A computer technician is using a new version of a word processing software package when it is discovered that a special sequence of characters causes the entire computer to crash. The technician researches the bug and discovers that no one else experienced the problem. What is the appropriate next step?

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D. Notify the vendor of the bug and do not disclose it until the vendor gets a chance to issue a fix. Responsible disclosure requires notifying the vendor privately and allowing time to develop a patch before any public disclosure. This protects all users from potential exploitation while giving the vendor the opportunity to remediate the issue. It is the industry-standard ethical and professional response when a previously unknown bug is discovered.

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A. Ignore the problem completely and let someone else deal with it. Ignoring the bug is irresponsible because other users remain at risk and the vendor has no opportunity to issue a fix.

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B. Create a document that will crash the computer when opened and send it to friends. Creating and distributing a document that exploits the bug is malicious and potentially illegal under computer fraud and abuse laws.

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C. Find an underground bulletin board and attempt to sell the bug to the highest bidder. Selling a bug to underground markets is illegal and unethical, as it enables criminal exploitation of the vulnerability rather than protecting users.

A computer technician is using a new version of a word processing software package when it is discovered that a special sequence of characters causes the entire computer to crash. The technician resea

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