Quick Answer
The answer is to accept the risk and monitor it. This is the most appropriate risk response because when a legacy system has a high vulnerability but low business criticality, the cost to remediate often exceeds the potential loss, making acceptance the cost-effective choice. The core concept here is risk response selection based on cost-benefit analysis: you accept a risk when the cost of mitigation, avoidance, or transfer outweighs the expected impact, especially for low-criticality assets. On the CRISC exam, this scenario tests your ability to prioritize business impact over technical severity—a common trap is to instinctively choose mitigation for any high vulnerability, but the exam rewards aligning response with criticality and cost. Remember the memory tip: “High vuln, low crit, high cost? Accept and watch.” This helps you avoid over-engineering a fix for a system that doesn’t justify the expense.
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of it risk assessment. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A risk assessment reveals that a legacy system has a high vulnerability score but low business criticality. The cost to remediate is high. What is the MOST appropriate risk response?
Avoid the risk by decommissioning the system
Why wrong: Decommissioning may be disruptive.
Accept the risk and monitor it
Acceptance is appropriate when cost outweighs benefit.
Mitigate the vulnerability with a patch
Why wrong: Cost may exceed benefit.
Transfer the risk via a managed security service
Why wrong: MSS may not accept legacy risks.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Accept the risk and monitor it
Option B is correct because acceptance is appropriate when the cost of mitigation exceeds the potential loss. Option A is wrong because mitigation might not be cost-effective. Option C is wrong because avoidance might not be necessary. Option D is wrong because transfer might not be possible for legacy systems.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Avoid the risk by decommissioning the system
Why it's wrong here
Decommissioning may be disruptive.
Accept the risk and monitor it
Why this is correct
Acceptance is appropriate when cost outweighs benefit.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Mitigate the vulnerability with a patch
Why it's wrong here
Cost may exceed benefit.
Transfer the risk via a managed security service
Why it's wrong here
MSS may not accept legacy risks.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CRISC NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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FAQ
IT Risk Assessment — This question tests IT Risk Assessment — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: Accept the risk and monitor it — Option B is correct because acceptance is appropriate when the cost of mitigation exceeds the potential loss. Option A is wrong because mitigation might not be cost-effective. Option C is wrong because avoidance might not be necessary. Option D is wrong because transfer might not be possible for legacy systems.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CRISC NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 6, 2026
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