The answer is to mitigate by patching or implementing compensating controls. This is correct because the policy mandates a specific risk response for vulnerabilities with a CVSS score of 9.0 or higher, which falls into the "Critical" severity band. Prioritizing risk response based on CVSS severity policy means that any scan output showing a score in this range triggers mandatory remediation, not acceptance, transfer, or deferral. On the CRISC exam, this scenario tests your ability to map a technical vulnerability assessment output to a governance-driven risk treatment decision, a common trap being the temptation to choose "accept" for high-severity items when a policy explicitly requires mitigation. Remember that policy always overrides subjective judgment in risk response. A useful memory tip: "Nine or higher? Mitigate or hire" — meaning any CVSS 9.0+ demands immediate patching or compensating controls, not a waiver.
CRISC Risk Response and Mitigation Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of risk response and mitigation. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Exhibit
Vulnerability ID: VULN-001
Severity: Critical
CVSS: 9.8
Port: 443
Service: HTTPS
Status: Open
Policy: All vulnerabilities with CVSS >= 9.0 must be remediated within 7 days.
Refer to the exhibit. A risk manager reviews the vulnerability scan output. According to the policy, what is the required risk response?
Vulnerability ID: VULN-001
Severity: Critical
CVSS: 9.8
Port: 443
Service: HTTPS
Status: Open
Policy: All vulnerabilities with CVSS >= 9.0 must be remediated within 7 days.
A
Accept the risk
Why wrong: Policy does not allow acceptance.
B
Transfer the risk
Why wrong: Insurance does not remediate the vulnerability.
C
Avoid by disabling the service
Why wrong: Avoidance is not required; mitigation is sufficient.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Mitigate by patching or compensating controls
Option C is correct because the policy mandates remediation (mitigation) for CVSS >= 9.0. Options A, B, and D are inconsistent with the policy.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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
Why it's wrong here
Policy does not allow acceptance.
✗
Transfer the risk
Why it's wrong here
Insurance does not remediate the vulnerability.
✗
Avoid by disabling the service
Why it's wrong here
Avoidance is not required; mitigation is sufficient.
✓
Mitigate by patching or compensating controls
Why this is correct
Remediation is required.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CRISC NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Risk Response and Mitigation — This question tests Risk Response and Mitigation — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Mitigate by patching or compensating controls — Option C is correct because the policy mandates remediation (mitigation) for CVSS >= 9.0. Options A, B, and D are inconsistent with the policy.
What should I do if I get this CRISC question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CRISC NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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. Refer to the exhibit. Which of the following is the MOST critical risk that should be addressed first?
easy
✓ A.SSH protocol version 1.0 on 192.168.1.10
B.RDP with weak encryption on 192.168.1.20
C.SMB signing not required on 192.168.1.20
D.Apache HTTP Server 2.2.3 on 192.168.1.10
Why A: Option A is correct because SSH version 1.0 is a critical vulnerability and should be prioritized. Option B is wrong because Apache 2.2.3 is high but not as critical. Option C is wrong because RDP weak encryption is medium. Option D is wrong because SMB signing is medium.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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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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