Quick Answer
The answer is that further testing is needed to determine control effectiveness. The absence of detected unauthorized changes does not confirm a preventive control is working; it may simply indicate the control is misconfigured—such as having missing file integrity monitoring rules, an incorrect baseline, or disabled logging—and thus unable to detect violations at all. On the CRISC exam, this scenario tests your understanding that a lack of alerts is not evidence of control strength, a common trap where candidates mistakenly equate “no detection” with “perfect prevention.” The exam emphasizes validating controls through active testing rather than relying on passive absence of events. Remember the mnemonic: “No alerts does not equal no faults”—always verify by introducing a test change or reviewing audit logs to confirm the control actually triggers detection.
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of risk and control monitoring and reporting. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 officer is evaluating the effectiveness of a control that prevents unauthorized changes to configuration files. The control has not detected any unauthorized changes in the past year. What does this indicate?
The control is unnecessary because no changes occurred.
Why wrong: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
The control is not configured correctly to detect changes.
Why wrong: Possible but not certain.
The control is operating effectively and no violations occurred.
Why wrong: Cannot conclude without testing.
Further testing is needed to determine control effectiveness.
Requires validation to confirm.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Further testing is needed to determine control effectiveness.
The absence of detected unauthorized changes does not automatically confirm control effectiveness; it could also indicate that the control is not properly configured to detect changes (e.g., missing file integrity monitoring rules, incorrect baseline, or disabled logging). Further testing—such as manually introducing a test change or reviewing audit logs—is required to verify that the control can actually detect violations. This aligns with CRISC best practices for validating control effectiveness through testing rather than relying solely on absence of alerts.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
The control is unnecessary because no changes occurred.
Why it's wrong here
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
The control is not configured correctly to detect changes.
Why it's wrong here
Possible but not certain.
The control is operating effectively and no violations occurred.
Why it's wrong here
Cannot conclude without testing.
Further testing is needed to determine control effectiveness.
Why this is correct
Requires validation to confirm.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates assume 'no detected violations' equals 'control is effective,' but CRISC emphasizes that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence—further testing is required to rule out detection failures.
Detailed technical explanation
File integrity monitoring (FIM) tools like Tripwire or Windows File Server Resource Manager rely on cryptographic hashes (e.g., SHA-256) of baseline configuration files; if the baseline is not updated after authorized changes, the tool may generate false positives or, if the monitoring scope excludes critical files, false negatives. In a real-world scenario, a control might fail to detect changes if the file system is mounted with noexec or if the monitoring agent lacks read permissions on the target directory, leading to a silent failure where no alerts are generated despite actual modifications.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CRISC exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Risk and Control Monitoring and Reporting — This question tests Risk and Control Monitoring and Reporting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Further testing is needed to determine control effectiveness. — The absence of detected unauthorized changes does not automatically confirm control effectiveness; it could also indicate that the control is not properly configured to detect changes (e.g., missing file integrity monitoring rules, incorrect baseline, or disabled logging). Further testing—such as manually introducing a test change or reviewing audit logs—is required to verify that the control can actually detect violations. This aligns with CRISC best practices for validating control effectiveness through testing rather than relying solely on absence of alerts.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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