CISM Incident Management Practice Question
An organization is subject to GDPR and experiences a data breach involving personal data. What is the maximum timeframe to notify the supervisory authority?
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
✓
72 hours
GDPR requires notification within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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24 hours
Why it's wrong here
GDPR Article 33 sets a 72-hour notification window, so 24 hours is shorter than the legal maximum and misstates the requirement. It is tempting because many internal incident-response policies impose faster escalation targets, but those are organisational commitments, not the supervisory authority deadline.
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48 hours
Why it's wrong here
GDPR Article 33 requires notification to the supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of a personal data breach, so 48 hours misstates the regulatory deadline. The figure is tempting because it feels like a tighter, safer margin, but it is not the threshold the regulation sets.
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7 days
Why it's wrong here
GDPR Article 33 requires notification within 72 hours, so 7 days exceeds the legal maximum and would breach the regulation. It is tempting because some sectoral or contractual regimes allow longer reporting periods, but those do not apply to the supervisory authority deadline under GDPR.
- ✓
72 hours
Why this is correct
GDPR Article 33 mandates notifying the supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of a personal data breach, unless it poses no risk to rights and freedoms. This precise deadline directly satisfies the question's maximum timeframe requirement.
About these practice questions
This CISM question is part of Courseiva's 924-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISM practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CISM exam.