The strongest justification for granting an exception to the security policy that disables access to USB storage devices on laptops and desktops is that the benefit is greater than the potential risk. A security policy is a document that defines the goals, objec-tives, principles, roles, responsibilities, and requirements for protecting information and systems in an organization. A security policy should be based on a risk assessment that identifies and evaluates the threats and vulnerabilities that affect the organiza-tion's assets, as well as the potential impact and likelihood of incidents. A security pol-icy should also be aligned with the organization's business objectives and risk appe-tite1. However, there may be situations where a security policy cannot be fully enforced or complied with due to technical, operational, or business reasons. In such cases, an exception to the policy may be requested and granted by an authorized person or body, such as a security manager or a policy committee. An exception to a security policy should be justified by a clear and compelling reason that outweighs the risk of non-compliance. An exception to a security policy should also be documented, approved, monitored, reviewed, and revoked as necessary2. The strongest justification for grant-ing an exception to the security policy that disables access to USB storage devices on laptops and desktops is that the benefit is greater than the potential risk. USB storage devices are portable devices that can store large amounts of data and can be easily connected to laptops and desktops via USB ports. They can provide several benefits for users and organizations, such as:
* Enhancing data mobility and accessibility
* Improving data backup and recovery
* Supporting data sharing and collaboration
* Enabling data encryption and authentication
However, USB storage devices also pose significant security risks for users and organi-zations, such as:
* Introducing malware or viruses to laptops and desktops
* Exposing sensitive data to unauthorized access or disclosure
* Losing or stealing data due to device loss or theft
* Violating security policies or regulations
Therefore, an exception to the security policy that disables access to USB storage de-vices on laptops and desktops should only be granted if the benefit of using them is greater than the potential risk of compromising them. For example, if a user needs to transfer a large amount of data from one laptop to another in a remote location where there is no network connection available, and the data is encrypted and protected by a strong password on the USB device, then the benefit of using the USB device may be greater than the risk of losing or exposing it. The other options are not the strongest justifications for granting an exception to the security policy that disables access to USB storage devices on laptops and desktops. Enabling USB storage devices based on user roles is not a justification, but rather a possible way of implementing a more gran-ular or flexible security policy that allows different levels of access for different types of users3. Users accepting the risk of noncompliance is not a justification, but rather a requirement for requesting an exception to a security policy that acknowledges their responsibility and accountability for any consequences of noncompliance4. Accessing being restricted to read-only is not a justification, but rather a possible control that can reduce the risk of introducing malware or viruses from USB devices to laptops and desktops5. Reference: 1: Information Security Policy - NIST 2: Policy Exception Man-agement - ISACA 3: Deploy and manage Removable Storage Access Control using In-tune - Microsoft Learn 4: Policy Exception Request Form - University of California 5: Re-movable Media Policy Writing Tips - CurrentWare

Recovery time objectives (RTOs) are best determined by business continuity officers, who are responsible for ensuring that the organization is prepared for any type of disruption. Business managers, executive management, and database administrators (DBAs) all have important roles to play in the preparation and implementation of a disaster recovery plan, but they are not the ones who should determine the RTOs.
Reference that support this statement include:
"Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP)" by ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association). This resource states that "BCP and DRP teams are responsible for determining the RTOs for critical processes and systems."
"Business Continuity Planning" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This guide states that "RTOs are determined by the organization and are based on the criticality of the business function and the maximum acceptable outage for that function."
"Business Continuity Planning: The Process" by Continuity Central. This resource states that "The BCP team should determine the RTOs for the organization's critical functions, processes and systems." Please note that while Business Continuity Officer is responsible for determining RTOs, it is important to consider input from other stakeholders such as executive management, IT, and other department heads to ensure that RTOs align with the overall goals and priorities of the organization.