SY0-701 Security Program Management and Oversight Practice Question
A business unit wants to keep using a customer portal even though a low-likelihood, high-impact dependency risk was identified. Leadership does not want to stop the service, but it does want to lower exposure and formally document the remaining risk. Which two actions best fit that approach? Select two.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse risk acceptance with ignoring the risk or deferring it operationally, leading candidates to pick options like D or E instead of recognizing that formal acceptance requires documented management approval and that compensating controls are a valid mitigation strategy.
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
✓
Implement compensating controls to reduce the chance or impact of the event.
Implementing compensating controls is a standard risk mitigation strategy that reduces the likelihood or impact of a dependency risk without stopping the service. For a customer portal, this could include adding web application firewall (WAF) rules, rate limiting, or failover mechanisms to lower exposure while keeping the portal operational.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Implement compensating controls to reduce the chance or impact of the event.
Why this is correct
This is the most direct way to reduce exposure while keeping the service running. Compensating controls, such as extra monitoring, rate limiting, or alternate processing steps, lower either likelihood or impact without requiring the business to stop operations. That matches the stated goal of continuing service while reducing risk.
- ✗
Immediately shut down the portal until the dependency risk is completely eliminated.
Why it's wrong here
Shutting the portal down is a form of risk avoidance, which conflicts with leadership's stated desire to keep the service available. It may be appropriate in some high-risk situations, but it does not fit this scenario's requirement to continue operations.
- ✓
Formally accept the remaining residual risk at the appropriate management level.
Why this is correct
After mitigation steps are added, some risk often remains. Formal acceptance by the right business authority documents that the organization understands the remaining exposure and is willing to live with it. That is a standard part of risk treatment when the service must remain available.
- ✗
Ignore the finding until the next annual audit cycle.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring the finding until the next annual audit cycle is not a risk treatment option; it effectively defers any decision on mitigation without formally documenting the residual risk or obtaining management acceptance. Known unmitigated vulnerabilities create ongoing legal and operational liability, and an audit may not even re-examine the same control, leaving the organization exposed indefinitely. This violates due care principles and could be considered negligence if the risk materializes.
- ✗
Transfer the issue to the help desk by opening a routine support ticket.
Why it's wrong here
Opening a routine support ticket does not transfer risk in a risk management context; risk transfer shifts financial liability to a third party via insurance, contractual indemnities, or outsourcing agreements. The help desk can execute patching or workarounds, but that is operational mitigation, not legal or financial risk transfer. Furthermore, a routine ticket lacks the urgency and management authority needed to properly address a security dependency, so it may be deprioritized and leave the portal vulnerable without a formal decision.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Risk Management Concepts
Key term
Firewall
A firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules to protect trusted internal networks from untrusted external networks.
Key term
Risk
Risk is the possibility that an event or action will negatively affect an organization's ability to achieve its goals, often measured in terms of likelihood and impact.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.