CISM Information Security Risk Management Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are examples of risk mitigation controls? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
CISM often tests the confusion between risk mitigation and the other treatment options — candidates frequently misclassify insurance as mitigation when it is actually risk transference.
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
✓
Enforcing least privilege access controls
Option A (Enforcing least privilege access controls) is a risk mitigation control because it reduces the likelihood and impact of unauthorized access by limiting users to only the permissions required for their role, directly lowering exposure to threats. Option B (Implementing intrusion detection systems) is also a mitigation control because it detects malicious activity and enables timely response, thereby reducing the potential damage from attacks. In contrast, Option C (Discontinuing a high-risk business process) is risk avoidance, as the activity is eliminated rather than controlled. Option D (Purchasing cyber insurance) is risk transference, shifting financial consequences to an insurer. Option E (Accepting the risk in a formal statement) is risk acceptance, where no control is implemented and the risk is knowingly retained.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enforcing least privilege access controls
Why this is correct
Least privilege restricts each account to the permissions its role requires, shrinking the attack surface and limiting blast radius if credentials are compromised. It is a preventive administrative control that lowers inherent risk rather than transferring or accepting it.
- ✓
Implementing intrusion detection systems
Why this is correct
Intrusion detection systems monitor network traffic and raise alerts on malicious activity, satisfying the stem's requirement for a risk mitigation control. They reduce the likelihood or impact of exploitation by enabling timely response, unlike risk avoidance, transference or acceptance approaches.
- ✗
Discontinuing a high-risk business process
Why it's wrong here
Discontinuing the process is risk avoidance — eliminating the activity and its exposure entirely — not a mitigation control that reduces likelihood or impact while the process continues. It is tempting because termination does lower residual risk, but that is a treatment category, not a control.
- ✗
Purchasing cyber insurance
Why it's wrong here
Cyber insurance transfers the financial consequence to the insurer; it leaves the vulnerability, likelihood and operational impact unchanged, so it is not a mitigation control. It is tempting because the policy reduces retained loss, and it would be correct when classifying risk treatment options rather than controls.
- ✗
Accepting the risk in a formal statement
Why it's wrong here
Accepting a risk is retention, not mitigation: no control is applied to reduce likelihood or impact. It is tempting because formal acceptance is a legitimate risk treatment documented in a risk register, and would be correct when the cost of control exceeds the potential loss and management signs off.
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About these practice questions
This CISM question is part of Courseiva's 924-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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.