CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

In an IaaS environment, which of the following components typically requires patching?

1. Virtual Machines

2. End-user applications

3. Load balancers

4. Client devices

The correct answer is: Load balancers

In an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) environment, the component that typically requires patching is the load balancer. Load balancers play a critical role in distributing traffic across multiple servers, ensuring efficient resource utilization and high availability. Just like any other network appliance or service, load balancers can have vulnerabilities or bugs that may be exploited if not properly maintained. Regular patching of load balancers helps protect the infrastructure from potential security risks and ensures that the latest features and performance improvements are implemented, resulting in a more robust and secure cloud environment. While virtual machines also require regular patching to maintain security and functionality, the context of the question specifically emphasizes components inherent to the IaaS layer, and load balancers are integral to managing the traffic flow at that level. End-user applications and client devices typically fall outside the IaaS management scope, as they are usually governed by application developers and end users themselves, focusing on desktops and user interfaces rather than the core cloud infrastructure.