CISM Information Security Risk Management Practice Question
A company is assessing the risk of a critical system outage. The system has a maximum tolerable downtime (MTD) of 2 hours, but the current recovery time objective (RTO) is 4 hours. What is the most appropriate risk treatment?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates mistakenly think accepting risk is valid when RTO is shorter than MTD, but the question presents the opposite scenario (RTO > MTD), making acceptance inappropriate; ISACA often tests this precise reversal to catch those who confuse RTO and MTD relationships.
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
✓
Mitigate by reducing the RTO to 1 hour through process automation
The current RTO of 4 hours exceeds the MTD of 2 hours, meaning the system cannot be restored within the maximum tolerable downtime, resulting in unacceptable business impact. Reducing the RTO to 1 hour through process automation brings recovery time well within the MTD, effectively mitigating the risk to an acceptable level. This aligns with the risk management principle of applying controls to close the gap between RTO and MTD.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Mitigate by reducing the RTO to 1 hour through process automation
Why this is correct
Reducing RTO to below MTD is the correct mitigation.
- ✗
Transfer the risk by purchasing business interruption insurance
Why it's wrong here
Insurance does not reduce RTO; it only provides financial compensation.
- ✗
Accept the risk because the RTO is shorter than the MTD
Why it's wrong here
The RTO (4 hours) is actually longer than the MTD (2 hours), so this statement is incorrect.
- ✗
Avoid the risk by replacing the system with a more reliable one
Why it's wrong here
Replacement is a form of avoidance but is more costly and may not be necessary.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISM practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA 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 CISM exam.