The correct answer is to implement controls to reduce the risk. In risk management frameworks like NIST SP 800-37 and ISO 27005, a vulnerability with low likelihood but high impact demands mitigation because the potential severity of a data breach outweighs the improbable chance of occurrence. This scenario tests your understanding of risk response strategies on the Certified Cloud Security Professional CCSP exam, where a common trap is assuming low likelihood justifies acceptance or transfer. Instead, remember that high-impact risks—especially those involving sensitive data—must be reduced through controls such as encryption, access restrictions, or patching to bring residual risk within the organization’s appetite. A useful memory tip is “low chance, high cost: never just toss the dice”—meaning you always mitigate when the impact is severe, regardless of probability.
CCSP Legal, Risk and Compliance Practice Question
This CCSP practice question tests your understanding of legal, risk and compliance. 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.
A company is conducting a risk assessment for a new cloud service. They identify a vulnerability that could lead to a data breach. The likelihood is low, but the impact is high. According to common risk management frameworks, how should this risk be addressed?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Implement controls to reduce the risk.
Option C is correct because, in risk management frameworks like NIST SP 800-37 or ISO 27005, a risk with high impact must be mitigated regardless of low likelihood. The potential for a data breach from this vulnerability means the organization should implement controls (e.g., encryption, access controls, or patching) to reduce the risk to an acceptable level, as the cost of a breach outweighs the low probability.
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.
✗
Ignore the risk until it materializes.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring risk is not a recognized risk management strategy.
✗
Accept the risk because the likelihood is low.
Why it's wrong here
High impact risks are rarely accepted without mitigation.
✓
Implement controls to reduce the risk.
Why this is correct
Mitigation is appropriate for high-impact risks even if likelihood is low.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Transfer the risk to a third party.
Why it's wrong here
Risk transfer (e.g., insurance) may be considered, but not the first step.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the misconception that low likelihood alone justifies risk acceptance, but the trap here is that high impact overrides low probability in most compliance-driven frameworks, requiring active mitigation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In practice, a low-likelihood, high-impact vulnerability might involve a zero-day exploit in a cloud storage API (e.g., AWS S3 bucket misconfiguration). Even if the chance of exploitation is low, the impact of a data breach could expose millions of records, leading to fines under regulations like GDPR (up to 4% of global turnover). Risk treatment decisions often use a risk matrix (e.g., FAIR model) to quantify exposure, and controls like encryption at rest (AES-256) and strict IAM policies (e.g., least privilege with AWS IAM roles) are implemented to reduce both likelihood and impact.
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 developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach 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.
Legal, Risk and Compliance — This question tests Legal, Risk and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement controls to reduce the risk. — Option C is correct because, in risk management frameworks like NIST SP 800-37 or ISO 27005, a risk with high impact must be mitigated regardless of low likelihood. The potential for a data breach from this vulnerability means the organization should implement controls (e.g., encryption, access controls, or patching) to reduce the risk to an acceptable level, as the cost of a breach outweighs the low probability.
What should I do if I get this CCSP 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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This CCSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CCSP exam.
Question Discussion
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