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SSCP Practice Question: After an incident, the team identifies that the…
After an incident, the team identifies that the incident was caused by a missing security patch. Which of the following is the MOST effective way to prevent recurrence?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse reactive measures (monitoring, response plans) with proactive prevention, or they mistakenly think user training (phishing simulations) addresses a technical configuration failure.
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
✓
Implement a patch management policy
A missing security patch indicates a failure in the vulnerability management lifecycle. Implementing a patch management policy ensures that patches are systematically identified, tested, and deployed, directly addressing the root cause. This is the most effective preventive measure because it establishes a recurring process to close known vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Conduct phishing simulations
Why it's wrong here
Phishing simulations are for user awareness, not patch management.
- ✗
Increase network monitoring
Why it's wrong here
Monitoring detects attacks but does not prevent vulnerability exploitation.
- ✓
Implement a patch management policy
Why this is correct
A policy ensures patches are applied in a timely manner, preventing recurrence.
- ✗
Update the incident response plan
Why it's wrong here
Updating the plan improves future response but doesn't prevent the root cause.
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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.