This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of it risk identification. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 manager is identifying risks for a new mobile payment application. The application will use end-to-end encryption. Which of the following is the BEST source of risk information for identifying potential threats?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Threat intelligence feeds specific to the financial services sector
Threat intelligence feeds specific to the financial services sector provide real-time, contextualized information about emerging threats, attack patterns, and vulnerabilities targeting mobile payment systems. Since the application uses end-to-end encryption, the risk manager needs to identify threats that could bypass or undermine encryption (e.g., side-channel attacks, key interception, or man-in-the-middle attacks on the handshake), which generic or historical sources would not capture. This source is the best because it is current, sector-specific, and directly relevant to the technology stack.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Industry benchmark risk assessments from similar organizations
Why it's wrong here
Benchmarks are useful for comparison but not for identifying specific threats to the new app.
✓
Threat intelligence feeds specific to the financial services sector
Why this is correct
Threat intelligence provides current, relevant threat information for risk identification.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Previous internal audit reports on legacy applications
Why it's wrong here
Historical reports may not reflect current threats for new technology.
✗
Vendor-provided security white papers for the encryption product
Why it's wrong here
Vendor documentation may lack objectivity and breadth of threats.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'historical internal data' (Option C) or 'generic benchmarks' (Option A) as reliable for risk identification, when in fact only current, external, and sector-specific threat intelligence can identify emerging threats that bypass encryption or target the application's unique implementation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) in mobile payments typically relies on asymmetric key exchange (e.g., ECDHE) and symmetric encryption (e.g., AES-256-GCM) to protect data in transit. However, threats such as SSL stripping, certificate pinning bypasses, or compromise of the mobile device's secure enclave can still expose plaintext before encryption or after decryption. Sector-specific threat intelligence feeds (e.g., from FS-ISAC or MITRE ATT&CK for Financial Services) include indicators of compromise (IOCs) and tactics like 'Application Layer Protocol' (T1071) or 'Data from Local System' (T1005) that are critical for identifying these nuanced risks.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
IT Risk Identification — This question tests IT Risk Identification — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Threat intelligence feeds specific to the financial services sector — Threat intelligence feeds specific to the financial services sector provide real-time, contextualized information about emerging threats, attack patterns, and vulnerabilities targeting mobile payment systems. Since the application uses end-to-end encryption, the risk manager needs to identify threats that could bypass or undermine encryption (e.g., side-channel attacks, key interception, or man-in-the-middle attacks on the handshake), which generic or historical sources would not capture. This source is the best because it is current, sector-specific, and directly relevant to the technology stack.
What should I do if I get this CRISC question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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