SSCP Risk Identification, Monitoring, and Analysis Practice Question
Which of the following is a vulnerability source explicitly based on publicly known flaws?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse 'vulnerability source' with 'vulnerability cause'—configuration weaknesses and design flaws are causes of vulnerabilities, but only CVEs represent a formal, publicly known source of flaw documentation.
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
✓
CVEs
C is correct because Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) are a standardized, publicly maintained list of known security flaws. Each CVE entry explicitly documents a specific vulnerability that has been discovered, verified, and published, making it a direct source of publicly known flaws used for vulnerability identification and remediation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configuration weaknesses
Why it's wrong here
Configuration weaknesses are not necessarily publicly known.
- ✗
Hardware failure
Why it's wrong here
Hardware failure is a technical risk, not a vulnerability source.
- ✓
CVEs
Why this is correct
CVE is a dictionary of publicly disclosed vulnerabilities.
- ✗
Design flaws
Why it's wrong here
Design flaws may not be publicly known.
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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.