- A
Report the spike to the board
Why wrong: Reporting without analysis provides no actionable information; investigate first.
- B
Implement multi-factor authentication
Why wrong: Important but not the first step; understanding the current situation is critical.
- C
Increase the frequency of password changes
Why wrong: This is a longer-term control improvement; immediate investigation is needed.
- D
Analyze the logs to identify the source and nature of the attempts
Investigation is the first step to determine if it's an attack or a system issue.
Question 72 of 1,000
CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of risk response 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 practitioner notices that the number of failed authentication attempts has spiked by 300% over the past week. Which of the following actions should be taken FIRST?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
✓
Analyze the logs to identify the source and nature of the attempts
Option D is correct because the first step in responding to a security incident, such as a 300% spike in failed authentication attempts, is to analyze the logs to determine the source and nature of the activity. This aligns with the NIST incident response lifecycle (Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment, Eradication, Recovery) where analysis precedes any containment or reporting action. Without understanding whether the spike is due to a brute-force attack, a misconfigured application, or a credential-stuffing campaign, any subsequent action could be premature or ineffective.
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.
- ✗
Report the spike to the board
Why it's wrong here
Reporting without analysis provides no actionable information; investigate first.
- ✗
Implement multi-factor authentication
Why it's wrong here
Important but not the first step; understanding the current situation is critical.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of password changes
Why it's wrong here
This is a longer-term control improvement; immediate investigation is needed.
- ✓
Analyze the logs to identify the source and nature of the attempts
Why this is correct
Investigation is the first step to determine if it's an attack or a system issue.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often jump to implementing a security control (like MFA or password changes) as a first response, but CRISC emphasizes that analysis and understanding of the risk must precede any response action.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Important but not the first step; understanding the current situation is critical.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Analyzing logs involves correlating timestamps, source IP addresses, user-agent strings, and target accounts from authentication logs (e.g., Windows Event ID 4625, Linux /var/log/auth.log, or SIEM entries). A 300% spike could indicate a distributed brute-force attack using a botnet, where source IPs rotate frequently, or a credential-stuffing attack leveraging previously leaked credentials. Understanding the pattern—such as whether attempts target a single account or many accounts—determines whether to implement rate-limiting, account lockout policies, or block specific IP ranges via a Web Application Firewall (WAF).
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 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
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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Risk Response and Reporting — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CRISC question test?
Risk Response and Reporting — This question tests Risk Response and Reporting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Analyze the logs to identify the source and nature of the attempts — Option D is correct because the first step in responding to a security incident, such as a 300% spike in failed authentication attempts, is to analyze the logs to determine the source and nature of the activity. This aligns with the NIST incident response lifecycle (Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment, Eradication, Recovery) where analysis precedes any containment or reporting action. Without understanding whether the spike is due to a brute-force attack, a misconfigured application, or a credential-stuffing campaign, any subsequent action could be premature or ineffective.
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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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