SSCP Risk Identification, Monitoring, and Analysis Practice Question
A company has implemented a new vulnerability scanner and the first scan reports 200 vulnerabilities. The security team needs to prioritize remediation. Which approach should they use first?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to think waiting for a second scan (Option B) is prudent to avoid false positives, but the SSCP exam emphasizes proactive risk management and immediate prioritization based on severity, not delaying action.
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
✓
Prioritize based on CVSS score, starting with critical and high severity
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) provides a standardized, industry-accepted method for rating vulnerability severity based on exploitability, impact, and other metrics. Prioritizing critical and high CVSS scores (e.g., 9.0-10.0 and 7.0-8.9) ensures the team addresses vulnerabilities with the highest potential for damage and exploitation first, which is a fundamental risk-based remediation strategy. This approach aligns with the NIST SP 800-40 guidance on prioritizing vulnerabilities by risk, not by arbitrary ordering or waiting for confirmation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Remediate only vulnerabilities that are exploitable from the internet
Why it's wrong here
While important, this approach may miss high-severity internal vulnerabilities.
- ✗
Wait for the next scan to confirm the results before action
Why it's wrong here
Delaying remediation increases risk; findings should be triaged promptly.
- ✓
Prioritize based on CVSS score, starting with critical and high severity
Why this is correct
CVSS scores provide a standardized severity rating; focusing on critical/high vulnerabilities aligns with risk management.
- ✗
Remediate all vulnerabilities in alphabetical order by CVE ID
Why it's wrong here
Alphabetical order ignores severity and risk.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SSCP 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 SSCP exam.