CISSP Domain 4 – Risk and Control Monitoring and Reporting Practice Test 2025 - Free CISSP Practice Questions and Study Guide

The primary purpose of a backward-looking key risk indicator (KRI) is to provide insights based on historical data to help organizations understand the effectiveness of their current risk management processes. These indicators reflect past performance and outcomes related to risk, allowing organizations to assess whether they are on track with their risk management efforts.

Backward-looking KRIs analyze historical incidents and trends, enabling entities to scrutinize previous exposures and responses. By doing so, organizations can identify areas where their risk controls may be lacking or where historical risks have manifested, which in turn aids in refining and improving their risk responses moving forward. This information is essential for making informed adjustments to risk strategies, bolstering risk controls, and improving overall resilience.

In contrast, other options represent different functions of KRIs. While providing early warning is important for forward-looking indicators, serving as a predictor is typically associated with forecasts based on trends rather than historical data. Indicating risk variances tends to be more related to operational indicators that show deviations from expected performance rather than historical risk assessments. Thus, the role of a backward-looking KRI is centered on learning from past data to enhance future risk management responses.