Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Mastering Your Certification!

A vulnerability in cybersecurity refers to a specific weakness or absence of a safeguard that could be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to or perform unauthorized actions on a system. This definition highlights the essential nature of vulnerabilities as points of risk where an attacker can potentially exploit flaws or deficiencies in security mechanisms, leading to various forms of cyber threats.

While the other options mention aspects related to security, they do not accurately capture what constitutes a vulnerability. For instance, having extensive security measures does not create vulnerabilities; rather, it typically aims to mitigate them. Flaws in code can be a type of vulnerability but are not exhaustive enough to define all vulnerabilities, as they can also exist in processes, configurations, or physical security. Unauthorized access is a consequence of a vulnerability being exploited rather than a definition of the vulnerability itself. Thus, the correct answer encapsulates the specific concept of a vulnerability accurately within the context of cybersecurity.