CRISC Risk Response and Mitigation Practice Question
A security team identifies a critical vulnerability in a web application that cannot be patched immediately. They deploy a web application firewall (WAF) to block exploitation attempts. This is an example of:
⚠ Common exam trap
The CRISC exam often tests the distinction between risk mitigation (implementing a control to reduce risk) and risk avoidance (eliminating the activity entirely), so candidates mistakenly choose avoidance when they see a vulnerability that cannot be patched, but the key is that the application remains in use with a compensating control.
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
✓
Risk Mitigation
Deploying a WAF to block exploitation attempts directly reduces the likelihood and/or impact of the vulnerability being exploited, which is the definition of risk mitigation. The WAF acts as a compensating control, filtering malicious traffic (e.g., SQL injection, XSS payloads) at the application layer (HTTP/HTTPS) without patching the underlying code. This aligns with the CRISC domain of Risk Response and Mitigation, where controls are implemented to bring residual risk within acceptable tolerance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Risk Transfer
Why it's wrong here
Transfer shifts financial consequence to a third party, typically through insurance or contractual indemnity. A WAF is a control the organisation operates itself, so it retains the risk. Transfer would be the answer if the exposure were covered by a cyber policy or outsourced to a provider contractually liable for the loss.
- ✓
Risk Mitigation
Why this is correct
A WAF blocks exploitation attempts, reducing the likelihood of the vulnerability being realised while patching is deferred. This lowers residual risk rather than transferring it via insurance or avoiding the application, satisfying the stem's constraint of an unpatched critical flaw requiring interim protection.
- ✗
Risk Avoidance
Why it's wrong here
Avoidance eliminates the activity or asset generating the risk; here the web application remains live and exposed, with a WAF filtering malicious traffic. Avoidance would mean decommissioning the application or disabling the vulnerable function. A WAF is a compensating detective and preventive control that reduces likelihood while the underlying flaw persists.
- ✗
Risk Acceptance
Why it's wrong here
Acceptance means acknowledging the residual risk and taking no further action; deploying a WAF is active treatment, not acceptance. Acceptance would apply if the organisation judged the vulnerability's impact tolerable and chose to leave it unmitigated. The WAF changes the likelihood of exploitation, so the risk is being modified, not accepted.
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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.