hardMultiple Choice
CRISC Practice Question: A multinational corporation is migrating critical…
A multinational corporation is migrating critical applications to a public cloud provider. The IT risk manager needs to design a risk assessment approach that addresses shared responsibility. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate approach?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume the cloud provider is fully responsible for all security, overlooking the customer's contractual and operational obligations under the shared responsibility model, which is a core CRISC concept for cloud risk assessments.
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
✓
Map controls to the shared responsibility model and assess both sides
In a public cloud shared responsibility model, the cloud provider secures the infrastructure (e.g., physical security, hypervisor), while the customer secures their data, configurations, and access controls. Option D is correct because it requires mapping each control to the specific party responsible (customer vs. provider) and assessing both sides, ensuring no gaps in coverage. This approach aligns with the CSA Cloud Controls Matrix and NIST SP 800-146, which mandate joint accountability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Assess only the cloud provider's security controls
Why it's wrong here
Assessing only provider controls ignores the customer's own responsibilities—identity, data, configuration and access management—so shared-responsibility risk stays unaddressed. Reviewing provider certifications alone fits due diligence on a provider's inherited controls, not a full cloud risk assessment.
- ✗
Assume that the provider's controls cover all risks
Why it's wrong here
Assuming provider controls cover everything transfers responsibility the customer still owns under the shared responsibility model, such as data, identities and configuration. Relying on provider assurances fits evaluating inherited controls, not assessing the customer's own residual cloud risks.
- ✗
Perform a data leakage risk assessment for each application
Why it's wrong here
A data leakage assessment covers one risk category for each application, leaving the split of provider and customer controls across IaaS, PaaS and SaaS unexamined. It is the right choice when the objective is specifically data-exfiltration exposure, not designing shared-responsibility risk assessment.
- ✓
Map controls to the shared responsibility model and assess both sides
Why this is correct
The shared responsibility model splits security duties between provider and customer, so assessing only one side leaves gaps. Mapping controls to each party's obligations and evaluating both ensures coverage of the actual division of accountability in the public cloud.
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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.