SY0-701 Exam Dumps - CompTIA Security+ Exam 2025

A vulnerability scan is the most effective method for identifying legacy systems within an environment. Vulnerability scanners assess hosts for outdated operating systems, unsupported software versions, missing patches, deprecated services, and known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs). CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 highlights vulnerability scanning as a foundational security operation used to gain visibility into system age, patch status, and configuration weaknesses.

Legacy systems often stand out in scan results because they run end-of-life operating systems, use deprecated protocols, or lack current security updates. These indicators allow security teams to quickly flag systems that require isolation, compensating controls, or replacement.

Bug bounty programs (A) rely on external researchers and are not designed to inventory internal assets. Package monitoring (C) tracks software behavior and changes but does not identify system age or support status. Dynamic analysis (D) evaluates running applications for vulnerabilities, not infrastructure lifecycle status.

Because vulnerability scans provide broad visibility into system versions and supportability, the correct answer is B: Vulnerability scan.

Encryption is the standard method for protecting data in transit, ensuring that intercepted communications cannot be read without the appropriate decryption key.

A third-party audit provides an independent assessment of the SaaS vendor’s security controls, compliance, and practices. This documentation helps verify that the vendor meets security standards and follows best practices.

Recovery Time Objective (RTO)defines themaximum acceptable downtimebefore business operationsmust be restored. It helps organizations set expectations for recovery speed and prioritize system restoration accordingly.

A (likelihood of an incident and cost)relates to risk assessment, not RTO.

B (roles and responsibilities)falls underincident response planning, not RTO.

C (state of restored systems)is covered byRecovery Point Objective (RPO), not RTO.

An application allow list is a security technique that specifies which applications are permitted to run on a system or a network. An application allow list can block unknown programs from executing by only allowing the execution of programs that are explicitly authorized and verified. An application allow list can prevent malware, unauthorized software, or unwanted applications from running and compromising the security of the system or the network12.

The other options are not the best ways to block unknown programs from executing:

Access control list: This is a security technique that specifies which users or groups are granted or denied access to a resource or an object. An access control list can control the permissions and privileges of users or groups, but it does not directly block unknown programs from executing13.

Host-based firewall: This is a security device that monitors and filters the incoming and outgoing network traffic on a single host or system. A host-based firewall can block or allow networkconnections based on predefined rules, but it does not directly block unknown programs from executing1 .

DLP solution: This is a security system that detects and prevents the unauthorized transmission or leakage of sensitive data. A DLP solution can protect the confidentiality and integrity of data, but it does not directly block unknown programs from executing1 .

References = 1: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 972: Application Whitelisting – CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 – 3.5, video by Professor Messer3: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 98. : CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 99. : CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 100.

A full inventory of all hardware and software is essential for measuring the overall risk to an organization when a new vulnerability is disclosed, because it allows the security analyst to identify which systems are affected by the vulnerability and prioritize the remediation efforts. Without a full inventory, the security analyst may miss some vulnerable systems or waste time and resources on irrelevant ones. Documentation of system classifications, a list of system owners and their departments, and third-party risk assessment documentation are all useful for risk management, but they are not sufficient to measure the impact of a new vulnerability. References: CompTIA Security+ Study Guide: Exam SY0-701, 9th Edition, page 1221; Risk Assessment and Analysis Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative3

Monolithic code architecture significantly limits an organization’s ability to benefit from containerization. Containers are designed to package and run small, modular, loosely coupled services, often following a microservices architecture. CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 explains that containers enhance security by reducing attack surface, improving isolation, and allowing granular patching—but only when applications are designed to support this model.

Monolithic applications bundle all components (UI, business logic, database access) into a single large codebase. This makes it difficult to isolate functions into separate containers, apply least privilege, or patch individual components without redeploying the entire application. As a result, security improvements such as rapid updates, minimal images, and fine-grained access controls are harder to achieve.

Regulatory compliance (A) may add requirements but does not inherently block container use. Patch availability (B) affects maintenance but not architecture suitability. Kernel version (C) can be a constraint, but modern container platforms manage kernel compatibility effectively.

Because containers are best suited for modular applications, monolithic code is the primary limitation, making D the correct answer.

Dynamic analysis is performed on software during execution to identify vulnerabilities based on how the software behaves in real-world scenarios. It is useful in detecting security issues that only appear when the application is running.References: CompTIA SY0-701 Course Content​.