CISM High residual risk actions Practice Question
An organization has a high residual risk after implementing all feasible controls. According to CISM best practices, which of the following should the information security manager do? (Select TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'documenting and accepting' (Option B) as sufficient, overlooking the CISM requirement that risk acceptance must be formally escalated to and approved by senior management, not just recorded by the security manager.
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
✓
Escalate to senior management for risk acceptance
When residual risk remains high after all feasible controls are implemented, the information security manager should escalate the risk to senior management for formal risk acceptance (Option A). This aligns with CISM best practices, as senior management holds the authority to accept risks that exceed the organization's risk appetite. Additionally, implementing compensating controls (Option C) can further reduce residual risk to an acceptable level, even if primary controls are already in place.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Document the risk in the risk register and accept it
Why it's wrong here
Documentation alone is not sufficient; escalation is needed for high residual risk.
- ✗
Immediately perform a new risk assessment
Why it's wrong here
A new assessment may be done later, but the immediate action is to escalate and consider additional controls.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CISM exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Escalate to senior management for risk acceptanceCorrect answer▾
✗Document the risk in the risk register and accept itWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Documentation alone is not sufficient; escalation is needed for high residual risk.
✗Immediately perform a new risk assessmentWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A new assessment may be done later, but the immediate action is to escalate and consider additional controls.
Analysis generated from the official CISMblueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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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.