This CISA practice question tests your understanding of protection of information assets. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 security assessment, an auditor discovers that employees are sharing passwords to access a critical system. Which of the following controls would BEST mitigate this risk?
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.
Provide security awareness training
Why wrong: Training may not prevent deliberate sharing.
Implement multi-factor authentication
MFA requires additional factors, reducing the effectiveness of shared passwords.
Log all authentication attempts
Why wrong: Logging is detective, not preventive.
Enforce complex password policies
Why wrong: Complex passwords can still be shared.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Implement multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) mitigates the risk of password sharing because even if credentials are shared, an attacker cannot authenticate without the second factor (e.g., a one-time passcode from a hardware token or authenticator app). MFA decouples authentication from a single shared secret, making shared passwords insufficient for access. This directly addresses the root cause—reliance on passwords alone—rather than attempting to prevent sharing behavior.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Provide security awareness training
Why it's wrong here
Training may not prevent deliberate sharing.
Implement multi-factor authentication
Why this is correct
MFA requires additional factors, reducing the effectiveness of shared passwords.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Log all authentication attempts
Why it's wrong here
Logging is detective, not preventive.
Enforce complex password policies
Why it's wrong here
Complex passwords can still be shared.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'preventing password sharing' with 'detecting or discouraging it,' and choose awareness training or logging, when the only control that technically renders shared passwords useless is multi-factor authentication.
Detailed technical explanation
MFA typically combines something you know (password) with something you have (e.g., TOTP per RFC 6238) or something you are (biometric). In a real-world scenario, even if a shared password is leaked, the second factor—often time-limited and device-bound—prevents reuse by unauthorized parties. This aligns with NIST SP 800-63B guidance that passwords alone are insufficient for high-risk systems, and MFA is the recommended compensating control.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CISA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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
Protection of Information Assets — This question tests Protection of Information Assets — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Implement multi-factor authentication — Multi-factor authentication (MFA) mitigates the risk of password sharing because even if credentials are shared, an attacker cannot authenticate without the second factor (e.g., a one-time passcode from a hardware token or authenticator app). MFA decouples authentication from a single shared secret, making shared passwords insufficient for access. This directly addresses the root cause—reliance on passwords alone—rather than attempting to prevent sharing behavior.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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