- A
Implement compensating controls to reduce the chance or impact of the event.
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.
- B
Immediately shut down the portal until the dependency risk is completely eliminated.
Why wrong: 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.
- C
Formally accept the remaining residual risk at the appropriate management level.
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.
- D
Ignore the finding until the next annual audit cycle.
Why wrong: Ignoring the finding does not manage risk and leaves the organization exposed without documentation or accountability. It is an operational mistake, not a valid treatment strategy.
- E
Transfer the issue to the help desk by opening a routine support ticket.
Why wrong: A support ticket may track the work, but it does not transfer risk in the management sense. Risk transfer usually involves contracts, insurance, or outsourcing arrangements, not simply handing the issue to operations.
SY0-701 Security Program Management and Oversight Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security program management and oversight. 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.
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.
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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.
Option A is correct because 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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
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.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Ignore the finding until the next annual audit cycle.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring the finding does not manage risk and leaves the organization exposed without documentation or accountability. It is an operational mistake, not a valid treatment strategy.
- ✗
Transfer the issue to the help desk by opening a routine support ticket.
Why it's wrong here
A support ticket may track the work, but it does not transfer risk in the management sense. Risk transfer usually involves contracts, insurance, or outsourcing arrangements, not simply handing the issue to operations.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing 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.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Risk acceptance is a formal process where the residual risk after controls is documented and signed off by management, often recorded in a risk register with an acceptance date and owner. Compensating controls for a customer portal might include implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA), session timeouts, or an intrusion prevention system (IPS) to reduce the attack surface without removing the dependency. In real-world scenarios, organizations often use compensating controls to meet compliance requirements (e.g., PCI DSS) when a primary control cannot be implemented.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Security Program Management and Oversight — This question tests Security Program Management and Oversight — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement compensating controls to reduce the chance or impact of the event. — Option A is correct because 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.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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