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
The RTO of 4 hours exceeds the 2-hour MTD, so the system cannot recover within tolerable downtime. Reducing the RTO to 1 hour through automation brings recovery inside the MTD, directly satisfying the stem's constraint and closing the gap.
- ✗
Transfer the risk by purchasing business interruption insurance
Why it's wrong here
Insurance compensates financial loss after an outage but does not shorten the four-hour recovery, leaving the two-hour MTD breached. Transfer suits residual financial impact once recovery capability meets MTD; here the gap is operational, so recovery must be accelerated.
- ✗
Accept the risk because the RTO is shorter than the MTD
Why it's wrong here
Acceptance is invalid because the four-hour RTO exceeds the two-hour MTD, meaning the stated tolerance is already breached. Acceptance applies when residual risk sits within appetite; here the recovery capability must be improved to bring RTO inside MTD.
- ✗
Avoid the risk by replacing the system with a more reliable one
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the system does not address the recovery capability gap, and avoidance removes the business function rather than the outage risk. Avoidance suits risks with no compensating value; here the critical system must remain, so its recovery time must be reduced.
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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.