Certification & Accreditation (C&A) Process: Responsibilities and Professionals

Which Professionals Initiate the Certification & Accreditation (C&A) Process?

Question

Which of the following professionals is responsible for starting the Certification & Accreditation (C&A) process?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

D.

The Certification & Accreditation (C&A) process is a crucial step in ensuring the security of an information system. It involves a comprehensive evaluation of the system's security controls, risks, and vulnerabilities. The following professionals play critical roles in the C&A process:

A. Authorizing Official: The authorizing official (AO) is ultimately responsible for approving the system's security posture and accepting the associated risks. The AO is the individual with the authority to formally authorize operation of the information system and to explicitly accept the risk to organizational operations, organizational assets, individuals, other organizations, and the Nation based on the implementation of an agreed-upon set of security controls.

B. Chief Risk Officer (CRO): The chief risk officer (CRO) is responsible for identifying, assessing, and managing risks associated with the information system. The CRO works closely with the information system owner to ensure that security controls are in place and effective in reducing risk to an acceptable level.

C. Chief Information Officer (CIO): The chief information officer (CIO) is responsible for the overall management and administration of the organization's information systems. The CIO ensures that the C&A process is initiated and that appropriate personnel are assigned to complete the process.

D. Information System Owner: The information system owner (ISO) is responsible for the day-to-day management of the information system. The ISO identifies and manages risks associated with the system and works closely with the CRO to implement effective security controls.

Therefore, among the given options, the responsibility of starting the Certification & Accreditation (C&A) process primarily falls on the Chief Information Officer (CIO).