The answer is an increasing number of help desk tickets, along with high employee turnover in IT and frequent system misconfigurations, as three key indicators of potential IT risk in an organization. A rising volume of help desk tickets often signals underlying issues such as unpatched software, failing hardware, or user errors that can cascade into security incidents, while high turnover erodes institutional knowledge and leads to inconsistent security practices. On the CRISC exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish operational warning signs from mere background noise—common traps include mistaking a low ticket count for good health or ignoring turnover as a cultural issue rather than a risk indicator. Remember the mnemonic T-H-T: Tickets, High turnover, and Technical misconfigurations are the triad of trouble.
CRISC IT Risk Identification Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of it risk identification. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Which THREE of the following are indicators of potential IT risk in an organization? (Select exactly THREE.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
High employee turnover in IT
High employee turnover in IT is a risk indicator because it can lead to loss of institutional knowledge, inconsistent security practices, and increased likelihood of misconfigurations or unpatched systems. When experienced staff leave, remaining or new employees may lack the context to properly manage firewall rules, access controls, or incident response, creating vulnerabilities.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Strong password policy
Why it's wrong here
Strong passwords are a control that reduces risk, not an indicator of risk.
✗
Regular patching cycles
Why it's wrong here
Regular patching is a good practice that reduces risk.
✓
High employee turnover in IT
Why this is correct
Leads to loss of institutional knowledge and potential operational gaps.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Frequent changes to firewall rules
Why this is correct
May indicate unstable configuration management or security policy issues.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Increasing number of help desk tickets
Why this is correct
Could indicate recurring problems or inadequate training, signaling risk.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing risk indicators (conditions that signal potential risk) with risk controls (actions that reduce risk), leading candidates to select strong password policies or patching cycles as risk indicators instead of recognizing them as mitigations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
High IT turnover often correlates with increased human error in configuration management, such as firewall rule sprawl or orphaned accounts. In practice, this can lead to rule conflicts (e.g., overlapping permit/deny entries) that degrade firewall performance or create unintended access paths, as seen in real-world audits where turnover preceded critical misconfigurations.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
IT Risk Identification — This question tests IT Risk Identification — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: High employee turnover in IT — High employee turnover in IT is a risk indicator because it can lead to loss of institutional knowledge, inconsistent security practices, and increased likelihood of misconfigurations or unpatched systems. When experienced staff leave, remaining or new employees may lack the context to properly manage firewall rules, access controls, or incident response, creating vulnerabilities.
What should I do if I get this CRISC question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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