CISM Information Security Risk Management Practice Question
Which role is primarily responsible for ensuring that information security risks are identified, assessed, and managed within a business unit?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the risk owner with the CISO, as candidates often assume the CISO owns all risks, but the CISO is responsible for the risk management process, not for owning specific business unit risks.
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
✓
Risk owner
The risk owner is the individual within a business unit who is accountable for ensuring that information security risks are identified, assessed, and managed. This role owns the risk treatment plan and is responsible for implementing controls to reduce risk to an acceptable level, as defined by the organization's risk appetite.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Data owner
Why it's wrong here
Data owner focuses on data, not all business risks.
- ✗
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Why it's wrong here
CISO owns the security program, not individual risks.
- ✗
Board of directors
Why it's wrong here
Board provides oversight, not operational risk management.
- ✓
Risk owner
Why this is correct
Risk owner is accountable for specific risks.
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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.