The answer is to transfer risk through cyber insurance and mitigate with compensating controls. These two actions are appropriate because risk treatment for missing security patches must align with organizational feasibility and the risk management framework; when immediate patching is not possible due to operational constraints, transferring the financial impact via cyber insurance and implementing compensating controls—such as network segmentation or enhanced monitoring—reduce the likelihood or impact of exploitation without requiring a full patch. On the CompTIA SecurityX CAS-004 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the risk treatment options (avoid, transfer, mitigate, accept) in the context of real-world constraints, with a common trap being to select “immediate patching” as a mitigation when the question implies it is not feasible, or to choose “ignore the findings” which is never a valid treatment. Remember the mnemonic “TIM-A” for treatment options: Transfer, Insurance, Mitigate, Accept—and when patching is blocked, think insurance plus compensating controls.
CAS-004 Governance, Risk and Compliance Practice Question
This CAS-004 practice question tests your understanding of governance, risk and compliance. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
During a compliance audit, the auditor finds that several systems are missing security patches. The CISO needs to decide on a risk treatment. Which TWO of the following actions are appropriate?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Mitigate with compensating controls
Transferring risk via cyber insurance and mitigating with compensating controls are valid risk treatments. Ignoring findings is not acceptable; immediate patching may not be feasible; decommissioning is extreme.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Mitigate with compensating controls
Why this is correct
Compensating controls reduce risk without immediate patching.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✓
Transfer risk through cyber insurance
Why this is correct
Insurance can transfer financial risk.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Immediately patch all systems
Why it's wrong here
Immediate patching may not be feasible due to operational constraints.
✗
Ignore the findings until next audit
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring findings is not acceptable.
✗
Accept the risk formally
Why it's wrong here
Acceptance may be appropriate if documenting, but not the first choice.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CAS-004 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Governance, Risk and Compliance — This question tests Governance, Risk and Compliance — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Mitigate with compensating controls — Transferring risk via cyber insurance and mitigating with compensating controls are valid risk treatments. Ignoring findings is not acceptable; immediate patching may not be feasible; decommissioning is extreme.
What should I do if I get this CAS-004 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CAS-004 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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