Exception management is the process of reviewing, approving, documenting, and tracking deviations from security policies, standards, or required controls. It matters because temporary or necessary deviations can quietly become permanent unmanaged risk.
What is Exception Management?
Exception management creates governance around cases where teams cannot meet a standard control or requirement. It helps ensure there is an owner, rationale, expiration path, and visibility into the residual risk.
What Exception Management Commonly Tracks
Common items include the unmet requirement, affected systems, business justification, approvals, expiration date, compensating controls, review cadence, and closure or renewal status.
Exception Management vs. Policy Waiver
The terms are sometimes used similarly, but exception management usually emphasizes a broader tracked process rather than a one-time approval only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is exception management important?
Because unmanaged exceptions accumulate risk and make security posture harder to understand or defend.
Should exceptions expire?
Usually yes. Expiration and review dates help prevent exceptions from becoming invisible long-term drift.
Related Cybersecurity Terms
