Increase Your Organization's Security: Addressing Residual Risk Effectively

The First Step for an Information Security Manager: Mitigating Increased Residual Risk

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Question

Which of the following should an information security manager perform FIRST when an organization's residual risk has increased?

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Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

D.

When an organization's residual risk has increased, the first step that an information security manager should perform is to assess the business impact. Therefore, the correct answer is option D.

Here's why:

Residual risk is the level of risk that remains after security controls have been implemented to address identified risks. An increase in residual risk indicates that the security controls are no longer effective in reducing the risks to an acceptable level. It could be due to changes in the environment or the security controls themselves.

Assessing the business impact helps the organization to understand the potential consequences of the increased risk. This analysis helps the organization to prioritize the risk and allocate resources appropriately. Without knowing the business impact, it is difficult to determine whether the organization should implement new security measures, communicate to senior management, or transfer the risk to third parties.

Implementing security measures to reduce the risk (option A) could be a valid step, but it should not be the first one. Before implementing any new security measure, the organization should evaluate the effectiveness of the existing security measures and assess the business impact.

Communicating the information to senior management (option B) is important, but it should not be the first step. Senior management needs to know the risks and potential business impact, but communicating the information before assessing the business impact could cause unnecessary panic and confusion.

Transferring the risk to third parties (option C) is another option, but it should not be the first one. Transferring risk involves the use of insurance policies or contracts to transfer the risk to another party. However, the organization needs to evaluate the business impact and the cost of transferring the risk before making any decision.

In summary, when an organization's residual risk has increased, the first step an information security manager should perform is to assess the business impact. Based on the business impact analysis, the organization can then decide whether to implement new security measures, communicate to senior management, transfer the risk to third parties, or take other appropriate actions.