A penetration test reveals several vulnerabilities in a web-facing application. Which of the following should be the FIRST step in selecting a risk response?

Correcting vulnerabilities (mitigation) is a risk response, which should only be chosen after the risk has been assessed and prioritized.

Developing a risk response action plan comes after the risk assessment and decision on the specific response strategy.

After identifying vulnerabilities, the immediate next step in any risk management framework is to assess the risk, which involves determining the likelihood of the vulnerability being exploited and the potential impact if it were, to quantify the overall risk level. This assessment informs the prioritization and selection of appropriate risk responses.

While communication is important, the assessment needs to happen first to provide the risk owner with a clear understanding of the severity and context of the vulnerabilities.