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Governance, Risk, Audit & Privacy · Foundational

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Senior executive responsible for the organization's information security strategy, program, and risk communication.

Definition

The CISO develops and runs the information security program, advises executives and the board on cyber risk, and coordinates policies, incident response, and compliance. Reporting lines matter: reporting to the CEO, board, or a risk function provides more independence than reporting to the CIO. The CISO does not own business risk; business owners do.

Example

The CISO presents a quarterly cyber risk dashboard to the board's risk committee.

Exam tip

Exams favor a CISO reporting line that avoids conflict of interest with IT operations.

Related terms