According to the CRISC Review Manual1, impact analysis is the process of estimating and evaluating the potential effects of a risk event on the organization's objectives, processes, resources, and risks. Impact analysis helps to quantify and qualify the severity and likelihood of the risk, and to identify the possible consequences and implications for the organization. Impact analysis is the first step that should be done when a risk practitioner learns about a new threat, as it helps to assess the current level of risk exposure and the urgency of the risk response. Impact analysis also helps to communicate and report the risk to the relevant stakeholders, and to facilitate risk-based decision making and action planning. References = CRISC Review Manual1, page 208.

According to the CRISC Review Manual (Digital Version), reviewing the business impact analysis (BIA) will best help an organization select a recovery strategy for critical systems, as it provides an assessment of the potential impact and consequences of a disruption to the organization's critical business functions and processes. Reviewing the BIA helps to:
Identify and prioritize the critical systems and their dependencies that support the critical business functions and processes Estimate the maximum tolerable downtime (MTD) and the recovery time objective (RTO) for each critical system Evaluate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of various recovery strategies and options for each critical system Select the most appropriate recovery strategy and option for each critical system based on the organization's objectives and requirements Develop and implement the recovery plan and procedures for each critical system References = CRISC Review Manual (Digital Version), Chapter 3: IT Risk Response, Section 3.3: Risk Response Options, pp. 174-1751

The FIRST thing that the organization should do to reduce the risk of data exposure when modifying its system to enable acceptance of credit card payments is to conduct a risk assessment, because it is a process that involves identifying and analyzing the potential risks, threats, and vulnerabilities that may affect the system and the data, and their likelihood and impact on the business objectives and processes. A risk assessment can help to determine the current risk level and exposure, and to provide the basis for selecting and implementing the appropriate risk responses and controls. The other options are not the first thing that the organization should do, because:
* Option B: Updating the security strategy is a result of conducting a risk assessment, but not the first thing that the organization should do. A security strategy is a plan that defines the security objectives, policies, standards, and procedures for the system and the data, and it should be aligned with the risk assessment results and the business requirements and expectations.
* Option C: Implementing additional controls is a response to the risk assessment results, but not the first thing that the organization should do. Controls are the measures that are designed and implemented to prevent or reduce the occurrence or impact of the risks, threats, and vulnerabilities, and to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system and the data.
* Option D: Updating the risk register is a part of the risk assessment process, but not the first thing that the organization should do. A risk register is a tool that documents and tracks the identified risks, their characteristics, their status, and their responses, and it should be updated regularly to reflect the current risk profile and exposure of the system and the data. References = Risk and Information Systems Control Study Manual, 7th Edition, ISACA, 2020, p. 108.

According to the CRISC Review Manual1, the application owner is the person who has the authority and accountability for the achievement of the application objectives and the management of the associated risks.
The application owner is responsible for defining the level of resiliency needed for the application, which is the ability of the application to recover from disruptions and continue to operate. The application owner is also responsible for accepting or rejecting the residual risks after the implementation of the disaster recovery controls, which are the measures to restore the application functionality and data in the event of a disaster. Therefore, the risk owner in this scenario is the application owner, as they are the ones who will be affected by the potential impact of the disaster on the application and its objectives. References = CRISC Review Manual1, page 194.

The best way to enable a risk-based decision when considering the use of an emerging technology for data processing is to perform a gap analysis. A gap analysis is a technique that compares the current state and the desired state of a process, system, or capability, and identifies the gaps or differences between them. A gap analysis can help to evaluate the benefits, costs, risks, and opportunities of using an emerging technology for data processing, and to determine the feasibility, suitability, and readiness of adopting the emerging technology. The other options are not as helpful as a gap analysis, as they are related to the specific aspects or components of the data processing, not the overall assessment and comparison of the current and desired state of the data processing. References = Risk and Information Systems Control Study Manual, Chapter 1: IT Risk Identification, Section 1.2: IT Risk Identification Methods, page 19.