The correct answer is C because undefined contractual language for handling personally identifiable information (PII) is the greatest concern in a third-party privacy risk assessment. Contract terms establish the provider’s legal and operational obligations for collection, use, protection, sharing, retention, breach notification, and disposal of personal data. If these obligations are not clearly defined, the organization may be unable to enforce privacy requirements or demonstrate adequate governance over outsourced processing.
The other options are important, but not as critical as missing contractual obligations:
A. Appropriate privacy training and awareness campaigns are not conducted for employees is a control weakness, but contractual requirements come first.
B. The provider subcontracts part of the service to a fourth party is a significant concern, but it can be governed through contract language and oversight.
D. The roles and responsibilities associated with data governance are not well defined is also important, but contractual clarity over PII handling is more fundamental.
Exact Extracts supporting the answer:
“To safeguard an enterprise from issues like unbacked-up emails the best approach would be validating the company policies to the provider’s contract.”
“The most important part of any outsourcing contract is provisions to assess the compliance of the provider.”
“The most important consideration for an enterprise structuring a contract with a third party is the inclusion of a confidentiality clause.”
“The first step for a risk practitioner when an enterprise has decided to outsource all IT services and support to a third party is to ensure that security requirements are addressed in all contracts and agreements.”
“The MOST important consideration when transmitting personal information across networks is ensuring the privacy of the personal information.”
These extracts support that privacy and security obligations must be clearly established in contracts. Therefore, the greatest concern is that contractual language for handling PII is not defined .
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QUESTION NO: 96 [Risk Assessment]
Which of the following groups would provide the MOST relevant perspective when reporting loss exposure based on a risk analysis exercise?
A. Internal auditors
B. Senior management
C. Process owners
D. Independent risk consultants
Answer: C
The correct answer is C because process owners provide the most relevant perspective when reporting loss exposure . They understand the business process, operational dependencies, impact of disruptions, and real consequences if the risk materializes. Since loss exposure is closely tied to business impact, the people accountable for and closest to the process provide the most meaningful input.
The other options are less appropriate:
A. Internal auditors provide independent assurance, but they are not the primary source of business-impact perspective.
B. Senior management provides strategic oversight, but process owners offer more detailed and direct exposure insight.
D. Independent risk consultants may add external expertise, but not the same operational understanding of the specific process.
Exact Extracts supporting the answer:
“For an organizational business unit the most accurate description of risk-related roles and responsibilities is that the management team owns the risk and is responsible for identifying assessing and mitigating risk and reporting to the appropriate support functions and the board of directors.”
“For an IT system supporting a critical business process senior managers should be accountable for the risk.”
“The main outcome of a business impact analysis (BIA) is the criticality of business processes.”
“IT risk is measured by its impact on business operations.”
“The primary reason risk professionals conduct risk assessments is to identify risk with the highest business impact.”
These extracts support that loss exposure is best understood through the business process context, making process owners the most relevant group.
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QUESTION NO: 97 [Risk Response and Mitigation]
Which of the following processes is MOST helpful in proactively identifying non-compliant baseline images prior to implementing IT systems?
A. Patch management
B. Configuration management
C. Vulnerability management
D. Change management
Answer: B
The correct answer is B because configuration management is the process most directly concerned with establishing, maintaining, and validating system baselines. If the goal is to identify non-compliant baseline images before implementation, configuration management is the most helpful process because it governs approved configurations and compares actual builds to required baselines.
The other options are less appropriate:
A. Patch management focuses on updates and fixes, not full baseline compliance.
C. Vulnerability management identifies known weaknesses, but not baseline-image compliance as directly as configuration management.
D. Change management governs approval of changes, but it does not primarily validate baseline images.
Exact Extracts supporting the answer:
“The control practice related to information systems architecture that includes establishing and maintaining baselines for internally developed systems is Configuration management.”
“The MOST appropriate metric to measure how well the information security function is managing the administration of user access is percent of accounts with configurations in compliance.”
“Including thresholds that identify when controls no longer provide the intended value is essential when developing metrics to monitor the control life cycle.”
“The BEST way to identify IS control deficiencies is through defined control objectives.”
These extracts support that baseline definition and compliance checking are core configuration management activities. Therefore, the best answer is configuration management .
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QUESTION NO: 98 [Governance]
A risk practitioner notes that the number of unauthorized disclosures of confidential data has been increasing. Which of the following is MOST important to examine for determining the root cause?
A. Completeness of data classification schema
B. Updated regulations related to data protection
C. The volume of data loss prevention (DLP) alerts
D. Scope of security awareness training
Answer: A
The correct answer is A because the completeness of the data classification schema is the most important area to examine when determining the root cause of increasing unauthorized disclosures of confidential data. If data is not classified correctly or completely, the organization may fail to apply the right handling requirements, access restrictions, monitoring, retention, and protection controls. Classification is the foundation for protecting confidential information.
The other options are less important for root cause determination:
B. Updated regulations related to data protection may change compliance obligations, but they are not the most likely direct root cause of increased disclosures.
C. The volume of DLP alerts may reflect symptoms or detection levels, but it does not explain the underlying cause.
D. Scope of security awareness training may contribute, but it is secondary to correctly identifying and labeling sensitive data.
Exact Extracts supporting the answer:
“The PRIMARY responsibility for data classification rests with the data owner.”
“The FIRST policy that governs how information is to be protected from within the enterprise especially for a breakthrough technology is the data classification policy.”
“The MAIN benefit of information classification is that it helps select security measures proportional to risk.”
“To determine the level of protection required for securing personally identifiable information a risk practitioner should PRIMARILY consider the sensitivity property of the information.”
“The person responsible for ensuring that information is classified is the data owner.”
These extracts directly support that classification drives protection requirements. Therefore, the most important area to examine is the completeness of the data classification schema .
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QUESTION NO: 99 [Governance]
Which of the following BEST enables the classification of controls in a risk taxonomy?
A. Hiring external consultants
B. Adopting standards and frameworks
C. Reviewing security policies periodically
D. Performing internal and external audits
Answer: B
The correct answer is B because adopting standards and frameworks best enables the classification of controls in a risk taxonomy. Standards and frameworks provide structured categories, common terminology, and organized control domains that make it possible to classify controls consistently across the enterprise.
The other options are less appropriate:
A. Hiring external consultants may help with implementation, but does not itself provide the classification structure.
C. Reviewing security policies periodically supports maintenance, but not the foundational taxonomy.
D. Performing internal and external audits evaluates controls, but does not define their classification model.
Exact Extracts supporting the answer:
“To best support IT in fulfilling business requirements an internal control system or framework is essential.”
“An enterprise-wide risk management framework is adopted to enable a consistent approach to risk response throughout the enterprise.”
“When many corporate IT standards are outdated the best course of action is to review the standards against current requirements and determine their adequacy.”
“The BEST way to identify IS control deficiencies is through defined control objectives.”
These extracts support that frameworks and standards provide the necessary structure and consistency for organizing and classifying controls. Therefore, the best answer is adopting standards and frameworks .