hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Implementing a risk monitoring program Practice Question
A company is implementing a risk monitoring program. Which of the following is the best key performance indicator (KPI) to measure the effectiveness of the vulnerability management process?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse activity metrics (like scan frequency or patch coverage) with outcome metrics (like remediation speed), leading them to choose a KPI that sounds operational but does not directly measure the effectiveness of the vulnerability management process.
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
✓
Mean time to remediate (MTTR) critical vulnerabilities
Mean time to remediate (MTTR) critical vulnerabilities directly measures how quickly the organization closes the window of exposure for the highest-risk flaws. This KPI reflects the efficiency of the remediation workflow—from detection through patching or compensating control deployment—and is a standard metric in frameworks like NIST SP 800-40 and the CVSS scoring system. A lower MTTR indicates a more effective vulnerability management process because it reduces the time attackers have to exploit known weaknesses.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Mean time to remediate (MTTR) critical vulnerabilities
Why this is correct
MTTR directly measures how quickly critical risks are addressed.
- ✗
Percentage of systems with up-to-date patches
Why it's wrong here
This is a compliance metric, not a direct measure of remediation process speed.
- ✗
Number of vulnerability scans performed per month
Why it's wrong here
This measures scan frequency, not remediation effectiveness.
- ✗
Number of vulnerabilities discovered per scan
Why it's wrong here
This is a metric of environment, not effectiveness of remediation.
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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.