The answer is the introduction of a new regulatory requirement and a significant change in IT infrastructure. These are valid triggers for ad-hoc risk assessment because they introduce new vulnerabilities or compliance obligations that the existing risk register and control environment were not designed to address. A regulatory shift, such as a new data privacy law, imposes mandatory risk treatment timelines that cannot wait for the next scheduled cycle, while a major infrastructure change—like migrating to cloud services—alters the attack surface and data flow paths, demanding immediate evaluation of residual risk. On the CRISC exam, this question tests your understanding of the Risk Assessment domain, specifically the distinction between scheduled, periodic assessments and event-driven triggers. A common trap is selecting “routine employee training” or “quarterly board meetings,” which are operational activities, not risk triggers. Remember the mnemonic “RISC” for ad-hoc triggers: Regulatory changes, Infrastructure changes, Security incidents, and Critical vendor changes.
CRISC IT Risk Assessment Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of it risk assessment. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 TWO of the following are valid triggers for initiating a risk assessment outside the regular cycle? (Select 2)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A significant change in the IT infrastructure
A significant change in IT infrastructure (Option B) is a classic trigger for ad-hoc risk assessment because it introduces new vulnerabilities, alters the attack surface, or changes the effectiveness of existing controls. For example, migrating from on-premises servers to a cloud environment (e.g., AWS, Azure) changes network segmentation, identity management, and data residency, requiring a fresh risk evaluation to identify and treat new threats before they are exploited.
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.
✗
An employee completing annual security awareness training
Why it's wrong here
Training is an ongoing control, not a trigger.
✓
A significant change in the IT infrastructure
Why this is correct
Changes introduce new risks and require reassessment.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Introduction of a new regulatory requirement
Why this is correct
New compliance obligations require assessment of associated risks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Patching is a control activity, not a trigger for a full risk assessment.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISACA often tests the distinction between routine, scheduled activities (like training, audits, or patching) and genuine change events that alter the risk profile, tricking candidates into selecting familiar operational tasks as triggers.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, risk assessment triggers are defined in ISO 31000 and NIST SP 800-39 as events that change the risk context, such as new threats, vulnerabilities, or business changes. A new regulatory requirement (Option C) forces a compliance gap analysis and risk assessment because it may mandate specific controls (e.g., GDPR Article 32 for security of processing) that were not previously implemented, altering the risk appetite and tolerance thresholds. In practice, organizations maintain a risk management policy that lists explicit trigger events—like a merger, new product launch, or regulatory change—to ensure assessments are performed when the risk landscape shifts materially.
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 Assessment — This question tests IT Risk Assessment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: A significant change in the IT infrastructure — A significant change in IT infrastructure (Option B) is a classic trigger for ad-hoc risk assessment because it introduces new vulnerabilities, alters the attack surface, or changes the effectiveness of existing controls. For example, migrating from on-premises servers to a cloud environment (e.g., AWS, Azure) changes network segmentation, identity management, and data residency, requiring a fresh risk evaluation to identify and treat new threats before they are exploited.
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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