CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
An organization uses a public key infrastructure (PKI) to issue digital certificates. The IS auditor is reviewing the certificate lifecycle management. Which of the following is the GREATEST risk if certificate revocation lists (CRLs) are not updated in a timely manner?
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
✓
Compromised certificates could still be used to establish trust
If CRLs are stale, revoked certificates may still be trusted, allowing unauthorized parties to impersonate legitimate entities or access encrypted data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Certificate authorities may lose their root key
Why it's wrong here
CRL updates do not affect root key security.
- ✓
Compromised certificates could still be used to establish trust
Why this is correct
Delayed CRL updates mean revoked certificates are still considered valid, enabling misuse.
- ✗
Certificates may expire without renewal
Why it's wrong here
Expiration is handled separately from revocation.
- ✗
Users may not be able to verify certificate signatures
Why it's wrong here
Users can still verify signatures, but they may incorrectly trust revoked certificates.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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