- A
Implement additional compensating controls such as an application-layer firewall, disable all unnecessary services, restrict outbound traffic to only the payment processor IP, enable detailed logging, and accelerate the migration
Compensating controls reduce risk while allowing continued operation until decommission.
- B
Immediately decommission the server and migrate to the new payment system, accepting a temporary outage
Why wrong: This would stop payment processing, causing significant business disruption.
- C
Apply the vendor's hotfix from an unofficial source to patch the vulnerability
Why wrong: Unofficial patches may introduce new vulnerabilities and are not recommended.
- D
Accept the risk and purchase additional cyber insurance to cover potential losses
Why wrong: Insurance transfers financial risk but does not prevent a breach that could compromise customer data and PCI compliance.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to implement additional compensating controls such as an application-layer firewall, disable all unnecessary services, restrict outbound traffic to only the payment processor IP, enable detailed logging, and accelerate the migration. This is correct because compensating controls are the only viable option when a critical server cannot be patched due to vendor end-of-life, as they create a layered defense that mitigates the active remote code execution exploit while maintaining business continuity. On the SSCP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of risk management and PCI DSS Requirement 6.2, which allows compensating controls when timely patching is impossible; a common trap is choosing to simply isolate the server without adding application-layer filtering, which fails to block the exploit at the protocol level. Remember the mnemonic "D.A.R.T." for compensating controls: Disable services, Application firewall, Restrict egress, and Track logs.
SSCP Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of risk identification, monitoring and analysis. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You are the security analyst for a mid-sized e-commerce company that processes credit card payments. The company uses a legacy payment application on a Windows Server 2012 R2 system, which is scheduled for decommission in six months. The server is isolated in a separate VLAN with strict firewall rules allowing only outbound HTTPS to the payment processor and inbound management from a jump box on a different subnet. During a routine vulnerability scan, you discover that the server is missing over 50 critical patches, including one for a remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2023-XXXX) that is being actively exploited in the wild. The server cannot be patched because the vendor stopped support and patches are not available. The company's risk appetite is low due to PCI DSS requirements. You need to recommend a course of action that balances risk reduction with business continuity. What should you do?
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 additional compensating controls such as an application-layer firewall, disable all unnecessary services, restrict outbound traffic to only the payment processor IP, enable detailed logging, and accelerate the migration
Option A is correct because it implements compensating controls to reduce the risk of the unpatched remote code execution vulnerability while maintaining business continuity. By deploying an application-layer firewall (e.g., a WAF or host-based IPS), disabling unnecessary services, restricting outbound traffic to only the payment processor's IP via strict egress ACLs, enabling detailed logging for monitoring, and accelerating the migration to a supported system, you align with PCI DSS Requirement 6.2 (timely patching) and Requirement 11.5 (change detection) without causing an outage. This layered defense mitigates the active exploit risk until the legacy server can be decommissioned in six months.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Implement additional compensating controls such as an application-layer firewall, disable all unnecessary services, restrict outbound traffic to only the payment processor IP, enable detailed logging, and accelerate the migration
Why this is correct
Compensating controls reduce risk while allowing continued operation until decommission.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Immediately decommission the server and migrate to the new payment system, accepting a temporary outage
Why it's wrong here
This would stop payment processing, causing significant business disruption.
- ✗
Apply the vendor's hotfix from an unofficial source to patch the vulnerability
Why it's wrong here
Unofficial patches may introduce new vulnerabilities and are not recommended.
- ✗
Accept the risk and purchase additional cyber insurance to cover potential losses
Why it's wrong here
Insurance transfers financial risk but does not prevent a breach that could compromise customer data and PCI compliance.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose Option B (immediate decommission) thinking it eliminates risk, but they overlook the business continuity requirement and the fact that PCI DSS allows compensating controls for legacy systems with a documented migration plan.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The compensating controls in Option A leverage defense-in-depth: an application-layer firewall (e.g., ModSecurity or a next-gen firewall) can inspect HTTPS traffic for exploit payloads targeting the RCE vulnerability, while restricting outbound traffic to only the payment processor's IP (using a stateful firewall rule with destination IP and port 443) prevents lateral movement. Disabling unnecessary services (e.g., RDP, SMB) reduces the attack surface, and enabling detailed logging (e.g., Windows Event Log 4688 for process creation) supports incident detection. This approach aligns with PCI DSS Requirement 6.2's compensating control guidance (Appendix B), which allows temporary risk acceptance with documented controls and a migration plan.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security team runs a vulnerability scan on a web application and discovers an unpatched SQL injection flaw. The team prioritises remediation by CVSS score — critical flaws are patched within 24 hours, high within 7 days. Questions like this test whether you understand vulnerability management processes, scanning tools, and remediation prioritisation.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SSCP question test?
Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis — This question tests Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement additional compensating controls such as an application-layer firewall, disable all unnecessary services, restrict outbound traffic to only the payment processor IP, enable detailed logging, and accelerate the migration — Option A is correct because it implements compensating controls to reduce the risk of the unpatched remote code execution vulnerability while maintaining business continuity. By deploying an application-layer firewall (e.g., a WAF or host-based IPS), disabling unnecessary services, restricting outbound traffic to only the payment processor's IP via strict egress ACLs, enabling detailed logging for monitoring, and accelerating the migration to a supported system, you align with PCI DSS Requirement 6.2 (timely patching) and Requirement 11.5 (change detection) without causing an outage. This layered defense mitigates the active exploit risk until the legacy server can be decommissioned in six months.
What should I do if I get this SSCP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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