What practice is a system administrator reviewing when focusing on directly remediating software vulnerabilities?

The practice that directly addresses the remediation of software vulnerabilities is patching. Patching involves updating software to fix vulnerabilities and issues that could be exploited by attackers. When a software vulnerability is identified, the vendor typically releases a patch, which is an update designed to correct the problem. System administrators are tasked with applying these patches to ensure that the systems remain secure and up to date, thereby reducing the risk of exploitation.

Patching is a proactive measure that helps to safeguard systems against known vulnerabilities. Regularly applying patches is critical because it closes security gaps that could potentially be exploited by malicious actors. This is essential for maintaining the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data within a technological environment.

While vulnerability scanning is important for identifying vulnerabilities, it does not involve the direct remediation of those vulnerabilities. Data encryption management focuses on protecting data itself rather than fixing software issues, and incident response planning is about preparing for, responding to, and recovering from security incidents, not necessarily about remediation of vulnerabilities themselves.