- A
Reduce the risk by disabling non-essential features of the application.
Why wrong: Disabling features may not adequately reduce the risk score and could hinder business functionality.
- B
Transfer the risk by purchasing cyber insurance.
Why wrong: Cyber insurance transfers financial impact but does not lower residual risk; the risk appetite remains violated.
- C
Escalate to senior management for a decision on additional controls or risk acceptance.
Escalation ensures that senior management, who own the risk appetite, decide on additional controls or formally accept the residual risk.
- D
Accept the risk because controls are already in place.
Why wrong: Accepting the risk would violate the explicit risk appetite statement prohibiting high residual risk for such systems.
SSCP Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of risk identification, monitoring and analysis. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 financial institution uses a risk management framework based on ISO 31000. During a quarterly risk review, the risk manager identifies that the residual risk for a critical trading application remains high despite multiple controls. The application's risk score has not decreased after implementing two-factor authentication and encryption. The risk appetite statement says 'no high residual risk for systems processing transactions over $10M.' What should the risk manager do next?
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
Escalate to senior management for a decision on additional controls or risk acceptance.
Option C is correct because when residual risk exceeds the organization's risk appetite, standard risk management frameworks (like ISO 31000) require escalation to senior management to decide on additional controls or formal risk acceptance. Option A is incorrect because disabling non-essential features may not sufficiently reduce the risk to within appetite and could harm business operations. Option B is incorrect because cyber insurance transfers financial loss but does not reduce the residual risk itself; the risk appetite statement addresses residual risk, not just financial impact. Option D is incorrect because the risk appetite explicitly prohibits high residual risk for this system, so acceptance would violate policy.
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.
- ✗
Reduce the risk by disabling non-essential features of the application.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling features may not adequately reduce the risk score and could hinder business functionality.
- ✗
Transfer the risk by purchasing cyber insurance.
Why it's wrong here
Cyber insurance transfers financial impact but does not lower residual risk; the risk appetite remains violated.
- ✓
Escalate to senior management for a decision on additional controls or risk acceptance.
Why this is correct
Escalation ensures that senior management, who own the risk appetite, decide on additional controls or formally accept the residual risk.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Accept the risk because controls are already in place.
Why it's wrong here
Accepting the risk would violate the explicit risk appetite statement prohibiting high residual risk for such systems.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 SSCP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SSCP question test?
Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis — This question tests Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Escalate to senior management for a decision on additional controls or risk acceptance. — Option C is correct because when residual risk exceeds the organization's risk appetite, standard risk management frameworks (like ISO 31000) require escalation to senior management to decide on additional controls or formal risk acceptance. Option A is incorrect because disabling non-essential features may not sufficiently reduce the risk to within appetite and could harm business operations. Option B is incorrect because cyber insurance transfers financial loss but does not reduce the residual risk itself; the risk appetite statement addresses residual risk, not just financial impact. Option D is incorrect because the risk appetite explicitly prohibits high residual risk for this system, so acceptance would violate policy.
What should I do if I get this SSCP question wrong?
Identify which SSCP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SSCP 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 SSCP exam.
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