CISSP CISSP Legal and Compliance 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which US federal law established privacy rights and restrictions on the collection of personal data by federal agencies?
- HIPAA
- The Privacy Act of 1974 (Correct answer)
- GLBA
- FERPA
Correct answer: The Privacy Act of 1974
The Privacy Act of 1974 governs how US federal agencies collect, maintain, use, and disseminate personally identifiable information.
Question 2: Under HIPAA, what term describes organizations that handle protected health information on behalf of a covered entity?
- Data processor
- Business associate (Correct answer)
- Sub-contractor
- Data custodian
Correct answer: Business associate
A business associate is a third party that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits PHI on behalf of a HIPAA-covered entity.
Question 3: What is the primary goal of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) in the context of information security?
- To regulate healthcare data privacy
- To protect the personal financial information of consumers held by financial institutions (Correct answer)
- To establish cybersecurity standards for critical infrastructure
- To mandate breach notification for all US businesses
Correct answer: To protect the personal financial information of consumers held by financial institutions
GLBA requires financial institutions to explain how they share and protect customers' private financial information.
Question 4: Which legal concept determines which country's laws apply when a crime involves actors or systems in multiple jurisdictions?
- Data sovereignty
- Jurisdiction (Correct answer)
- Choice of law
- Extradition
Correct answer: Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction defines the legal authority of a court or government to hear cases and enforce laws, which becomes complex in cross-border cybercrime.
Question 5: What type of law in the US covers crimes committed against computer systems or using computer systems?
- Administrative law
- Civil law
- Computer crime law (e.g., CFAA) (Correct answer)
- Contract law
Correct answer: Computer crime law (e.g., CFAA)
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) is the primary US federal statute criminalizing unauthorized access to computer systems.
Question 6: Which principle requires organizations to retain data only as long as necessary for its intended purpose?
- Data minimization (Correct answer)
- Data retention
- Data classification
- Data portability
Correct answer: Data minimization
Data minimization limits collection and retention to what is strictly necessary, reducing risk and compliance exposure.
Which US federal law established privacy rights and restrictions on the collection of personal data by federal agencies?