Comprehensive and Detailed 250–300 Words Explanation From Exact Extract from Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) Documents:
According to the EC-Council CCISO Body of Knowledge, the data owner is the individual or role with ultimate accountability for the classification, protection, and authorized use of data. When a security incident involves sensitive information, CCISO guidance clearly states that the data owner must be informed immediately.
The data owner is responsible for determining the business impact, deciding on escalation requirements, and approving response actions such as disclosure, notification, or remediation strategies. CCISO materials emphasize that operational teams, including SOC personnel, do not own the data and therefore cannot independently make business decisions regarding incident handling.
Internal audit may be informed later for review purposes, regulators are notified only if legally required, and informing all management staff would be unnecessary and counterproductive. CCISO incident response frameworks stress need-to-know communication, beginning with the data owner.
Therefore, the correct and CCISO-aligned answer is The data owner.
