Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

Which metric in CVSS assessment accounts for evolving features of a vulnerability over time?

1. Base Metric

2. Environmental Metric

3. Temporal Metric

4. Impact Metric

The correct answer is: Temporal Metric

The Temporal Metric in the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is designed specifically to account for the changing nature of a vulnerability over time. This metric reflects the characteristics that may evolve after the initial release of the vulnerability, such as the availability of patches, the level of authentication required to exploit the vulnerability, and the potential existence of workarounds. These factors can significantly affect the urgency and severity of the vulnerability, and incorporating them into the assessment allows organizations to make more informed decisions regarding risk management and resource allocation. By using the Temporal Metric, security professionals can better understand how dynamic elements related to the vulnerability may influence its overall risk profile and response strategy. In contrast, the Base Metric provides a static assessment of the intrinsic qualities of the vulnerability that do not change over time, while the Environmental Metric emphasizes the context of the environment in which the vulnerability exists. The Impact Metric evaluates the potential consequences of successful exploitation but does not account for the time-dependent factors affecting the vulnerability's risk. Thus, the Temporal Metric is essential for capturing the fluid nature of vulnerabilities in cybersecurity assessments.