- A
Key Control Indicator (KCI)
Why wrong: KCIs measure control effectiveness, not changes in risk level.
- B
Lagging indicator
Why wrong: Lagging indicators show past incidents, not leading changes.
- C
Key Risk Indicator (KRI)
KRIs are leading indicators that risk level is changing; failed authentication spike indicates potential attack.
- D
Compliance metric
Why wrong: Compliance metrics measure adherence to policies, not risk changes.
Question 655 of 1,000
CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of risk response and reporting. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 notices a spike in failed authentication attempts over the past week. This metric is best classified as which type of risk indicator?
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
✓
Key Risk Indicator (KRI)
A spike in failed authentication attempts is a direct measure of a risk condition (e.g., brute-force attacks or credential stuffing) that can lead to unauthorized access. This metric is best classified as a Key Risk Indicator (KRI) because it tracks changes in risk exposure over time, enabling proactive risk response. Unlike a KCI, which measures control effectiveness, or a lagging indicator, which reports past incidents, this metric signals an evolving threat in near real-time.
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.
- ✗
Key Control Indicator (KCI)
Why it's wrong here
KCIs measure control effectiveness, not changes in risk level.
- ✗
Lagging indicator
Why it's wrong here
Lagging indicators show past incidents, not leading changes.
- ✓
Key Risk Indicator (KRI)
Why this is correct
KRIs are leading indicators that risk level is changing; failed authentication spike indicates potential attack.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Compliance metric
Why it's wrong here
Compliance metrics measure adherence to policies, not risk changes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between KRI and KCI by presenting a metric that could be interpreted as either, but the trap here is that failed authentication attempts directly measure risk exposure (KRI) rather than control performance (KCI), even though a control like account lockout might influence the metric.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Lagging indicators show past incidents, not leading changes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Failed authentication attempts are typically logged by authentication protocols such as Kerberos (Event ID 4771 on Windows) or RADIUS (RFC 2865), and a sudden spike can indicate a distributed brute-force attack using tools like Hydra or Medusa. In real-world scenarios, a KRI threshold (e.g., >100 failed attempts per minute from a single IP) can trigger automated account lockout policies or feed into a SIEM for correlation with other indicators like unusual login times or geolocation anomalies. This metric is often part of a risk dashboard that tracks the 'likelihood' component of inherent risk, distinct from control metrics that track 'mitigation effectiveness'.
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.
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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: Key Risk Indicator (KRI) — A spike in failed authentication attempts is a direct measure of a risk condition (e.g., brute-force attacks or credential stuffing) that can lead to unauthorized access. This metric is best classified as a Key Risk Indicator (KRI) because it tracks changes in risk exposure over time, enabling proactive risk response. Unlike a KCI, which measures control effectiveness, or a lagging indicator, which reports past incidents, this metric signals an evolving threat in near real-time.
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.
About these practice questions
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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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