CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
During a quarterly risk review, the CISO notes that the number of failed authentication attempts has increased by 300% over the last month. The IT team confirms no changes to authentication systems. This metric is BEST categorized as which of the following?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse a KRI with a KPI or KCI because all three are metrics, but a KRI specifically measures changes in risk exposure (like a sudden spike in failed logins), not operational performance or control 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
✓
Key Risk Indicator (KRI)
A Key Risk Indicator (KRI) is a metric used to signal a change in risk exposure. A 300% increase in failed authentication attempts, with no changes to the authentication system, strongly indicates a potential ongoing brute-force attack or credential stuffing campaign, directly elevating the risk of unauthorized access. This metric is not measuring performance (KPI), contractual service levels (SLA), or the effectiveness of a specific control (KCI), but rather a change in the risk landscape.
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 Performance Indicator (KPI)
Why it's wrong here
A KPI measures performance against objectives, such as uptime or transaction throughput. Rising failed logins signal a possible attack, not performance deviation. It is tempting because KPIs track operational metrics, but this indicator relates to risk events, making it a Key Risk Indicator instead.
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Service Level Agreement (SLA) metric
Why it's wrong here
An SLA metric measures service delivery against agreed contractual targets, such as response times or availability. Failed authentication attempts fall outside service-level commitments. It is tempting because authentication is a service, but the metric tracks security events, not contractual performance against agreed service targets.
- ✓
Key Risk Indicator (KRI)
Why this is correct
Failed authentication attempts are a measurable metric tracking exposure to credential-based attacks, so the 300% rise signals changing risk likelihood. A KRI quantifies risk exposure and trends, unlike a KPI which measures operational performance, making it the correct categorisation for this authentication anomaly.
- ✗
Key Control Indicator (KCI)
Why it's wrong here
A KCI measures whether a control is operating effectively, such as lockout thresholds or patch compliance. Failed authentication counts indicate potential threat activity, not control effectiveness. It is tempting because authentication controls exist, but the metric reflects an external event rather than control performance.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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