hardMultiple Choice
CRISC Practice Question: Conducting a Risk Identification for a new…
A company is conducting a Risk Identification for a new payment processing system. The team discovers that the system does not have encryption at rest. This is an example of:
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse a vulnerability (the missing encryption) with the risk (the potential for data exposure) or the threat (the attacker who might exploit it), leading candidates to pick 'Risk' or 'Threat' instead of the correct 'Vulnerability'.
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
✓
Vulnerability
The absence of encryption at rest in a payment processing system is a weakness or flaw that can be exploited, making it a vulnerability. In risk identification, a vulnerability is a condition or weakness in an asset (e.g., database, storage volume) that, if exploited by a threat, could lead to a risk event. Here, the missing encryption at rest (e.g., AES-256 for stored cardholder data) is a specific security gap, not the threat itself or the resulting risk.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Control
Why it's wrong here
A control is a safeguard implemented to reduce risk; encryption at rest is the control that is absent, so the finding is its absence, not a control. It tempts because the remediation would indeed be a control, but the question asks what the discovered condition represents.
- ✗
Threat
Why it's wrong here
A threat is an actor or event that could exploit a weakness; the missing encryption is the weakness itself, not the threat. It tempts because threats and vulnerabilities are often listed together during risk identification, and naming an external attacker would be correct here — but no such actor is described.
- ✓
Vulnerability
Why this is correct
Absence of encryption at rest is a weakness in the system's controls, not a threat or event. CRISC defines this as a vulnerability: an internal condition that a threat source could exploit, satisfying the stem's classification requirement.
- ✗
Risk
Why it's wrong here
Risk is the combination of a threat exploiting a vulnerability to cause loss; the stem identifies only the vulnerability, before likelihood or impact are assessed. It tempts because risk identification is the activity being performed, yet the finding recorded is the weakness, not the resulting risk.
Quick reference
Symmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Size | Block Size | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AES-128 | 128-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | NIST approved; WPA3, TLS |
| AES-256 | 256-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | Preferred for sensitive / govt data |
| 3DES | 112-bit effective | 64-bit | Deprecated (2023) | Replaced by AES |
| DES | 56-bit | 64-bit | Broken | Cracked in < 24 h; never deploy |
| ChaCha20 | 256-bit | Stream cipher | Current | TLS 1.3, WireGuard |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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