CRISC Information Technology and Security Practice Question
An organization is deploying IoT sensors in a manufacturing plant. Which of the following is the MOST significant security risk associated with these devices?
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
✓
Inability to apply security patches due to legacy firmware
IoT devices often have limited security features and may lack the ability to receive firmware updates, making them vulnerable and expanding the attack surface.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Interference with radio frequency signals
Why it's wrong here
RF interference degrades availability and signal integrity but is an environmental or physical-layer concern, not the primary security risk of internet-connected sensors. It is tempting because interference is a real industrial issue, and spectrum analysis would be the correct focus when diagnosing wireless reliability problems in a noisy factory.
- ✗
Limited data storage capacity
Why it's wrong here
Storage capacity affects local logging and buffering, not the security posture of the device. It is tempting because constrained memory is a genuine IoT design limitation, and storage sizing would be the correct consideration when specifying how much sensor data must be retained locally before transmission.
- ✗
High power consumption leading to operational costs
Why it's wrong here
Power draw is an operational cost concern, not a security risk, so it cannot be the most significant security exposure. It is tempting because battery life genuinely constrains IoT deployment planning, and power budgeting would be the right focus when sizing sensor batteries or estimating energy costs in a plant rollout.
- ✓
Inability to apply security patches due to legacy firmware
Why this is correct
Legacy firmware often cannot accept vendor patches, leaving known vulnerabilities permanently exploitable on plant-floor sensors with long service lives. This satisfies the stem's constraint of identifying the most significant risk, since unpatchable devices sustain exposure that segmentation or monitoring alone cannot remediate.
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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.