Risks Associated with Merging Enterprises

C.

The BEST representation of a risk associated with merging two enterprises during an acquisition is option C: Merging two enterprise networks could result in an expanded attack surface and could cause outages if trust and permission issues are not handled carefully.

When two enterprises merge, they bring together different IT systems and networks, which could result in increased security risks. This is because the consolidation of two networks could result in an expanded attack surface, where there are more entry points for attackers to exploit.

Moreover, the two networks might have different security policies, different sets of users and permissions, and different ways of handling data. Integrating these networks without proper planning and attention to detail could result in trust and permission issues that could lead to system outages and disruptions.

Additionally, the integration of two different IT systems might result in a successful data breach if threat intelligence is not shared between the two enterprises (Option B). If there is a lack of communication and coordination between the security teams of the two enterprises, it could lead to gaps in the security posture and increase the likelihood of a successful attack.

Option A, which states that the consolidation of two different IT enterprises increases the likelihood of data loss because there are now two backup systems, is not a significant risk. In fact, having two backup systems could provide redundancy and enhance the availability of data.

Option D, which states that expanding the set of data owners requires an in-depth review of all data classification decisions, impacting availability during the review, is also a risk. However, it is not the BEST representation of a risk associated with merging two enterprises. The impact on availability during the review period can be managed through careful planning and execution, and the risk is limited to the review period only.