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CRISC Practice Question: A retail company is assessing the risk of a POS…
A retail company is assessing the risk of a POS malware attack. Which approach would BEST quantify the potential financial impact?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose B (ALE based on past incidents) because it appears quantitative and straightforward, but the question asks for the BEST approach to quantify potential financial impact for a specific threat (POS malware), where historical data is often sparse or irrelevant, making scenario analysis with stakeholder input more accurate and forward-looking.
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
✓
Scenario analysis with input from business and IT stakeholders
Scenario analysis with input from business and IT stakeholders is the best approach because it allows the organization to model specific POS malware attack scenarios, incorporating both technical threat vectors (e.g., memory scraping of track data) and business context (e.g., PCI DSS fines, card reissuance costs, brand damage). This collaborative method produces a more accurate and contextualized financial impact estimate than purely historical or technical assessments, especially for emerging or evolving threats like POS malware.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing
Why it's wrong here
These identify vulnerabilities, not financial impact.
- ✗
Annualized Loss Expectancy (ALE) calculation based on past incidents
Why it's wrong here
Past incidents may not be representative.
- ✓
Scenario analysis with input from business and IT stakeholders
Why this is correct
Scenario analysis provides tailored impact estimates.
- ✗
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
Why it's wrong here
FMEA is more about failure modes.
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JA
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.