easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CRISC Practice Question: A smart manufacturing company has deployed…
A smart manufacturing company has deployed hundreds of IoT sensors and actuators across its production line. These devices are connected directly to the corporate network without any segmentation and communicate using unencrypted protocols. A third-party vendor manages all IoT devices and has administrative access from their own network. Recently, the IT team detected unusual outbound traffic from the IoT segment to unknown IP addresses on the internet. The risk manager is leading a risk identification workshop. Based on this scenario, what is the most critical risk to the organization that should be identified and documented?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISACA often tests the concept that the most critical risk is the one that is actively occurring and has the highest potential for immediate impact, not the one that is merely possible or a downstream consequence; candidates often pick a compliance or data integrity answer because they focus on data protection rather than network access 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
✓
Unauthorized remote access to the corporate network via the IoT devices
The most critical risk is unauthorized remote access to the corporate network via the IoT devices. The IoT devices are directly connected to the corporate network without segmentation and communicate using unencrypted protocols, while a third-party vendor has administrative access from their own network. The unusual outbound traffic to unknown IP addresses strongly suggests that an attacker has compromised the vendor's network or the devices themselves, using the unencrypted protocols (e.g., MQTT without TLS, Modbus/TCP) to pivot into the corporate network, bypassing perimeter defenses.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Unauthorized remote access to the corporate network via the IoT devices
Why this is correct
Unsegmented IoT devices with third-party admin access and detected suspicious traffic represent a clear path for attackers to infiltrate the corporate network.
- ✗
Compliance violation with industry regulations
Why it's wrong here
While lack of segmentation may violate best practices, the immediate operational risk from unauthorized network access outweighs compliance concerns in the identification phase.
- ✗
Loss of data integrity due to tampering with sensor measurements
Why it's wrong here
Although possible, the immediate threat from uncontrolled external traffic and vendor access is more likely to enable network breach than sensor manipulation.
- ✗
Physical damage to equipment due to unsafe actuator commands
Why it's wrong here
Physical damage is a potential impact, but the current evidence points to network exploitation as the more direct and probable risk.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 983 original CRISC practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.