newly discovered vulnerability in a critical, internet-facing system could demand immediate attention, whereas an older one in an isolated, decommissioned system might pose negligible risk, regardless of its age.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Key term
Risk
Risk is the possibility that an event or action will negatively affect an organization's ability to achieve its goals, often measured in terms of likelihood and impact.
Key term
Vulnerability
A vulnerability is a weakness in a system, network, or software that could be exploited by a threat to cause harm or unauthorized access.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.