- A
Implementing firewalls to protect the network perimeter.
Correct: Firewalls reduce the likelihood of network-based attacks, which is a mitigation technique.
- B
Conducting regular vulnerability assessments and patching.
Correct: Vulnerability assessments and patching reduce the likelihood or impact of exploits, which is mitigation.
- C
Avoiding the risk by discontinuing the vulnerable activity.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Avoidance eliminates the risk entirely, which is distinct from mitigation.
- D
Accepting the risk because the cost of mitigation exceeds the potential loss.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Acceptance is a separate risk response, not mitigation.
- E
Purchasing cyber insurance to cover potential losses.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Cyber insurance is a risk transfer strategy, not mitigation.
CRISC Risk Response and Mitigation Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of risk response and mitigation. 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 practitioner is reviewing the organization's risk response strategies for a high-value asset. Which TWO of the following are examples of risk mitigation techniques? (Choose two.)
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
Implementing firewalls to protect the network perimeter.
Implementing firewalls to protect the network perimeter is a risk mitigation technique because it reduces the likelihood of unauthorized access by filtering traffic based on security rules. Firewalls operate at layers 3 and 4 (and sometimes layer 7) of the OSI model, using stateful inspection or application-layer filtering to block malicious packets. This directly lowers the probability of a successful attack on the high-value asset, which is the essence of mitigation.
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.
- ✓
Implementing firewalls to protect the network perimeter.
Why this is correct
Correct: Firewalls reduce the likelihood of network-based attacks, which is a mitigation technique.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Conducting regular vulnerability assessments and patching.
Why this is correct
Correct: Vulnerability assessments and patching reduce the likelihood or impact of exploits, which is mitigation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Avoiding the risk by discontinuing the vulnerable activity.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Avoidance eliminates the risk entirely, which is distinct from mitigation.
- ✗
Accepting the risk because the cost of mitigation exceeds the potential loss.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Acceptance is a separate risk response, not mitigation.
- ✗
Purchasing cyber insurance to cover potential losses.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Cyber insurance is a risk transfer strategy, not mitigation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse risk mitigation with risk transfer (insurance) or risk acceptance, failing to recognize that mitigation involves active controls (like firewalls and patching) that reduce the risk level, not just financial compensation or inaction.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Firewalls use access control lists (ACLs) and state tables to track connection states, enabling them to drop packets that do not match established sessions (e.g., SYN flood mitigation). In a real-world scenario, a properly configured next-generation firewall (NGFW) can also perform deep packet inspection (DPI) to block application-layer exploits like SQL injection, which a simple packet filter would miss. This layered approach is critical for high-value assets that may be targeted by advanced persistent threats (APTs).
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CRISC question test?
Risk Response and Mitigation — This question tests Risk Response and Mitigation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implementing firewalls to protect the network perimeter. — Implementing firewalls to protect the network perimeter is a risk mitigation technique because it reduces the likelihood of unauthorized access by filtering traffic based on security rules. Firewalls operate at layers 3 and 4 (and sometimes layer 7) of the OSI model, using stateful inspection or application-layer filtering to block malicious packets. This directly lowers the probability of a successful attack on the high-value asset, which is the essence of mitigation.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 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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