Question

An auditor is performing an assessment of a security appliance with an embedded OS that

was vulnerable during the last two assessments. Which of the following BEST explains the appliance's
vulnerable state?
A. The system was configured with weak default security settings.
B. The device uses weak encryption ciphers.
C. The vendor has not supplied a patch for the appliance.
D. The appliance requires administrative credentials for the assessment.

Answer 1

The appliance's vulnerable state is best explained by the vendor not supplying a patch for it, as all other potential issues are typically resolvable by the auditor or the administrative staff.

Step-by-step explanation:

An auditor is assessing a security appliance with an embedded operating system that remained vulnerable during the last two assessments. Among the given options, the most plausible explanation for the appliance's vulnerable state is that the vendor has not supplied a patch for the appliance. This situation often occurs when a vendor either discontinues support for a product or is slow to develop fixes for known vulnerabilities. It could leave the system exposed to the same risks repeatedly if no mitigative actions are taken. The three other options provided might also contribute to the system's vulnerabilities if present, but they would likely have been rectifiable since the last assessment, unlike the absence of a patch that the vendor is responsible for providing.