220-1102 Question 558
Single answerBrowser patchingA help desk technician is responding to a report that several users are seeing repeated pop-ups in their web browser and one workstation was redirected to a fake login page. The company standard is to keep browser vulnerabilities remediated as quickly as possible without changing unrelated system settings. The affected PCs use a supported version of Windows and a mainstream browser that normally updates automatically. Which action should the technician take FIRST to address the most likely security issue?
- A
Open the browser's About or Help menu and verify that the browser updates to the latest version, then relaunch it if prompted
- B
Disable all browser security warnings so users can continue working while the issue is investigated
- C
Clear the browser cache and cookies on all systems and leave the browser version unchanged
- D
Reinstall the operating system because browser redirects usually indicate a compromised boot sector
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Browser patching is a core security best practice because browsers are common targets for phishing, malicious scripts, exploit kits, and drive-by download attacks. On A+ Core 2, candidates should recognize that the first response for a suspected browser vulnerability on a supported system is to verify the browser is patched to the latest version through its native update process. This aligns with vendor guidance from Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox, all of which support built-in browser updates and typically require a restart or relaunch to finish applying them. Clearing cache, changing warning settings, or performing a full OS reinstall may be appropriate in other troubleshooting paths, but they do not replace patching and are not the best first step when the issue is likely related to browser security exposure.
- A. Correct.
Correct. For browser patching, the technician should first confirm the browser is fully updated using the browser's built-in update mechanism, often available in an About or Help menu. Modern browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox check for and apply updates through this interface or automatically in the background, with a relaunch sometimes required to complete installation. This is the fastest, least disruptive step that directly addresses known browser vulnerabilities that could be exploited for redirects, malicious pop-ups, or phishing exposure.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disabling browser security warnings weakens protections and increases user risk. Security warnings are designed to alert users to unsafe certificates, malicious downloads, deceptive sites, and other threats. Turning them off does not patch the browser and can make the situation worse by allowing users to proceed to harmful content without notice.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Clearing cache and cookies can help with corrupted sessions, stale website data, or privacy concerns, but it does not remediate browser software vulnerabilities. A candidate might choose this because pop-ups and redirects can sometimes be caused by bad site data, but if the goal is to address the most likely security issue related to patching, updating the browser is the more appropriate first step.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Reinstalling the operating system is excessive and not the first action for a browser-patching issue. While severe malware incidents can require deeper remediation, redirects and pop-ups more commonly involve malicious extensions, adware, phishing attempts, or unpatched browser components. The scenario specifically asks for the least disruptive action that addresses browser vulnerabilities quickly.