Quiz: NIST CSF 2.0 Implementation

Learning Objectives

By completing this quiz, you will be able to:

• Assess your understanding of all six NIST CSF 2.0 functions (GOVERN, IDENTIFY, PROTECT, DETECT, RESPOND, RECOVER)
• Apply framework concepts to realistic startup scenarios and challenges
• Identify areas where additional study or practical experience would be beneficial
• Validate your readiness to begin implementing a cybersecurity program in your organization

Introduction: Testing Your Framework Knowledge

Congratulations on working through the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 implementation lessons! This quiz is designed to test your understanding of the key concepts, practical applications, and strategic thinking you’ve developed throughout the course.

The quiz covers scenarios you might encounter as you implement cybersecurity in your startup or organization. Rather than just testing memorization, these questions focus on practical application and decision-making skills.

How This Quiz Works:

• 25 questions covering all CSF functions and real-world scenarios
• Mixed format including multiple choice, true/false, and scenario analysis
• Immediate feedback with explanations for each answer
• Score tracking with personalized recommendations
• No time limit - take as long as you need to think through each question

Scoring:

• 90-100% - Expert level understanding, ready for implementation
• 80-89% - Strong grasp of concepts, minor review recommended
• 70-79% - Good foundation, some areas need additional study
• Below 70% - Recommend reviewing course materials and retaking

Quiz Questions

Section 1: GOVERN Function (Questions 1-4)

Question 1: Organizational Context Your startup has grown from 10 to 50 employees in six months. The CEO asks you to update the cybersecurity strategy. Which GOVERN function activity should you prioritize first?

a) Implementing new security tools b) Reassessing organizational risk tolerance and business objectives c) Training all new employees on existing policies d) Conducting penetration testing

Question 2: Risk Management Strategy Your startup is considering a partnership that would give a third party access to customer data. Which risk management approach best demonstrates mature GV.RM implementation?

a) Prohibit the partnership to avoid any risk b) Require the partner to have cyber insurance c) Conduct a thorough risk assessment including data mapping, partner security evaluation, and impact analysis d) Only allow the partnership if the partner uses the same security tools you use

Question 3: Supply Chain Risk Management Your development team wants to use a new open-source library for a critical system component. What’s the most comprehensive GV.SC approach?

a) Check if the library is popular on GitHub b) Evaluate the library’s maintenance status, security vulnerabilities, licensing, and establish ongoing monitoring c) Only use libraries that have commercial support d) Require all dependencies to be developed in-house

Question 4: Policy Development You need to create your first cybersecurity policy. According to GV.PO best practices, what should you establish first?

a) Detailed technical configuration standards b) High-level principles and organizational security objectives that align with business goals c) Specific vendor product requirements d) Detailed incident response procedures

Section 2: IDENTIFY Function (Questions 5-8)

Question 5: Asset Management Your startup uses cloud services, SaaS applications, and employee devices. What’s the most important first step for ID.AM implementation?

a) Install asset discovery software on all systems b) Create a comprehensive inventory including cloud resources, data flows, and system dependencies c) Tag all physical assets with barcodes d) Document only the most critical systems

Question 6: Risk Assessment Scenario During a risk assessment, you identify that customer payment data flows through five different systems, including a third-party processor. What’s the most systematic ID.RA approach?

a) Focus only on the most critical system b) Map the complete data flow, identify threats at each stage, assess likelihood and impact, and prioritize based on risk level c) Assume the third-party processor handles all security d) Implement encryption everywhere and consider the risk mitigated

Question 7: Improvement Planning Your quarterly risk assessment reveals that remote work has introduced new vulnerabilities. How should ID.IM guide your response?

a) Immediately implement new controls b) Analyze the assessment results, identify improvement opportunities, prioritize based on business impact, and develop an implementation plan c) Ban remote work to eliminate the vulnerabilities d) Only address the highest severity vulnerabilities

Question 8: Business Environment Analysis Your startup is preparing for Series A funding. Investors are asking about cybersecurity. What business environment factors should influence your security approach?

a) Only focus on what investors want to see b) Consider regulatory requirements, industry standards, customer expectations, competitive landscape, and investor due diligence requirements c) Implement whatever the largest competitor uses d) Focus only on compliance requirements

Section 3: PROTECT Function (Questions 9-14)

Question 9: Access Control Implementation Your team has grown and now includes contractors, part-time employees, and vendors. What’s the most scalable PR.AC approach?

a) Give everyone the same access level b) Implement role-based access control with regular reviews and automated provisioning/deprovisioning c) Manually manage access on a case-by-case basis d) Only allow access from company-owned devices

Question 10: Awareness and Training You need to train employees on cybersecurity, but everyone is busy building the product. What’s the most effective PR.AT strategy?

a) Send everyone a long PDF document b) Design short, relevant, interactive training that connects to their specific roles and responsibilities c) Only train people who handle sensitive data d) Wait until you have more time to develop comprehensive training

Question 11: Data Security Challenge Your application processes customer data across development, staging, and production environments. What’s the most comprehensive PR.DS approach?

a) Encrypt everything everywhere b) Implement data classification, environment-appropriate controls, access monitoring, and lifecycle management c) Only protect production data d) Store all data in the same highly secure location

Question 12: Information Protection Processes Your startup processes sensitive customer information. What foundational PR.IP processes should you establish first?

a) Advanced threat detection tools b) Data handling procedures, secure development practices, configuration management, and regular security reviews c) Only focus on perimeter security d) Implement every available security control

Question 13: Maintenance Planning Your infrastructure includes cloud services, SaaS applications, and some on-premises systems. How should PR.MA guide your maintenance approach?

