60. Which of the following steps should be taken before mitigating a vulnerability in a production server?
Answer: D
Refer to the change management policy.
Before mitigating a vulnerability in a production server, it is essential to refer to the change management policy. This step ensures that any changes made are in compliance with established protocols and that the impact on the production environment is carefully considered.
A) Escalate the issue to the SDLC team.
While involving the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) team may be necessary for certain situations, it is not a prerequisite step before mitigating a vulnerability. The immediate concern should be ensuring that the change is appropriately managed according to the defined policies rather than escalating to another team.
B) Use the IR plan to evaluate the changes.
Utilizing the Incident Response (IR) plan may be relevant after identifying an incident, but it does not directly address the procedural necessity of referencing change management policies before making modifications. Evaluating changes should follow the guidelines set forth in the change management policy.
C) Perform a risk assessment to classify the vulnerability.
Conducting a risk assessment is certainly a critical step in understanding the severity of a vulnerability; however, this step should align with the change management policy. Properly addressing the vulnerability first requires adherence to the policy framework, which governs how changes should be handled.
D) Refer to the change management policy.
This is the correct approach as it lays the foundation for how to proceed with the vulnerability mitigation. By adhering to the change management policy, organizations can ensure that all modifications are documented, approved, and implemented in a structured manner, minimizing the risk to the production environment.
Conclusion
Referring to the change management policy is crucial as it provides a structured approach to managing changes in a production environment. All other options, while they may have their relevance in different contexts, do not address the immediate requirement of following established protocols for change management, making them less appropriate for the question at hand.