CRISC IT Risk Assessment Practice Question
During an IT risk assessment, a risk owner identifies a risk that is within the organization's risk appetite. The recommended risk treatment option is to:
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
✓
Accept the risk with formal sign-off.
When a risk is within appetite, the appropriate response is to accept it, with formal documentation and sign-off by the risk owner.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Accept the risk with formal sign-off.
Why this is correct
Acceptance is the appropriate treatment when a risk falls within the organisation's defined risk appetite, since no further mitigation is justified. Formal sign-off preserves accountability and creates an audit trail, satisfying the stem's requirement that the risk owner document the decision rather than transfer, avoid or mitigate it.
- ✗
Avoid the risk by eliminating the activity.
Why it's wrong here
Avoidance eliminates the activity generating the risk, which is unnecessary when exposure already sits inside the organisation's stated risk appetite; acceptance is the prescribed treatment there. Avoidance suits risks exceeding appetite where no mitigation cost-effectively reduces exposure, or where the activity itself is dispensable.
- ✗
Transfer the risk through cyber insurance.
Why it's wrong here
Insurance shifts financial loss to a third party but leaves the underlying likelihood and operational impact with the organisation, so it is not the treatment for a risk already inside appetite. Transfer suits low-frequency, high-severity risks whose financial consequence exceeds appetite.
- ✗
Mitigate the risk by implementing additional controls.
Why it's wrong here
Risks inside the risk appetite require no further treatment beyond monitoring; adding controls consumes resources without reducing risk to an acceptable level. It tempts as a proactive response, but mitigation is warranted only when risk exceeds the defined appetite.
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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.