- A
Cost of the DLP solution per year
Why wrong: Cost is a financial metric, not a KCI for effectiveness.
- B
Percentage of DLP policy violations that were not blocked
This deficiency rate measures control failures.
- C
Average time to respond to DLP incidents
Why wrong: Response time is a process metric, not a control effectiveness KCI.
- D
Number of DLP alerts generated per day
Why wrong: Alert volume is an operational metric, not a control effectiveness indicator.
- E
Number of authorized exceptions to DLP policies
Exception rate indicates how often the control is overridden, reflecting its reliability.
Question 807 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.
An organization is conducting a post-implementation review of a new data loss prevention (DLP) control. Which TWO metrics are Key Control Indicators (KCIs) that would best measure the control's effectiveness?
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
✓
Percentage of DLP policy violations that were not blocked
Option B is correct because the percentage of DLP policy violations that were not blocked directly measures the control's failure rate—its inability to prevent unauthorized data exfiltration. A high percentage indicates ineffective policy configuration or insufficient detection coverage, making it a key control indicator (KCI) for effectiveness. Option E is correct because the number of authorized exceptions to DLP policies reflects how often the control is deliberately bypassed, which can indicate gaps in policy design or excessive risk acceptance, both of which undermine the control's intended effectiveness.
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.
- ✗
Cost of the DLP solution per year
Why it's wrong here
Cost is a financial metric, not a KCI for effectiveness.
- ✓
Percentage of DLP policy violations that were not blocked
Why this is correct
This deficiency rate measures control failures.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Average time to respond to DLP incidents
Why it's wrong here
Response time is a process metric, not a control effectiveness KCI.
- ✗
Number of DLP alerts generated per day
Why it's wrong here
Alert volume is an operational metric, not a control effectiveness indicator.
- ✓
Number of authorized exceptions to DLP policies
Why this is correct
Exception rate indicates how often the control is overridden, reflecting its reliability.
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 confuse operational metrics (like alert volume or response time) with effectiveness metrics, failing to recognize that KCIs must directly measure whether the control is achieving its intended risk mitigation outcome, not just how much activity it generates.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DLP controls typically use content inspection (e.g., regex patterns, exact data matching, fingerprinting) and contextual analysis (e.g., destination, user role) to enforce policies. A KCI like the percentage of violations not blocked reveals the control's false negative rate, which can be caused by misconfigured rules, insufficient coverage of data channels (e.g., email, web, USB), or encryption bypassing inspection. In real-world scenarios, organizations often discover that authorized exceptions accumulate over time without periodic review, silently eroding the control's effectiveness—this is why tracking exception counts is a critical KCI.
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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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: Percentage of DLP policy violations that were not blocked — Option B is correct because the percentage of DLP policy violations that were not blocked directly measures the control's failure rate—its inability to prevent unauthorized data exfiltration. A high percentage indicates ineffective policy configuration or insufficient detection coverage, making it a key control indicator (KCI) for effectiveness. Option E is correct because the number of authorized exceptions to DLP policies reflects how often the control is deliberately bypassed, which can indicate gaps in policy design or excessive risk acceptance, both of which undermine the control's intended effectiveness.
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.
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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