The chief information officer (CIO) of an organization is concerned that the information security policies may not be comprehensive.
Which of the following should an IS auditor recommend be performed FIRST?
Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer
A. B. C. D.C.
The first step that an IS auditor should recommend to the CIO to address the concern about the comprehensiveness of information security policies is to "Compare the policies against an industry framework." Therefore, the correct answer is D.
Explanation:
Option A, "Obtain a copy of their competitor's policies," may provide insight into how other organizations approach information security, but it may not be relevant or applicable to the organization's specific needs and risks.
Option B, "Determine if there is a process to handle exceptions to the policies," is important but does not address the CIO's concern about the comprehensiveness of the policies.
Option C, "Establish a governance board to track compliance with the policies," assumes that policies are already comprehensive and in place, and the concern is only about compliance. This option does not address the initial concern raised by the CIO.
Comparing the organization's information security policies against an industry framework would provide a comprehensive and widely recognized standard for evaluating the organization's policies. This would help identify any gaps or weaknesses in the policies and provide recommendations for improvement.
Using an industry framework also enables the organization to benchmark itself against other organizations and can help demonstrate to stakeholders that the organization's information security policies are aligned with industry best practices.
Therefore, the first step an IS auditor should recommend is to compare the organization's policies against an industry framework.