CRISC Information Technology and Security Practice Question
According to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which function involves developing and implementing appropriate safeguards to ensure delivery of critical infrastructure services?
⚠ Common exam trap
CRISC often tests the confusion between Protect and Detect — candidates may pick Detect thinking it covers safeguards, but Detect is about discovering events, while Protect is about implementing preventive safeguards.
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
✓
Protect
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework's Protect function (PR) covers the safeguards needed to ensure delivery of critical infrastructure services — including access control, awareness training, data security, information protection processes, maintenance, and protective technology. It is the function that directly addresses preventive controls.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Identify
Why it's wrong here
Identify covers understanding assets, risks and the business context so priorities can be set; it produces the inventory and risk assessment, not the safeguards themselves. It is tempting because Identify precedes Protect in the Framework Core, but the stem asks about implementing safeguards, which is Protect.
- ✓
Protect
Why this is correct
The Protect function covers developing and implementing safeguards — access control, awareness training, data security and protective technology — to ensure delivery of critical infrastructure services. This matches the stem's wording precisely, distinguishing it from Identify, Detect, Respond and Recover.
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Respond
Why it's wrong here
Respond covers taking action once an event is detected — containment, mitigation, communications and analysis — rather than implementing safeguards beforehand. It is tempting because incident response planning is a core NIST activity, but the stem's wording about safeguards ensuring delivery of critical services maps to Protect.
- ✗
Detect
Why it's wrong here
Detect covers discovering and analysing cybersecurity events, such as continuous monitoring and anomaly detection, not building safeguards. It is tempting because detection capabilities are often deployed alongside protective controls, but the stem describes the Protect function's remit of implementing safeguards that limit or contain the impact of events.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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.