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CRISC Practice Question: A retail company recently deployed a…
A retail company recently deployed a point-of-sale (POS) system that processes credit card transactions. The system is connected to the corporate network and transmits transaction data to a payment processor over the internet. During a risk assessment, the IT risk manager identifies that the POS system is vulnerable to malware injection via unvalidated input from barcode scanners. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate risk mitigation strategy?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers choose network-level controls like firewalls or encryption, overlooking that the vulnerability originates from local input that never traverses the network boundary.
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
✓
Deploy application-layer input validation and sanitization for barcode scanner inputs.
The most appropriate risk mitigation strategy because the vulnerability is specifically malware injection via unvalidated input from barcode scanners. Application-layer input validation and sanitization directly addresses the root cause by ensuring that only expected, safe data is processed by the POS system, preventing injection attacks at the point of entry.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Encrypt all transaction data in transit using TLS 1.2.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption protects data during transmission, not input validation.
- ✗
Install a next-generation firewall at the internet boundary.
Why it's wrong here
Firewalls at the perimeter do not inspect internal traffic to the POS system.
- ✗
Implement network segmentation to isolate the POS system from the corporate network.
Why it's wrong here
Network segmentation reduces impact but does not prevent injection.
- ✓
Deploy application-layer input validation and sanitization for barcode scanner inputs.
Why this is correct
Input validation directly prevents injection attacks.
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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.