CRISC IT Risk Assessment Practice Question
During an IT risk assessment, the risk owner identifies a high inherent risk for a legacy system. After implementing a firewall and intrusion detection system, the residual risk is calculated. Which of the following best describes residual risk?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse residual risk with inherent risk (Option A) or with risk response strategies like transfer (Option C) or acceptance (Option D), rather than recognizing it as the risk remaining after control implementation.
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
✓
The risk level after considering control effectiveness
Residual risk is the level of risk that remains after controls have been implemented and their effectiveness has been factored in. In this scenario, the firewall and intrusion detection system are controls that reduce the inherent risk, but some risk (e.g., from zero-day exploits or misconfigurations) will persist, which is the residual risk.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The risk level before any controls are implemented
Why it's wrong here
This describes inherent risk — the exposure before the firewall and IDS are implemented. Residual risk is calculated after those controls reduce the inherent level. Inherent risk is the correct term when the stem asks about exposure prior to any mitigation.
- ✓
The risk level after considering control effectiveness
Why this is correct
Residual risk is what remains after existing controls are applied to an inherent risk. The firewall and intrusion detection system reduce the high inherent level, so the recalculated figure reflects control effectiveness rather than the untreated exposure.
- ✗
The risk that is transferred to a third party
Why it's wrong here
Transferring risk to a third party, such as via cyber insurance, is risk transference, not residual risk. Residual risk is what remains after the firewall and IDS controls are applied. Transference is the right answer when the question asks how a risk is shared with an external party.
- ✗
The risk that is accepted without action
Why it's wrong here
Accepting risk without action is a risk response, not a measurement. Residual risk is the remaining exposure after the firewall and IDS are applied, regardless of whether it is accepted. Risk acceptance is correct when the question asks how management chooses to respond to a risk.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,062 original CRISC practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.