CRISC IT Risk Identification Practice Question
When identifying vulnerabilities, which of the following is the BEST source for configuration-related vulnerabilities in operating systems?
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
✓
CIS Benchmarks
CIS Benchmarks are industry-recognized configuration guidelines that help identify and remediate configuration-related vulnerabilities in operating systems. Unlike NVD or CVE which catalog known vulnerabilities, CIS Benchmarks provide actionable hardening steps for system configurations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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NVD
Why it's wrong here
NVD enriches CVE records with severity scoring and product mapping, but it catalogues known software flaws rather than the configuration settings that harden an operating system. It is tempting because it is authoritative and searchable, and it would be the right source for identifying published vulnerabilities affecting a specific OS version.
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CVE database
Why it's wrong here
The CVE database assigns identifiers to publicly disclosed software vulnerabilities; it does not describe configuration baselines or hardening state. It is tempting because it is the canonical vulnerability reference and appears in most scanning tool output, but it would be the right source when tracking a specific published flaw rather than auditing OS configuration.
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OWASP Top 10
Why it's wrong here
OWASP Top 10 lists categories of web application risk, not operating system configuration settings, so it cannot identify missing patches, weak permissions or unnecessary services on hosts. It is tempting because it is a recognised awareness resource, and it would be the correct choice when scoping application-layer security testing or developer training.
- ✓
CIS Benchmarks
Why this is correct
CIS Benchmarks provide prescriptive, platform-specific secure configuration baselines for operating systems, mapping directly to configuration weaknesses. They satisfy the stem's configuration focus by detailing exact settings, registry values and service states to compare against, unlike vulnerability scanners that detect missing patches or generic threat feeds lacking hardening guidance.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CRISC question from scratch — 1,062 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.