CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are leading indicators that could be used as KRIs for information security risk? (Select TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse lagging indicators (like incident counts or audit findings) with leading indicators, failing to recognize that KRIs must be predictive and forward-looking to proactively manage risk rather than merely report on past events.
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
✓
Patch lag (average time to apply critical patches)
Patch lag (average time to apply critical patches) is a leading indicator that measures the organization's vulnerability exposure window before an exploit occurs. A shorter patch lag indicates proactive risk mitigation, while a longer lag signals increased risk of compromise, making it a forward-looking KRI for information security risk.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Number of security incidents in the past quarter
Why it's wrong here
This is a lagging indicator.
- ✗
Number of audit findings from the last audit
Why it's wrong here
This is a lagging indicator.
- ✓
Patch lag (average time to apply critical patches)
Why this is correct
Correct. Indicates future vulnerability risk.
- ✓
Spike in failed authentication attempts
Why this is correct
Correct. May signal a credential attack in progress.
- ✗
Percentage of employees who completed security awareness training
Why it's wrong here
This is a compliance metric, not necessarily a leading risk indicator.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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