CRISC Information Technology and Security Practice Question
An organization is deploying IoT devices for environmental monitoring in a manufacturing facility. Which THREE of the following are significant security risks that should be addressed? (Select THREE.)
⚠ Common exam trap
CRISC often tests the distinction between security risks and non-security concerns such as vendor lock-in or data sovereignty; candidates who select B or D confuse business/compliance issues with technical security exposure.
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
✓
Expanded attack surface due to numerous connected devices
Option A is correct because deploying many IoT sensors multiplies entry points (each device's network services, management interfaces, and APIs), greatly expanding the attack surface an adversary can probe or exploit. Option C is correct because IoT devices without a secure firmware update mechanism cannot receive patches for newly disclosed CVEs, leaving them permanently vulnerable to exploitation. Option E is correct because legacy components often run outdated firmware or unsupported OS/protocol stacks with publicly known vulnerabilities that attackers can leverage. Option B is not a direct security risk but a business/procurement concern, and Option D concerns legal/regulatory data residency rather than a technical security vulnerability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Expanded attack surface due to numerous connected devices
Why this is correct
Each connected IoT device adds a potential entry point, so the sheer number of endpoints materially widens the attack surface an adversary can probe. This directly satisfies the scenario's environmental-monitoring deployment, where many low-power sensors often lack hardening, patching or monitoring, multiplying exploitable weaknesses.
- ✗
Vendor lock-in due to proprietary protocols
Why it's wrong here
Proprietary protocols create commercial and integration exposure, not a security risk to the monitoring deployment itself. It tempts because lock-in is a recognised IoT concern, and it would be correct when evaluating long-term procurement strategy, interoperability or exit costs from a vendor platform.
- ✓
Lack of firmware update capabilities for security patches
Why this is correct
IoT devices with no firmware update path cannot receive security patches, so known flaws remain exploitable for the device's whole life. This satisfies the stem's requirement for a significant security risk, leaving environmental monitoring sensors permanently vulnerable within the manufacturing network.
- ✗
Data sovereignty issues for sensor data
Why it's wrong here
Environmental sensors transmit readings, not personal or regulated records, so sovereignty rarely applies unless data crosses borders. It tempts because sovereignty dominates cloud and IoT compliance discussions, and it would be correct where devices collect personal data or local law mandates in-country storage.
- ✓
Use of legacy components with known vulnerabilities
Why this is correct
Legacy components carry publicly known vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit directly. Deploying them in environmental monitoring devices expands the manufacturing facility's attack surface, satisfying the stem's requirement for a significant security risk that must be addressed before rollout.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CRISC question from scratch — 1,062 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.