ISACA CISM: The BEST step to address losing smartphone that contains sensitive information

Question

An employee of an organization has reported losing a smartphone that contains sensitive information. The BEST step to address this situation is to:

A. remotely wipe the device.
B. terminate the device connectivity.
C. disable the user’s access to corporate resources.
D. escalate to the user’s management.

Answer

A. remotely wipe the device.

Explanation

The correct answer is A. remotely wipe the device. This is because remotely wiping the device is the most effective way to prevent unauthorized access to the sensitive information stored on the device, and to minimize the risk of data breach or leakage. Remotely wiping the device means erasing all the data on the device, including personal and corporate data, applications, settings, and encryption keys. This can be done using built-in capabilities of Android and iOS devices, or using third-party tools or services.

The other options are not as effective as remotely wiping the device in addressing this situation.

Terminating the device connectivity (B) means cutting off the network access of the device, such as cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. This can prevent the device from communicating with other devices or servers, but it does not erase the data on the device. Therefore, if someone finds or steals the device, they may still be able to access the data offline or by restoring the connectivity.

Disabling the user’s access to corporate resources means revoking the user’s credentials or permissions to access the organization’s network, systems, or applications. This can prevent the user from logging in to those resources from any device, but it does not affect the data that is already stored on the lost device. Therefore, if someone finds or steals the device, they may still be able to access the data that was previously downloaded or cached on the device.

Escalating to the user’s management (D) means reporting the incident to the user’s supervisor or manager. This can help with notifying the relevant stakeholders and initiating an investigation, but it does not directly address the risk of data exposure from the lost device. Therefore, this option should be done after taking more immediate actions to protect the data on the device⁴.

Reference

Isaca Certified Information Security Manager CISM certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Isaca Certified Information Security Manager CISM exam and earn Isaca Certified Information Security Manager CISM certification.