easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CRISC Practice Question: Refer to the exhibit
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. ``` Risk Monitoring Dashboard KRI: Percentage of systems with critical patches not applied Threshold: <5% Current value: 8% Trend: Increasing Status: Red ```
Refer to the exhibit. What action should the risk practitioner recommend FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse 'escalation' with 'first action' and choose Option A, not realizing that operational remediation (patching) must precede escalation unless the risk is beyond the risk appetite and requires immediate board-level decision-making.
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
✓
Initiate a patch management process to apply critical patches.
The exhibit shows that critical vulnerabilities have been identified with a high risk score, and the current patch management process is not addressing them in a timely manner. The risk practitioner should first initiate a patch management process to apply critical patches, as this directly reduces the exposure to known exploits and aligns with the principle of treating the highest risks immediately. Delaying action or adjusting thresholds without remediation would leave the organization vulnerable.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate to the board of directors.
Why it's wrong here
Not necessary yet.
- ✓
Initiate a patch management process to apply critical patches.
Why this is correct
Directly addresses the KRI.
- ✗
Adjust the threshold to 10%.
Why it's wrong here
Manipulating threshold is inappropriate.
- ✗
Schedule a root cause analysis for next month.
Why it's wrong here
Too slow; risk is escalating.
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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.