hardMultiple Choice
CRISC Practice Question: A risk manager discovers that a business unit has…
A risk manager discovers that a business unit has been using an unapproved software-as-a-service (SaaS) application for three months. The application stores customer PII. Which of the following risk identification techniques should the risk manager use to understand the full extent of the risk?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates choose an automated or technical option (like A or D) because they seem objective and efficient, but the question specifically asks for a technique to 'understand the full extent of the risk,' which requires human insight into business context and data handling, not just technical detection.
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
✓
Interview the business unit head about the application's use and data stored
Interviewing the business unit head is the most direct and effective technique to understand the full extent of the risk. The risk manager needs to know the specific business processes, the types and volume of PII stored, the purpose of the application, and how data flows into and out of the SaaS application. Automated tools or logs can only provide technical evidence of usage, but they cannot capture the business context, data classification, or the actual data handling practices that define the risk's scope.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Run an automated data discovery tool across the network
Why it's wrong here
Automated data discovery scans repositories and endpoints for PII at rest, but the exposure here flows to an external SaaS provider, so it cannot map what was transferred or to whom. Discovery suits locating unknown data stores internally. Reviewing network logs traces actual outbound transfers, revealing the true extent of exposure.
- ✓
Interview the business unit head about the application's use and data stored
Why this is correct
Interviewing the business unit head establishes what data the SaaS application holds, how many customer records are affected and which controls apply. This directly satisfies the need to determine the full extent of the PII risk, which automated scanning or policy review alone cannot reveal.
- ✗
Request an independent audit of the SaaS provider
Why it's wrong here
An independent audit of the provider assesses that vendor's controls, not the business unit's exposure; it cannot quantify which customer records were uploaded or retained. Audits suit due diligence before onboarding a supplier. Scanning the SaaS repository for PII directly establishes the scope of data at risk.
- ✗
Review network logs to identify data transfers to the SaaS provider
Why it's wrong here
Network logs record traffic metadata and destinations, but the SaaS provider encrypts sessions, so log review cannot confirm which PII fields were uploaded or how many records. It suits detecting that transfers occurred. A data discovery scan of the SaaS repository itself enumerates the actual PII stored, giving the full extent.
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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.