CISSP Security and Risk Management Practice Question
An organization wants to avoid a particular risk entirely by not engaging in the activity that creates the risk. Which risk response strategy is being used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse Avoid with Mitigate — candidates see 'reduce risk' language and pick Mitigate, but the key discriminator is whether the risky activity is eliminated entirely (Avoid) or merely controlled (Mitigate).
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
✓
Avoid
Risk avoidance is the strategy of eliminating the risk by not performing the activity that creates it — for example, deciding not to store credit card data at all to avoid PCI DSS exposure. It is the only strategy that reduces risk to zero for that specific activity, though it may forfeit business benefits. The question's phrasing 'not engaging in the activity' is the textbook definition of avoidance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Avoid
Why this is correct
Risk avoidance is a strategy where an organization eliminates a particular risk entirely by choosing not to engage in the activity or process that gives rise to it. This approach completely removes the potential for the risk event to occur, rather than merely reducing its likelihood or impact. It is typically employed when the potential consequences of a risk are deemed unacceptable and cannot be effectively managed through other means.
- ✗
Transfer
Why it's wrong here
Risk transfer involves shifting the financial or operational burden of a risk to a third party, such as an insurance company or an outsourced vendor. While this strategy reduces the organization's direct exposure and financial liability, it does not eliminate the underlying risk itself. The risk still exists, but responsibility for its management or the cost of its impact is reallocated.
- ✗
Mitigate
Why it's wrong here
Risk mitigation focuses on implementing controls and countermeasures to reduce either the likelihood of a risk event occurring or the severity of its impact if it does. This strategy aims to lower the risk to an acceptable level through proactive measures like deploying security technologies, enforcing policies, or conducting training. Mitigation does not remove the risk entirely but rather manages and diminishes its overall magnitude.
- ✗
Accept
Why it's wrong here
Risk acceptance is the deliberate decision to take no action to reduce the likelihood or impact of a particular risk, often because the cost of mitigation outweighs the potential benefit. This strategy involves acknowledging the existence of the risk and its potential consequences, typically with ongoing monitoring, but without implementing specific controls to alter its inherent level. It does not avoid the risk; instead, the organization consciously chooses to bear the potential consequences.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Asset Security: Privacy and Data Retention
Key term
PCI DSS
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is a set of security requirements designed to protect credit card data during storage, processing, and transmission.
Key term
Risk
Risk is the possibility that an event or action will negatively affect an organization's ability to achieve its goals, often measured in terms of likelihood and impact.
About these practice questions
One of 816 original CISSP practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
This CISSP 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 CISSP exam.