The answer is to recommend delaying the integration until the critical vulnerabilities are patched. This is correct because in risk treatment during merger and acquisition, the priority is to prevent the introduction of unacceptable risk into the combined environment; unpatched critical vulnerabilities in an EHR system represent a direct and exploitable threat to sensitive patient data, and proceeding with integration would spread that risk across the entire merged network. On the CISM exam, this scenario tests your understanding that risk treatment options—avoid, mitigate, transfer, or accept—must be applied based on risk appetite, and that delaying integration is a form of risk avoidance when compensating controls cannot adequately reduce the likelihood of a breach. A common trap is choosing to accept the risk or rely on cyber insurance, but the exam emphasizes that insurance does not prevent the breach, and acceptance is only appropriate for low-severity risks. Memory tip: “Patch before you patch” — patch the vulnerabilities before you patch the networks together.
CISM Information Security Risk Management Practice Question
This CISM practice question tests your understanding of information security risk management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
A healthcare organization is merging with another entity and must integrate their IT systems. During due diligence, it is discovered that the acquired company has a high number of unpatched critical vulnerabilities in its electronic health record (EHR) system. The merger timeline is aggressive and the integration team wants to proceed as planned. As the risk manager, what is the best course of action?
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Recommend delaying the integration until vulnerabilities are patched.
Delaying integration until the critical vulnerabilities are patched is the most prudent action to prevent exploitation during and after integration. Proceeding with compensating controls may not be sufficient given the criticality, and accepting the risk could lead to a major breach. Insurance does not prevent the breach.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Accept the risk because the vulnerabilities are in the legacy system which will be replaced.
Why it's wrong here
Until replacement, the system remains vulnerable and integration could expose it further.
✗
Transfer the risk by purchasing cyber insurance for the combined entity.
Why it's wrong here
Insurance does not prevent the incident and may not cover all damages.
✓
Recommend delaying the integration until vulnerabilities are patched.
Why this is correct
Delay remediates the root cause before exposure increases.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Proceed with integration but implement compensating controls like network segmentation.
Why it's wrong here
Compensating controls may not fully mitigate the risk from critical vulnerabilities.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CISM NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Information Security Risk Management — This question tests Information Security Risk Management — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Recommend delaying the integration until vulnerabilities are patched. — Delaying integration until the critical vulnerabilities are patched is the most prudent action to prevent exploitation during and after integration. Proceeding with compensating controls may not be sufficient given the criticality, and accepting the risk could lead to a major breach. Insurance does not prevent the breach.
What should I do if I get this CISM question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CISM NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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