Isaca Updated CISM Exam Questions and Answers by melania

The risk owner (A) is best positioned to approve specific risk treatment options because they are accountable for the business process or asset affected by the risk and ultimately bear the consequences of that decision. CISM clearly distinguishes between roles that advise on risk (e.g., information security manager, risk management function) and those that own and accept risk. Senior management (D) defines risk appetite and tolerance, but day-to-day treatment decisions are delegated to risk owners within those boundaries. Approving treatment options requires an understanding of operational impact, cost, and business value—making the risk owner the appropriate authority.

Senior management support is essential to ensuring effective incident response because it provides the necessary authority, resources, and guidance for the information security team to perform their roles and responsibilities. Senior management support also helps to establish the goals, scope, policies, and procedures for the incident response plan (IRP), as well as to ensure its alignment with the business objectives and strategy. Senior management support also fosters a culture of security awareness, accountability, and collaboration among all stakeholders involved in the incident response process.

The other options are not essential to ensuring effective incident response, although they may be helpful or beneficial. A business continuity plan (BCP) is a document that outlines the actions and arrangements to ensure the continuity of critical business functions in the event of a disruption or disaster. A cost-benefit analysis is a method of comparing the costs and benefits of different alternatives or solutions to a problem. A classification scheme is a system of categorizing information assets based on their sensitivity, value, and criticality.

References = CISM Manual1, Chapter 6: Incident Response Planning (IRP), Section 6.1: Incident Response Plan2

1: https://store.isaca.org/s/store#/store/browse/cat/a2D4w00000Ac6NNEAZ/tiles 2: 4

Residual risk exposure (A) is the most important factor to emphasize because senior management is responsible for accepting or rejecting risk on behalf of the organization. CISM guidance stresses that executives are less concerned with technical details and more focused on what risk remains after controls are applied and whether it exceeds risk appetite. Threat details (B), architectural gaps (C), and industry breaches (D) can provide context, but they do not directly answer the key governance question: What level of risk does the organization still face? Presenting residual risk enables informed decision-making about whether additional controls are justified.