Which of the following would a security administrator implement in order to discover comprehensive
security threats on a network?

A.
Design reviews

B.
Baseline reporting

C.
Vulnerability scan

D.
Code review

Explanation:
A vulnerability scan is the process of scanning the network and/or I.T. infrastructure for threats and
vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities include computer systems that do not have the latest security patches
installed.
The threats and vulnerabilities are then evaluated in a risk assessment and the necessary actions taken to
resolve and vulnerabilities.
A vulnerability scan is the automated process of proactively identifying security vulnerabilities of
computing systems in a network in order to determine if and where a system can be exploited and/orthreatened. While public servers are important for communication and data transfer over the Internet,
they open the door to potential security breaches by threat agents, such as malicious hackers.
Vulnerability scanning employs software that seeks out security flaws based on a database of known
flaws, testing systems for the occurrence of these flaws and generating a report of the findings that an
individual or an enterprise can use to tighten the network’s security.
Vulnerability scanning typically refers to the scanning of systems that are connected to the Internet but
can also refer to system audits on internal networks that are not connected to the Internet in order to
assess the threat of rogue software or malicious employees in an enterprise.
Incorrect Answers:
A: A design review is not performed primarily to detect security threats on a network. Reviewing the
design of a system or network can be performed for many reasons including performance, availability etc.
whereas a vulnerability scan is performed specifically to discover security threats on a network.
B: As the name implies, baseline reporting checks to make sure that things are operating status quo, and
change detection is used to alert administrators when modifications are made. A changes-from-baseline
report can be run to pinpoint security rule breaches quickly. This is often combined with gap analysis to
measure the controls at a particular company against industry standards.
Baseline reporting may alert the security administrator to any changes in the security posture compared
to the original baseline configuration. However, a vulnerability scan is performed specifically to discover
security threats on a network and is therefore a better answer.
D: A code review is the process of reviewing the programming code in an application. It is not used to
discover security threats on a network.

Dulaney, Emmett and Chuck Eastton, CompTIA Security+ Study Guide, 6th Edition, Sybex, Indianapolis,
2014, p. 345