hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
First Step When Suspecting Firewall Misconfiguration
During a risk assessment, a risk manager is evaluating the effectiveness of a firewall rule set. The manager notes that the firewall logs show a high number of dropped packets from a specific IP range, but no policy changes have been made. The manager suspects the firewall rule set may be misconfigured. Which of the following should the manager do FIRST?
Quick Answer
The answer is to review the change management records for the firewall. This is the correct first step in a misconfiguration investigation because the logs show dropped packets without any known policy changes, meaning the root cause could be an undocumented or unauthorized alteration to the rule set. By checking change management records first, you establish a baseline of what was actually modified, ruling out human error or unapproved changes before diving into technical troubleshooting. On the CRISC exam, this tests your understanding of risk management’s foundational principle: always verify process controls before technical controls, as jumping to block IP ranges or run a penetration test wastes resources and may introduce new risks. A common trap is to assume the firewall itself is faulty, but the exam emphasizes that change management is the first line of defense against misconfiguration. Memory tip: “Check the log, then check the change log.”
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often jump to immediate remediation (blocking the IP range) or escalation (updating the risk register) without first investigating the root cause through change management records, which is the foundational step in IT risk assessment.
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
✓
Review the change management records for the firewall.
The first step when a misconfiguration is suspected without any known policy changes is to verify the change management records. This ensures that any recent modifications to the firewall rule set are accounted for, ruling out unauthorized or undocumented changes before proceeding with more invasive actions like penetration testing or blocking IP ranges.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Conduct a penetration test on the firewall.
Why it's wrong here
Pen testing is a later step after understanding the situation.
- ✗
Immediately block the IP range.
Why it's wrong here
Blocking without investigation may disrupt legitimate traffic.
- ✓
Review the change management records for the firewall.
Why this is correct
Change records can reveal if unauthorized or incorrect changes were made.
- ✗
Update the risk register with a new risk.
Why it's wrong here
Updating the risk register should come after understanding the root cause.
Go deeper
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on CRISC
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. During a risk assessment, a financial institution identifies that its online banking application uses an outdated encryption protocol. The likelihood of exploitation is high, and the impact is moderate. What should the risk owner do FIRST?
medium- A.Implement a compensating control to mitigate the risk
- ✓ B.Validate the risk rating with additional data
- C.Transfer the risk via cyber insurance
- D.Accept the risk as low priority
Why B: The risk owner's first responsibility is to ensure the risk assessment is accurate before deciding on a response. Validating the risk rating with additional data (option B) confirms that the high likelihood and moderate impact are correctly assessed, which is a prerequisite for selecting an appropriate treatment. Jumping to implement controls, transfer, or accept the risk without validation could lead to misallocation of resources or inadequate mitigation.
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.