200-201 Security Policies and Procedures Practice Question
During a security incident, the CISO decides to contain a compromised server by isolating it from the network. Which role is primarily responsible for making this containment decision based on business impact?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
CISO
The CISO is the decision-maker for business impact and authorizes containment actions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
CISO
Why this is correct
The CISO owns the risk decision, weighing containment's operational and financial consequences against continued exposure. Isolating a critical server can halt revenue-generating services, so authority rests with the executive accountable for business impact rather than the technical responders.
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Incident handler
Why it's wrong here
An incident handler executes containment actions such as isolation, following the plan and escalating; deciding whether business impact justifies taking a server offline sits above that operational role. It is tempting because handlers are deeply involved in containment, but the authorising decision belongs to the CISO or incident response manager.
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Legal counsel
Why it's wrong here
Legal counsel advises on regulatory notification, liability and evidence handling; they do not own the business-impact judgement that determines whether a server can be taken offline. It is tempting because containment has legal consequences, but counsel's input is consultative, while the accountable decision-maker is the CISO or incident response manager.
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PR representative
Why it's wrong here
A PR representative manages external communications and reputational messaging; they hold no authority over containment or business-impact trade-offs. It is tempting because incident response does involve stakeholder communication, but that occurs after the decision, which rests with the role accountable for weighing operational disruption against risk.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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