Free HITRUST CCSFP Practice Exam with Questions & Answers

HITRUST allows grouping of components to improve efficiency in assessments, but only when there is sufficient homogeneity among the components. Grouping is permitted when systems share the same configurations (e.g., identical firewall rule sets, server builds), the same patch levels (demonstrating equal maintenance and security posture), or when facilities use identical access management systems (ensuring consistent physical security practices). The logic behind grouping is that if controls are identical across multiple assets, then one test can represent the whole group without introducing risk. However, grouping must be supported by documentation proving uniformity. If variations exist—for example, one system with different access rules or a facility with a different badge system—those components must be assessed separately. Grouping reduces duplication and workload, but it requires strict evidence of control uniformity to maintain assessment reliability.

HITRUST’s risk-based approach includes incorporating regulatory factors relevant to an organization’s geographic and operational footprint:

Texas Health and Safety Code → Applicable since the hospital operates in Texas.

Massachusetts Data Protection Act → Applicable since the hospital operates in Massachusetts.

PCI-DSS → Required because the hospital processes credit card data.

Singapore Personal Data Act → Not applicable (hospital does not operate in Singapore).

Nevada Security of Personal Information Requirements → Not applicable (no presence in Nevada).

Extract Reference (HITRUST CSF Scoping & Tailoring Guidance [0013]):

Regulatory factors are selected based on where the organization operates and the type of data processed. For organizations in Texas and Massachusetts handling credit card data, applicable factors include Texas Health and Safety Code, Massachusetts Data Protection Act, and PCI-DSS.

The HITRUST CSF is structured into 19 domains that provide comprehensive coverage of information security and privacy practices. These domains represent major categories of controls such as Information Security Management, Endpoint Protection, Network Security, Access Control, Configuration Management, Incident Management, and Data Protection. Each domain contains multiple control references mapped to requirement statements, which are tailored to organizational and regulatory factors. This domain structure ensures that assessments address administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards consistently across industries. All assessment types—whether e1, i1, or r2—utilize these 19 domains, although the number of requirement statements varies depending on the scope. The domain-based structure also supports HITRUST’s mapping to authoritative sources like NIST, HIPAA, and ISO, ensuring consistency across compliance obligations.

Illustrative Procedures are example testing steps provided in HITRUST to help assessors evaluate requirement statements consistently. They are not mandatory, but they serve as a guide for developing tailored testing procedures. Their uses include:

Implementation testing guidance (B): They show assessors what evidence to look for and how to test control performance.

Optional procedures (C): Organizations and assessors may adapt or replace them with equivalent procedures.

Test plan foundation (D): Assessors use them as a starting point to design their own testing plans, ensuring consistency and thoroughness.

Illustrative Procedures are not used for maintaining consistency between the entity and assessor responses (A), since testing must remain objective and independent. Their purpose is to promote consistent evaluation and reduce ambiguity.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) Report in HITRUST is a derivative output that is automatically generated within the MyCSF platform. When an entity completes a HITRUST assessment (e1, i1, or r2), MyCSF uses the mapping of HITRUST control requirements to the NIST CSF categories and subcategories to produce the report. Because these mappings are embedded into the framework, assessors do not need to perform additional testing, create mappings manually, or provide separate evidence. The effort invested in validating HITRUST requirement statements is sufficient, and MyCSF generates the NIST CSF alignment report as an output. This provides organizations with the ability to demonstrate NIST CSF alignment to stakeholders without duplicating work. Therefore, additional work is not required from assessors—making the correct answer No.

HITRUST Assurance Advisories (HAAs) are issued when necessary to communicate important updates, clarifications, or changes impacting the CSF Assurance Program. These advisories are not bound to a fixed schedule (monthly, quarterly, or annually), but rather published as needed.

Extract Reference (HITRUST CSF Assurance Program, CCSFP Content [0167]):

There is no formal schedule for issuing HITRUST Assurance Advisories; they are published on an as-needed basis to communicate relevant updates.

Correct response: There is no formal schedule.

In a Validated Assessment, organizations are required to score Policy, Procedure, and Implementation maturity levels for all applicable requirements. The Measured and Managed levels are considered advanced maturity tiers and are not mandatory for every requirement. They are only scored where applicable, typically for controls involving monitoring, governance, or performance management. For example, requirements around continuous vulnerability scanning or incident response metrics may include Measured and Managed, while policy-only requirements do not. Therefore, while entities may choose to pursue Measured and Managed maturity for stronger assurance or competitive differentiation, they are not required for certification. Certification can still be achieved with strong performance in the foundational maturity levels (Policy, Procedure, Implementation).

Certification requires:

Each Requirement Statement score ≥ 62.5% to avoid a CAP.

In this table, at least one Requirement Statement scores below 62.5:

Privacy Officer... = 42

Antivirus clients have... = 62 (slightly below threshold).

Because one or more required Requirement Statements fall below 62.5, this triggers Required CAPs.

Extract Reference (HITRUST CSF Assurance Scoring Guidance [0193]):

Any Requirement Statement scoring below 62.5 requires a CAP; therefore, this assessment would contain at least one Required CAP.

HITRUST scoping boundaries help organizations define how their environments are assessed. The Shared IT services boundary is used when scoping common technology services and supporting infrastructure (e.g., hosting platforms, networks, identity services) that serve one or more business units. This contrasts with Follow-the-data (traces data flows across processes/units), Enclave-focused (a discrete segmented environment), and Enterprise (the entire organization).

“Shared IT services boundaries encompass the common IT platforms and supporting infrastructure leveraged by one or more business units.” [CCSFP Study Guide – Scoping Boundaries, 0155]

Only in r2 assessments can organizations carve out third-party controls as not applicable if the responsibility lies entirely with a third party (e.g., inherited from a cloud provider).

In e1 and i1 assessments, carve-outs are not allowed because they are standardized, prescriptive frameworks.

Interim assessments are continuations of r2 certifications and do not allow carve-outs beyond the initial scope.

Extract Reference (HITRUST CSF Inheritance and Scoping Guidance [0116]):

Third-party carve-outs as N/A are only permitted in r2 assessments, as i1 and e1 follow prescriptive control sets.