CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

What is a potential risk of using orphaned resources?

1. Increased latency

2. Security vulnerabilities

3. Resource exhaustion

4. Cost overruns

The correct answer is: Security vulnerabilities

Orphaned resources refer to cloud services and resources that are no longer linked to any active workloads or applications, often remaining in the environment after being disconnected. The potential risk associated with orphaned resources primarily relates to security vulnerabilities. When resources are orphaned, they may not be actively monitored or managed, creating a gap in security oversight. These resources can unintentionally become targets for malicious activities, as they may have outdated security patches, weak configurations, or insufficient access controls. Attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities, leading to unauthorized access or data breaches. While other options like increased latency, resource exhaustion, and cost overruns can occur within cloud environments, they are not the primary risks tied to orphaned resources. For instance, increased latency typically involves performance issues related to resource allocation rather than the existence of orphaned resources themselves. Resource exhaustion pertains to the depletion of available cloud resources, which can impact service but does not directly relate to orphaning. Cost overruns may be associated with mismanaged resources overall but do not specifically highlight the unique security implications of orphaned resources. Thus, the security vulnerabilities presented by orphaned resources are a significant concern that necessitates proper management and oversight in cloud environments.