Question 880 of 1,013
Risk Acceptance Documentation: Risk Register vs BIA
A security manager is leading a risk assessment for the organization. The team identifies a legacy application that contains a known critical vulnerability. The vendor has discontinued support and no patch is available. The manager calculates that the annualized loss expectancy (ALE) for exploiting this vulnerability is $50,000. Implementing a third-party web application firewall (WAF) as a compensating control would cost $80,000 per year. The organization's leadership decides that accepting the risk is the most cost-effective approach. Which of the following documents should the security manager update to formally record this risk acceptance decision and obtain the necessary sign-off?
Quick Answer
The answer is the risk register. This is the correct document because the risk register is the central repository for tracking all identified risks, their assessed impact, and the chosen risk response—in this case, risk acceptance. Formally recording the decision to accept the $50,000 annualized loss expectancy and obtaining sign-off ensures auditability and accountability, which is a core requirement of risk management frameworks like NIST SP 800-37. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this question tests your understanding of risk response documentation versus business impact analysis (BIA); a common trap is confusing the BIA, which identifies critical business functions and recovery priorities, with the risk register, which logs specific threats and their treatment. Remember that the BIA tells you what matters, but the risk register tells you what you’re doing about it. Memory tip: “Register the response” – if you’re choosing a risk response (accept, mitigate, transfer, avoid), it always goes in the risk register.
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the risk register with the BIA, mistakenly thinking the BIA is used to document risk acceptance decisions, when in fact the BIA only quantifies impact and does not track risk treatment or sign-off.
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
✓
Risk register
The risk register is the correct document to update because it formally tracks identified risks, their assessed impact, and the chosen risk response (acceptance). Recording the decision to accept the $50,000 ALE risk and obtaining sign-off ensures auditability and accountability, which is a key requirement in risk management frameworks like NIST SP 800-37.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Business impact analysis (BIA)
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A BIA identifies critical business processes and their dependencies, as well as recovery time objectives. It does not serve as a record of risk acceptance decisions.
When this WOULD be correct
A BIA would be the correct document to update when the organization needs to quantify and prioritize the potential business impact of losing critical systems or processes, such as after identifying a new critical application that supports a core business function, to inform disaster recovery and continuity planning.
- ✓
Risk register
Why this is correct
Correct. The risk register is used to track identified risks, their characteristics, and the chosen treatment. Updating it with the acceptance decision, rationale, and approval is essential for risk governance.
- ✗
Security baseline configuration document
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A security baseline defines the minimum security configuration settings for systems. It does not document risk decisions or approvals.
When this WOULD be correct
A security baseline configuration document would be correct if the question asked for the document that specifies mandatory security settings for a system, such as after a vulnerability scan reveals misconfigurations that need to be hardened.
- ✗
Incident response plan
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The incident response plan provides step-by-step procedures for handling security incidents. It is not the appropriate place to record risk acceptance decisions.
When this WOULD be correct
A security manager needs to update the document that defines the steps to take when a security incident occurs, such as a data breach or system compromise, to ensure the organization's response is effective and compliant.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The SY0-701 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Risk registerCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Correct. The risk register is used to track identified risks, their characteristics, and the chosen treatment. Updating it with the acceptance decision, rationale, and approval is essential for risk governance.
✗Business impact analysis (BIA)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A BIA documents the impact of disruptions on business operations, not the formal acceptance of specific risks. The risk acceptance decision should be recorded in the risk register, which tracks identified risks, their assessments, and management decisions including acceptance and sign-off.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A BIA would be the correct document to update when the organization needs to quantify and prioritize the potential business impact of losing critical systems or processes, such as after identifying a new critical application that supports a core business function, to inform disaster recovery and continuity planning.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse risk acceptance with business impact analysis because both involve assessing financial consequences, but the BIA focuses on impact quantification for continuity planning, not on recording risk management decisions.
✗Security baseline configuration documentWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A security baseline configuration document defines secure settings for systems, not risk acceptance decisions. The question asks for recording a formal risk acceptance decision with sign-off, which is a function of the risk register.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A security baseline configuration document would be correct if the question asked for the document that specifies mandatory security settings for a system, such as after a vulnerability scan reveals misconfigurations that need to be hardened.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse compensating controls (like a WAF) with configuration baselines, or think that documenting a control decision belongs in a configuration document rather than a risk management document.
✗Incident response planWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The incident response plan outlines procedures for detecting, responding to, and recovering from security incidents, not for formally documenting risk acceptance decisions or obtaining sign-off on risk treatment.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A security manager needs to update the document that defines the steps to take when a security incident occurs, such as a data breach or system compromise, to ensure the organization's response is effective and compliant.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse risk acceptance with incident response because both involve handling vulnerabilities, but risk acceptance is a proactive decision made before an incident, while incident response is reactive.
Analysis generated from the official SY0-701blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SY0-701
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A legacy production scanner cannot support MFA, but it must remain available for six months until replacement hardware arrives. What is the best security response?
easy- A.Permanently waive MFA for the scanner and leave the exception open-ended.
- ✓ B.Approve a time-bound exception with compensating controls and a review date.
- C.Shut down the scanner immediately until MFA can be enabled.
- D.Create a shared administrator account so operators can sign in more easily.
Why B: It balances security with operational necessity by implementing a time-bound exception with compensating controls (e.g., network segmentation, strict access logging, or IP whitelisting) and a mandatory review date. This ensures the legacy scanner remains available for six months while mitigating the risk of unauthorized access, aligning with the principle of least privilege and security program oversight.
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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