Risk analysis is MOST useful when applied during which phase of the system development process?
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A. B. C. D.A.
In most projects the conditions for failure are established at the beginning of the project.
Thus risk management should be established at the commencement of the project with a risk assessment during project initiation.
As it is clearly stated in the ISC2 book:Security should be included at the first phase of development and throughout all of the phases of the system development life cycle.
This is a key concept to understand for the purpose for the exam.
The most useful time is to undertake it at project initiation, although it is often valuable to update the current risk analysis at later stages.
Attempting to retrofit security after the SDLC is completed would cost a lot more money and might be impossible in some cases.Look at the family of browsers we use today,for the past 8 years they always claim that it is the most secure version that has been released and within days vulnerabilities will be found.
Risks should be monitored throughout the SDLC of the project and reassessed when appropriate.
The phases of the SDLC can very from one source to another one.It could be as simple as Concept, Design, and Implementation.It could also be expanded to include more phases such as this list proposed within the ISC2 Official Study book: Project Initiation and Planning - Functional Requirements Definition System Design Specification - Development and Implementation - Documentations and Common Program Controls Testing and Evaluation Control, certification and accreditation (C&A) Transition to production (Implementation) And there are two phases that will extend beyond the SDLC, they are: Operation and Maintenance Support (O&M) Revisions and System Replacement (Disposal) Source: Information Systems Audit and Control Association, Certified Information Systems Auditor 2002 review manual, chapter 6: Business Application System Development, Acquisition, Implementation and Maintenance (page 291)
and The Official ISC2 Guide to the CISSP CBK , Second Edition, Page 182-185
Risk analysis is a crucial part of the system development process. It helps identify potential security risks, vulnerabilities, and threats that could harm the system or its users. By conducting risk analysis, developers and security administrators can implement appropriate measures to mitigate or eliminate identified risks.
Out of the given options, risk analysis is most useful when applied during the project initiation and planning phase. This phase typically involves defining the project's scope, goals, and objectives, and developing a plan to achieve them. Conducting risk analysis at this stage helps identify potential risks that could affect the project's success.
During the project initiation and planning phase, the risk analysis process should identify the assets that need protection, the potential threats to those assets, the vulnerabilities that could be exploited by the threats, the likelihood of the threats occurring, and the potential impact of the threats on the system.
The information gathered during the risk analysis phase is then used to develop a risk management plan that outlines the measures to be implemented to mitigate the identified risks. This plan includes policies, procedures, and controls designed to reduce the likelihood of threats occurring, limit their impact, and detect and respond to security incidents.
Risk analysis can also be conducted during other phases of the system development process, such as the functional requirements definition, system design specification, and development and implementation phases. However, conducting risk analysis during the project initiation and planning phase is most useful as it enables the project team to identify potential risks early and develop appropriate measures to mitigate or eliminate them before they can cause harm.