ISC2 CC Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response Practice Question
During an incident, the incident response team discovers that an attacker has exfiltrated sensitive customer data. According to incident response best practices, whose approval is REQUIRED before contacting law enforcement?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that the CISO or CEO has the final say on law enforcement contact, but the correct answer is always legal counsel because they are the only ones who can navigate the legal and regulatory implications of involving external authorities.
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
✓
Legal counsel
Legal counsel approval is required before contacting law enforcement because they ensure that the disclosure complies with data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and does not violate chain-of-custody requirements or expose the organization to liability. The incident response team must coordinate with legal to determine the appropriate timing and scope of law enforcement involvement, as premature contact can compromise ongoing forensic investigations or breach legal agreements.
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 it's wrong here
The CISO is operational but does not provide legal clearance.
- ✗
CEO
Why it's wrong here
The CEO needs to be informed but legal counsel should approve external reporting.
- ✓
Legal counsel
Why this is correct
Legal counsel ensures compliance and manages liability.
- ✗
Public relations
Why it's wrong here
PR handles communications after legal approval.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Incident Response and Management
Key term
Privacy
Privacy in IT is the control over how personal data is collected, stored, used, and shared by systems and organizations.
Key term
Incident
An incident is a security event that violates an organization's policies or threatens its data, systems, or operations, requiring a structured response.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.