CRISC Information Technology and Security Practice Question
A power utility company is required to comply with NERC CIP standards. The risk manager is assessing the impact of connecting a remote substation's OT network to the corporate WAN. Which of the following is the MOST significant risk that must be addressed to comply with NERC CIP?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is selecting an operational or financial concern (latency, bandwidth, legacy protocols) over the regulatory compliance requirement; candidates must remember that NERC CIP is about security controls, and ESP is the foundational control for network connections.
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
✓
Violation of electronic security perimeter (ESP) requirements
The [CORRECT] answer is A. NERC CIP standards (specifically CIP-005) mandate the establishment and protection of Electronic Security Perimeters (ESPs) around critical cyber assets. Connecting a remote substation's OT network to the corporate WAN inherently crosses an ESP boundary, requiring strict controls such as firewalls, access control lists, and monitored electronic access points. Failure to properly define and secure the ESP is a direct compliance violation and the most significant risk because it exposes critical infrastructure to cyber threats.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Violation of electronic security perimeter (ESP) requirements
Why this is correct
Connecting OT to the corporate WAN crosses an electronic security perimeter, so NERC CIP ESP controls—firewalls, access control, monitoring at every boundary—are directly triggered. This is the most significant compliance risk because unsecured routable paths between trusted and untrusted networks breach the standard's core requirement.
- ✗
Latency issues affecting real-time control
Why it's wrong here
Latency is a performance concern, not a NERC CIP compliance risk. CIP requirements govern electronic security perimeters, access control and monitoring between OT and corporate networks; latency engineering would be the focus when designing real-time SCADA telemetry paths, not compliance impact.
- ✗
Increased bandwidth costs for WAN connectivity
Why it's wrong here
Bandwidth cost is a commercial concern, not a NERC CIP compliance risk. NERC CIP mandates electronic security perimeters and access controls between OT and corporate networks; cost modelling would be relevant only when sizing WAN circuits, not when assessing compliance impact.
- ✗
Incompatibility with legacy serial protocols
Why it's wrong here
Legacy serial protocol incompatibility is an integration engineering issue, not a NERC CIP compliance obligation. CIP standards address cyber assets, perimeters and access control; protocol translation matters when designing substation gateways, not when assessing the compliance risk of OT-to-WAN connectivity.
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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
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