hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CRISC Practice Question: After a major system upgrade, the control testing…
After a major system upgrade, the control testing team reports that a critical automated control failed intermittently. The control owner states it's a temporary glitch. What is the best course of action?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume a temporary glitch is benign and choose to accept the risk (D) or increase monitoring (C), but the CRISC exam emphasizes that any control failure—especially intermittent ones—must be investigated to ensure the control's design is sound and the risk is properly understood.
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
✓
Perform a root cause analysis before deeming it effective.
An intermittent failure in a critical automated control requires a root cause analysis (RCA) to determine whether the issue is a transient software bug, a configuration error, or a deeper systemic flaw. Without understanding the root cause, the control cannot be deemed effective, and simply replacing, monitoring, or accepting the risk could leave the organization exposed to material control failures. The RCA should examine system logs, error codes, and change management records to isolate the intermittent behavior.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Replace the control with a manual one.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing without analysis is costly and may not address the actual problem.
- ✓
Perform a root cause analysis before deeming it effective.
Why this is correct
Root cause analysis helps determine if the failure is transient or indicative of a systemic issue.
- ✗
Increase frequency of monitoring.
Why it's wrong here
More monitoring does not fix the control's reliability issue.
- ✗
Accept the risk and document the finding.
Why it's wrong here
Accepting without understanding the root cause could lead to undetected failures.
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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.