CompTIA CASP+ Test 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Not sanitizing a virtual machine properly after use presents a significant risk of data breaches from residual information. When a virtual machine is not adequately wiped or cleaned, remnants of data from previous sessions may still exist on the virtual disk and could be accessible to unauthorized users or processes.

This residual information might include sensitive data such as passwords, personal information, or proprietary business information. If an attacker gains access to this residual data, it could lead to various security incidents, including unauthorized access to systems, theft of confidential information, or compliance violations. Proper sanitization ensures that all sensitive data is irretrievably removed, thereby mitigating this risk and maintaining data security and integrity.

While options related to costs, application compatibility, and deployment delays are valid concerns in different contexts, they do not specifically address the immediate security implications of failing to sanitize the virtual machine, making them less relevant in this scenario.