a) Let vendors handle all maintenance b) Develop maintenance schedules, change management processes, and monitoring for all system types c) Only maintain systems you directly control d) Perform maintenance only when problems occur

Question 14: Protective Technology Selection You need to choose security tools for your growing startup. What’s the most strategic PR.PT approach?

a) Buy the most expensive enterprise solution b) Choose free tools only to minimize costs c) Select tools that align with your risk profile, integrate well, and can scale with business growth d) Implement every security tool the industry recommends

Section 4: DETECT Function (Questions 15-17)

Question 15: Anomalies and Events Your monitoring system is generating many alerts, but most turn out to be false positives. How should DE.AE guide your approach?

a) Turn off monitoring to reduce noise b) Tune detection rules, establish baselines, and focus on high-fidelity indicators that align with your threat model c) Ignore all alerts to focus on development d) Set alerts to only trigger for the most severe events

Question 16: Continuous Monitoring Strategy Your startup operates 24/7 but has a small team. What’s the most practical DE.CM implementation?

a) Hire a 24/7 security operations center b) Implement automated monitoring with intelligent alerting and escalation procedures c) Only monitor during business hours d) Monitor everything manually

Question 17: Detection Processes You’ve detected suspicious activity in your network. What DE.DP process should guide your next steps?

a) Immediately shut down all systems b) Follow established detection procedures including analysis, documentation, and coordinated response c) Ignore it unless customers complain d) Only investigate if the activity affects revenue

Section 5: RESPOND Function (Questions 18-20)

Question 18: Response Planning Your customer service team reports that customers are receiving suspicious emails that appear to come from your company. What RS.RP approach should guide your response?

a) Send out a mass email denying responsibility b) Activate incident response procedures, assess impact, communicate with stakeholders, and implement containment measures c) Wait to see if the problem resolves itself d) Only respond if customers start complaining publicly

Question 19: Response Communications During a security incident affecting customer data, you need to communicate with multiple stakeholders. What communication principle should guide your approach?

a) Say as little as possible to minimize liability b) Provide timely, accurate, and appropriate information to each stakeholder group c) Only communicate if legally required d) Blame external factors to avoid responsibility

Question 20: Analysis and Improvements After resolving a security incident, what’s the most important analysis activity?

a) Celebrate that the incident is over b) Conduct a thorough post-incident review, identify root causes, and implement improvements to prevent recurrence c) Only document what happened for legal purposes d) Focus only on technical fixes

Section 6: RECOVER Function (Questions 21-23)

Question 21: Recovery Planning Your primary application server fails during peak business hours. What recovery planning principle should guide your response?

a) Try to fix the current server before considering alternatives b) Execute established recovery procedures with defined recovery objectives and communication protocols c) Wait for the server vendor to provide support d) Build a new server from scratch

Question 22: Recovery Communications During system recovery, different stakeholders need different information. How should you approach recovery communications?

a) Send the same technical update to everyone b) Provide stakeholder-specific communications with appropriate detail levels and regular updates c) Only communicate when recovery is complete d) Focus only on internal communications

Section 7: Integration and Strategic Thinking (Questions 23-25)

Question 23: Framework Integration Your startup is implementing NIST CSF 2.0. How should the six functions work together in practice?

a) Implement each function independently and sequentially b) Integrate functions so GOVERN provides strategic direction, IDENTIFY informs PROTECT decisions, DETECT enables RESPOND, and all functions support RECOVER c) Focus only on the functions that seem most important d) Implement all functions simultaneously with equal priority

Question 24: Resource Allocation Your startup has limited resources for cybersecurity. How should CSF 2.0 guide your investment priorities?

a) Spend equally across all functions b) Use risk assessment results and business context to prioritize investments that provide the highest risk reduction and business value c) Focus only on the cheapest solutions d) Implement only what competitors are doing

Question 25: Maturity and Growth As your startup grows, how should your CSF 2.0 implementation evolve?

a) Keep everything exactly the same to maintain consistency b) Regularly reassess organizational context, risks, and capabilities, then adapt the cybersecurity program to support new business objectives and threat landscapes c) Only make changes when problems occur d) Replace the entire program with enterprise solutions

Quiz Completion

Calculate Your Score

Count your correct answers:

• 23-25 correct (90-100%): Outstanding! You have expert-level understanding of NIST CSF 2.0 and are ready to lead cybersecurity program implementation.
• 20-22 correct (80-89%): Excellent work! You have a strong grasp of the framework with minor areas for review.
• 18-19 correct (70-79%): Good foundation! Some areas need additional study before implementation.
• Below 18 correct (Under 70%): Consider reviewing course materials and retaking the quiz.

Recommendations Based on Your Score

90-100% - Expert Level:

• You’re ready to implement NIST CSF 2.0 in your organization
• Consider mentoring others or contributing to cybersecurity communities
• Focus on staying current with evolving threats and framework updates

80-89% - Advanced Understanding:

• Review areas where you missed questions
• Consider practical exercises or case studies for deeper learning
• You’re well-prepared for most implementation challenges

70-79% - Intermediate Knowledge:

• Review course sections corresponding to missed questions
• Practice applying concepts to your specific organizational context
• Consider additional resources or training before implementation

Below 70% - Additional Study Needed:

• Review course materials thoroughly
• Focus on understanding how functions integrate and support each other
• Consider practical exercises and real-world applications
• Retake the quiz after additional study

Next Steps

Regardless of your score, you’ve completed a comprehensive journey through NIST CSF 2.0 implementation. Your next step is the course conclusion, where we’ll discuss how to move from knowledge to action and begin implementing these concepts in your organization.

Ready to Continue?

Want to Review? Return to any lesson that covered topics you’d like to understand better.

Have Questions? Join our community forum to discuss specific implementation challenges with peers and experts.