Ace the CISM Challenge 2025 – Become a Cybersecurity Superstar!

Insufficient incident response can lead to significant negative outcomes, which include data loss, financial penalties, and reputational damage. When an organization does not have a robust incident response plan in place, it may struggle to effectively identify, respond to, and recover from security incidents. This can result in the unauthorized access or loss of sensitive data, which can invoke regulatory penalties, especially in industries governed by strict data protection laws. Additionally, such incidents can severely damage the organization’s reputation, leading to lost customer trust and potential revenue decline, as clients may be less willing to engage with a business that has faced significant security issues.

The other options do not accurately represent the consequences of insufficient incident response. Increased collaboration among departments is typically a positive outcome of effective communication and planning rather than reflective of the aftermath of a poor response. Minimal impact on data protection would be misleading as, in reality, inadequate responses often exacerbate vulnerabilities rather than protecting data. Lastly, the idea that all security incidents can be immediately resolved is unrealistic; incident response requires careful assessment and may take time to address properly. Thus, the correct answer reflects the serious repercussions that can arise from a lack of preparedness and effective incident management.