CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501) — Question 887

A security analyst performs a vulnerability scan on the local network. Several items are flagged on the report as being critical issues. The security analyst researches each of the vulnerabilities and discovers that one of the critical issues on the report was mitigated in a previous scan. Which of the following MOST likely happened?

Answer options

• A. A patch was removed
• B. A false positive occurred
• C. The tool has a high crossover error rate
• D. A necessary service was not running

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is B, as a false positive can occur when a vulnerability scanner incorrectly identifies an issue that has already been resolved. The other options are less likely; A would imply an intentional action that contradicts the earlier mitigation, C suggests a fundamental flaw in the tool's accuracy, and D does not relate directly to the misreported vulnerability since it was previously mitigated.