ISC2 CISSP Practice Question

The correct answer is Product tampering, as the scenario describes a situation where legitimate products (network routers) from an established supplier have been altered by the addition of unauthorized hardware components that weren't part of the original design specifications.

Product tampering specifically refers to the unauthorized modification of a product somewhere in the supply chain before it reaches the end user. In this case, the network routers were tampered with by adding unauthorized hardware components.

Counterfeiting is incorrect because the scenario doesn't indicate the routers are fake or imitation products pretending to be genuine - they are actual products from the legitimate supplier that have been modified.

Third-party compromise is too broad and general - while it could encompass tampering, the specific risk described is more precisely defined as product tampering. There is not a specific indication that the third-party did not deliberately include the unauthorized hardware components.

Poor quality control suggests unintentional manufacturing defects rather than deliberate insertion of unauthorized components, which is what product tampering entails.