CISM Information Security Governance Practice Question
An organization is subject to GDPR, PCI DSS, and SOX. What is the BEST approach to manage compliance with multiple regulations?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISM often tests the misconception that the 'most stringent' or 'highest-fine' regulation is the safe default, when the correct governance answer is always harmonization through a mapped control framework.
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
✓
Develop a control framework that maps to all regulations
A unified control framework that maps controls to multiple regulations eliminates duplicate effort and ensures each regulatory requirement is satisfied by a single, well-understood control set. Because GDPR, PCI DSS, and SOX share many overlapping controls (access management, logging, encryption, change management), mapping them once to a common framework lets the organization demonstrate compliance with all three without redundant audits or conflicting processes. This is the standard CISM-aligned approach: harmonize, don't silo.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Assign each regulation to a separate compliance team
Why it's wrong here
Separate teams per regulation duplicate evidence collection and leave overlapping controls, such as access management and encryption, owned by nobody, so gaps and contradictions persist across GDPR, PCI DSS and SOX. It is tempting because dedicated specialists do build deep regulatory knowledge, which suits a single-framework programme.
- ✓
Develop a control framework that maps to all regulations
Why this is correct
Developing a unified control framework that maps to GDPR, PCI DSS, and SOX satisfies the constraint of regulatory overlap by enabling a single set of controls to satisfy multiple requirements simultaneously, thereby eliminating redundant audits and reducing compliance friction across all three regimes.
- ✗
Implement the most stringent requirements for all
Why it's wrong here
Applying the most stringent control from each framework ignores that GDPR, PCI DSS and SOX govern different data and jurisdictions, so controls conflict and scope balloons. It is tempting because a single high-water mark appears to guarantee coverage, and it would suit a scenario where one regulation's requirements genuinely subsume the others.
- ✗
Focus only on the regulation with the highest fines
Why it's wrong here
Prioritising the largest penalty leaves the other frameworks' mandatory controls unimplemented, so the organisation remains non-compliant and exposed to enforcement, fines and audit findings under GDPR, PCI DSS and SOX alike. It is tempting because it directs scarce budget toward the most visible financial risk, which suits a purely cost-driven triage exercise.
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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 and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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.