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CAS-004 Practice Question: Implementing a new vendor risk management program
A company is implementing a new vendor risk management program. Which of the following is the BEST approach to assess third-party security controls?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use a standardized security questionnaire and conduct on-site audits
Using a standardized security questionnaire combined with on-site audits provides a thorough and objective assessment of a vendor's security controls, covering policies, procedures, and technical implementation. Option A is incorrect because financial stability does not directly reflect security posture; a financially stable vendor may still have weak security. Option C is incorrect because relying solely on a vendor's self-assessment is biased and may not reveal actual vulnerabilities. Option D is incorrect because only reviewing public breach reports is reactive and misses details about current security practices.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Check the vendor’s financial stability
Why it's wrong here
Financial stability does not directly indicate security posture.
- ✓
Use a standardized security questionnaire and conduct on-site audits
Why this is correct
Combining a questionnaire with on-site audits provides thorough, independent verification.
- ✗
Rely on the vendor’s self-assessment questionnaire
Why it's wrong here
Vendor self-assessments may be biased and lack independent verification.
- ✗
Review only public breach reports about the vendor
Why it's wrong here
Public breach reports are reactive and may not cover all security gaps.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CAS-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CAS-005 exam.