SSCP Risk Identification, Monitoring, and Analysis Practice Question
A vulnerability scanner identifies a high-severity vulnerability in a web server that is exposed to the internet. According to common remediation SLAs, what is the typical timeframe to remediate a critical vulnerability?
⚠ Common exam trap
The exam often tests the distinction between critical (24–72 hours), high (7 days), and medium (30 days) SLAs, and the trap here is that candidates confuse 'high' with 'critical' and select 7 days instead of the shorter window.
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
✓
24-72 hours
Critical vulnerabilities in internet-exposed systems typically require remediation within 24–72 hours under common SLAs (e.g., PCI DSS, NIST, or organizational security policies). This timeframe reflects the high risk of remote exploitation, where an attacker can compromise the server before a longer window expires.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
90 days
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: 90 days is typical for medium-severity vulnerabilities.
- ✓
24-72 hours
Why this is correct
Correct: Critical vulnerabilities typically have a 24-72 hour SLA.
- ✗
7 days
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: 7 days is less common; critical vulnerabilities are addressed faster.
- ✗
30 days
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: 30 days is typical for high-severity vulnerabilities.
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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.