Quick Answer
The answer is increased risk of missing actual security incidents. This occurs because a high false positive rate in detective controls leads to alert fatigue, where security personnel become desensitized to frequent alarms and may overlook or dismiss genuine threats. While secondary effects like wasted resources or reduced operational efficiency can follow, the most significant impact is the erosion of the control’s primary purpose: reliably detecting real incidents. On the CRISC exam, this question tests your understanding of detective control effectiveness and the risk of desensitization, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose “increased operational cost” or “reduced system performance.” Remember, the core function of a detective control is to identify true positives; when false positives dominate, the control itself becomes unreliable. Memory tip: “False positives drown out the truth—alert fatigue makes real incidents invisible.”
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of risk and control monitoring and reporting. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
During a control monitoring review, it is discovered that a detective control has a high false positive rate. What is the MOST significant impact of this issue?
Loss of confidence in the control by management.
Why wrong: Important, but the operational impact is greater.
Increased risk of missing actual security incidents.
Alert fatigue causes real incidents to be overlooked.
Reduced system performance due to alert processing.
Why wrong: Unlikely to be significant.
Increased cost of investigating alerts.
Why wrong: Cost is a concern, but not the most significant impact.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Increased risk of missing actual security incidents.
Option D is correct because high false positives can cause alert fatigue, leading to missed real incidents. Option A is a secondary effect. Option B is not directly caused by false positives. Option C is a possible result but not the most significant.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Loss of confidence in the control by management.
Why it's wrong here
Important, but the operational impact is greater.
Increased risk of missing actual security incidents.
Why this is correct
Alert fatigue causes real incidents to be overlooked.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Reduced system performance due to alert processing.
Why it's wrong here
Unlikely to be significant.
Increased cost of investigating alerts.
Why it's wrong here
Cost is a concern, but not the most significant impact.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which CRISC exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Risk and Control Monitoring and Reporting — This question tests Risk and Control Monitoring and Reporting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Increased risk of missing actual security incidents. — Option D is correct because high false positives can cause alert fatigue, leading to missed real incidents. Option A is a secondary effect. Option B is not directly caused by false positives. Option C is a possible result but not the most significant.
Identify which CRISC exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 6, 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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