CRISC IT Risk Assessment Practice Question
A risk assessment report includes both inherent and residual risk ratings. The inherent risk for a process is rated as 'high' based on a 5×5 heat map. After applying a set of controls, the residual risk is rated as 'medium'. What does this indicate about the control effectiveness?
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
✓
Controls are partially effective in reducing risk.
The reduction from high to medium indicates that controls are partially effective in reducing risk, but not completely.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Controls increased the risk level.
Why it's wrong here
Applying controls moved the rating from high to medium, a reduction, so risk decreased rather than increased. The option is tempting because ineffective or poorly designed controls can sometimes introduce new exposure, but that would show as residual risk equal to or higher than inherent, not lower.
- ✗
Controls are fully effective and eliminate all risk.
Why it's wrong here
A medium residual rating means controls reduced the high inherent exposure but left measurable risk, so they are partially effective rather than eliminating it. Full elimination would require residual risk to drop to negligible or zero on the 5×5 heat map, which is rarely achievable in practise.
- ✗
Controls are not effective at all.
Why it's wrong here
Residual risk fell from high to medium, demonstrating the controls reduced exposure, so they are partially effective rather than wholly ineffective. Total ineffectiveness would leave the residual rating unchanged at high, identical to the inherent rating on the 5×5 heat map.
- ✓
Controls are partially effective in reducing risk.
Why this is correct
Residual risk dropping from high to medium shows controls reduced likelihood or impact but did not eliminate exposure. Partial effectiveness is the precise reading: inherent risk measures exposure before controls, residual after, and medium remains above the low threshold.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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