What is the main goal of vulnerability assessment?

The main goal of a vulnerability assessment is to identify and analyze vulnerabilities within a system to understand their potential impact and associated risks. This process helps organizations prioritize which vulnerabilities need to be addressed based on their severity and the criticality of the systems affected. By conducting a thorough vulnerability assessment, organizations can gain insights into the security posture of their systems, allowing them to make informed decisions about risk management and remediation efforts.

While eliminating vulnerabilities is an important aspect of maintaining security, it is often impractical to eradicate every single vulnerability due to the continuous development of new threats and the dynamic nature of technology. Scanning for open ports is a component of vulnerability assessments but does not encompass the full scope of the assessment itself. Similarly, increasing system performance is not a direct aim of a vulnerability assessment, as it focuses primarily on security rather than performance optimization. This clarifies why the best answer aligns with the goal of understanding and mitigating risks associated with vulnerabilities.