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CRISC Practice Question: A company uses a DevOps approach with a…
A company uses a DevOps approach with a continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. Which risk identification technique is best suited for detecting code vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose threat modeling (Option C) because it is a recognized risk identification technique, but they fail to recognize that it is not designed to detect code-level vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle, which requires continuous, automated scanning within the pipeline.
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
✓
Automated security scanning integrated into the pipeline
Automated security scanning integrated into the CI/CD pipeline is best suited for detecting code vulnerabilities early because it runs continuously on every code commit, providing immediate feedback to developers. This aligns with the DevOps principle of shifting security left, catching issues like SQL injection or insecure dependencies before they reach production. Unlike periodic tests, this technique ensures vulnerabilities are identified at the moment of introduction, minimizing remediation cost and 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.
- ✗
Quarterly penetration testing
Why it's wrong here
Quarterly penetration testing runs at a fixed cadence against deployed systems, so a vulnerability introduced and merged between cycles is not detected until months later, after release. It is tempting because penetration testing validates exploitable weaknesses in a running environment, which suits periodic assurance or compliance exercises rather than per-commit pipeline scanning.
- ✓
Automated security scanning integrated into the pipeline
Why this is correct
Automated security scanning embeds static and dependency analysis directly into the CI/CD pipeline, so vulnerabilities are flagged at commit or build time rather than after deployment. This satisfies the stem's requirement to detect code flaws early in the development lifecycle, before artefacts reach production.
- ✗
Threat modeling of system architecture
Why it's wrong here
Threat modelling examines architectural design and data flows before code exists, so it identifies design-level threats rather than vulnerabilities in committed source. It is tempting because it is performed early and shapes secure design, which suits inception or architecture-review phases, not automated per-commit scanning within a CI/CD pipeline.
- ✗
Manual code review
Why it's wrong here
Manual code review depends on human availability and cannot execute on every commit within an automated CI/CD pipeline, so detection lags behind merges. It is tempting because reviewers can reason about business logic flaws that scanners miss, making it valuable for high-risk modules or pre-release design inspections rather than continuous early detection.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CRISC 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 CRISC exam.