Determining Acceptable Risk Levels in Information Security Management | CISM Exam Prep

Key Consideration: Determining an Acceptable Risk Level

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When determining an acceptable risk level, which of the following is the MOST important consideration?

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A. B. C. D.

A.

When determining an acceptable risk level, the most important consideration is the potential impact of the risk on the organization's critical business objectives. This means that the answer is A. System criticalities.

Risk management is a crucial part of any organization's information security strategy. It involves identifying potential risks, assessing their likelihood and potential impact, and determining how to mitigate or manage them. Risk assessment is typically performed using a risk matrix, which takes into account the likelihood and impact of each risk.

However, when determining an acceptable risk level, the most important consideration is the potential impact of the risk on the organization's critical business objectives. This includes factors such as the organization's mission, reputation, financial stability, and legal and regulatory compliance obligations.

For example, a low-impact risk such as a minor software glitch may be acceptable for a non-critical system, but not for a mission-critical system. Similarly, a high-impact risk such as a major security breach may be unacceptable for any system, regardless of its criticality.

While vulnerability scores and threat profiles are important considerations in the risk management process, they are not the most important consideration when determining an acceptable risk level. Instead, they should be used to inform the risk assessment and help identify potential risks that may impact the organization's critical business objectives.

In summary, when determining an acceptable risk level, it is important to consider the potential impact of the risk on the organization's critical business objectives, which means that system criticalities is the most important consideration.