When dealing with false positive vulnerability alerts, what should a system administrator do first?

When faced with false positive vulnerability alerts, the most appropriate first step for a system administrator is to adjust the scanner configuration based on a thorough review of the logs. This is essential because false positives often arise from misconfigurations or overly sensitive settings in the scanning tool. By analyzing the logs, the administrator can identify patterns or specific vulnerabilities that are incorrectly flagged and adjust detection parameters accordingly, enhancing the accuracy of future scans.

Adjusting scanner configurations allows the organization to better fine-tune the tool's sensitivity, ensuring that legitimate vulnerabilities are captured while minimizing unnecessary alerts that can lead to alert fatigue among security personnel. This proactive approach not only improves the reliability of scan results but also allows administrators to focus on genuine threats without being overwhelmed by noise generated from false positives.

In contrast, simply ignoring all future alerts would lead to critical vulnerabilities being overlooked, which poses a significant security risk. Using only one scanner for consistency might limit exposure to various perspectives and insights offered by different vulnerability management solutions. Increasing the frequency of scans without addressing the root cause of false positives can result in the same issues being repeatedly flagged, wasting resources and time without addressing the problems effectively.