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Threat and Vulnerability Management

5 minutes 5 Questions

Threat and vulnerability management involves identifying, assessing, and addressing vulnerabilities and threats that may impact an organization's information systems and assets. Threats can come from various sources, including nation-states, organized crime groups, hacktivists, or even insiders. Vulnerabilities are weaknesses in systems, software, or processes that can be exploited to compromise data or systems. The goal of threat and vulnerability management is to minimize the risk and impact of security incidents by staying aware of the threat landscape, identifying and remediating vulnerabilities proactively, and implementing mitigation strategies when complete elimination of a vulnerability is not possible. This continuous process helps organizations maintain a strong security posture in a dynamic and evolving threat environment.

Guide to Threat and Vulnerability Management

What is Threat and Vulnerability Management?
Threat and Vulnerability Management is a proactive approach to manage and reduce cybersecurity risks by identifying, assessing and remedying security vulnerabilities and threats.

Why is it important?
In today's digital landscape, organizations are at constant risk of cyber attacks, making Threat and Vulnerability Management absolutely vital. It helps to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities, thus ensuring security defenses are more efficient.

How does it work?
Threat and Vulnerability Management involves several steps: identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities, assessing them to understand the potential impact, prioritizing them based on their severity, and implementing measures to mitigate risks.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Threat and Vulnerability Management
Be clear on the difference between a threat and vulnerability. Remember, vulnerability is a weakness that can be exploited, whereas a threat is a potential danger that might exploit a vulnerability. Also, be prepared to explain how a proactive approach to Threat and Vulnerability Management aids in reducing risks.
Tip: Understand the process of Threat and Vulnerability Management, such as identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and remediating threats and vulnerabilities. Learn how to apply these principles in hypothetical situations often presented in exam questions.
Tip: The use of various tools and technologies in managing threats and vulnerabilities could come up. Be thoroughly familiar with them.
Tip: Security policies and procedures related to Threat and Vulnerability Management are an integral part of this area. Have a solid grasp of various security controls that can be put in place to mitigate vulnerabilities.
Tip: Practice questions on this topic frequently to better understand how to apply your knowledge.

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CISSP - Security and Risk Management Example Questions

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Question 1

During a routine security assessment, a security analyst needs to classify system weaknesses that are prone to exploitation without using intrusive methods. What type of assessment is most appropriate?

Correct Answer: Passive vulnerability assessment

A passive vulnerability assessment is the most appropriate type of security assessment to classify system weaknesses without using intrusive methods. In a passive vulnerability assessment, the analyst conducts the assessment without actively engaging with the system's defenses. This means that the analyst does not interact in a way that would be detectable by the system, such as by running exploits, but rather examines the system for known vulnerabilities without attempting to exploit them. An active vulnerability assessment involves interacting with the system to discover weaknesses, which can include running scanning tools that actively engage with system components. This activity could potentially be noticed by security systems, making it more intrusive. 'Aggressive penetration testing' is even more intrusive, as it actively tries to exploit vulnerabilities to assess what an attacker could achieve after a successful breach. 'Comprehensive risk analysis' refers to a broad assessment that identifies risks and vulnerabilities but is not limited to identifying system weaknesses that can be exploited; it also considers threats, asset values, and business impact, which goes beyond the scope of a security analyst looking to categorize exploitable system weaknesses non-intrusively.

Question 2

A new employee, Alice, was given a laptop for her work and will often connect to the company's VPN while working remotely. Which security measures should be prioritized to mitigate the risks associated with remote work?

Correct Answer: Implement multi-factor authentication for VPN access

Multi-factor authentication helps to ensure that only authorized users are accessing the VPN, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Disabling WiFi, not implementing antivirus by default or sharing credentials via unencrypted email can create security vulnerabilities. Using the same password for all employees and allowing unrestricted access to all resources is not in line with the principle of least privilege.

Question 3

Susan's company is facing an increased number of phishing attacks. They need a solution to reduce the chances of their employees falling victim to these threats. Which technology should they consider implementing?

Correct Answer: Email content filters

Email content filters analyze incoming emails for malicious content or phishing attempts, reducing the chances of employees receiving threats via email. Biometric authentication, IDS, static packet filtering, VPN, and SIEM may help improve overall security posture but do not target phishing attacks via email directly.

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