ISC2 CC Security Principles Practice Question
A security consultant is evaluating a vendor's security practices before signing a contract. The consultant reviews the vendor's security policies, incident response plans, and conducts background checks on key personnel. This activity is an example of:
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
✓
Due diligence
Due diligence involves investigating and verifying security practices before making a decision, such as vendor risk assessment.
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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Risk avoidance
Why it's wrong here
Risk avoidance means eliminating the exposure entirely, for example declining the contract or refusing to share data with the vendor. The consultant instead proceeds while gathering evidence about the vendor's controls, so the risk remains and is being assessed. Avoidance would be the answer had the organisation cancelled the engagement.
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Due care
Why it's wrong here
Due care is the ongoing exercise of reasonable prudence, not a one-off pre-contract audit. Reviewing policies, incident plans and personnel checks before signing is due diligence: investigating and verifying a counterparty's claims. Due care would apply after signing, when the vendor must actually operate those controls day to day.
- ✓
Due diligence
Why this is correct
Due diligence is the pre-contract investigation of a vendor's controls, plans and personnel, gathering evidence before commitment. Audits and penetration tests examine an existing relationship, whereas due diligence satisfies the consultant's need to assess risk prior to signing.
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Risk mitigation
Why it's wrong here
Risk mitigation reduces an identified risk through controls, such as imposing contractual penalties or encryption. Here nothing has yet been changed or reduced; the consultant is only gathering information to inform a later decision. Mitigation would be correct once controls are actually applied to lower the vendor risk.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Incident Response and Management
Key term
Due diligence
Due diligence is the process of systematically reviewing and verifying information, policies, and procedures to identify and manage risks before making a decision or taking an action in an IT or security context.
Key term
Incident
An incident is a security event that violates an organization's policies or threatens its data, systems, or operations, requiring a structured response.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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