CISSP Security Operations Practice Question
What is the primary purpose of a Change Advisory Board (CAB) in change management?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISSP often tests the distinction between governance/oversight roles (CAB approves) and operational roles (implementers execute, SOC responds), so candidates who conflate approval with execution pick option C.
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
✓
To approve and oversee changes to IT systems
The CAB is a governance body whose core function is to review, evaluate, and formally approve or reject proposed changes to IT systems before they are implemented. It balances the need for change against risk and business impact, ensuring changes are authorized, prioritized, and scheduled appropriately. This approval/oversight role is distinct from actually performing the change or handling security operations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
To conduct vulnerability assessments
Why it's wrong here
A Change Advisory Board (CAB) is not responsible for conducting vulnerability assessments. This critical security function falls under the purview of dedicated security teams or specialized auditors who systematically identify and evaluate security weaknesses in systems and applications. While a CAB considers security implications of changes, its mandate is not to perform the technical execution of vulnerability scanning or penetration testing, which requires specific tools and expertise distinct from change governance.
- ✓
To approve and oversee changes to IT systems
Why this is correct
The primary purpose of a Change Advisory Board (CAB) is to evaluate, prioritize, and authorize proposed changes to IT services and infrastructure, ensuring they align with organizational goals and minimize adverse impacts. The CAB meticulously reviews change requests, assessing potential risks, resource requirements, and dependencies before granting approval. Furthermore, it provides oversight throughout the change lifecycle, monitoring implementation progress and reviewing post-implementation reports to confirm successful deployment and address any unforeseen issues.
- ✗
To implement changes in the IT environment
Why it's wrong here
A Change Advisory Board (CAB) does not directly implement changes within the IT environment. Its role is strictly governance and decision-making, providing authorization and strategic direction for changes. The actual technical execution, deployment, and configuration of approved changes are performed by specialized operational teams, system administrators, or development teams, who possess the necessary technical skills and access rights to modify systems and applications.
- ✗
To respond to security incidents
Why it's wrong here
Responding to security incidents is not a function of the Change Advisory Board (CAB). Security incident response is a distinct process managed by a dedicated Incident Response Team (IRT) or Security Operations Center (SOC), focused on detecting, analyzing, containing, eradicating, and recovering from security breaches. While a CAB might approve emergency changes to mitigate an incident, its ongoing operational role is not to manage the incident response lifecycle itself, which demands immediate, specialized action.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Asset Security: Classification and Handling
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
Key term
Risk
Risk is the possibility that an event or action will negatively affect an organization's ability to achieve its goals, often measured in terms of likelihood and impact.
About these practice questions
This CISSP question is part of Courseiva's 816-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 ISC2 exam blueprint
This CISSP 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 CISSP exam.