The CAIQ v4: How to Complete the Consensus Assessment Initiative Questionnaire

Practical Steps

1. Pin the CCM v4 / CAIQ v4 version you will publish
2. Assign domain owners across security, IT, legal, and privacy
3. Answer with Yes / No / NA plus commentary
4. Attach evidence IDs in your GRC tool
5. Review for over-claiming before customer release

Common Pitfalls

• Answering as if the CSP owns customer workloads end-to-end
• Ignoring shared-responsibility boundaries
• Stale answers after architecture changes

How CyberSilo Helps

• Map CCM controls in CyberSilo CSA (Compliance Standards Automation)
• Monitoring evidence with ThreatHawk SIEM
• Advisory for STAR readiness — contact CyberSilo

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CAIQ only for STAR Level 1?

CAIQ is the common Level 1 self-assessment tool; Level 2 still references CCM and may reuse CAIQ narrative with stronger evidence.

Can we publish CAIQ publicly?

Some providers publish summaries; many share under NDA. Decide with legal/marketing.

How often should we refresh?

At least when architecture or control ownership changes — and before major enterprise RFPs.

Related CSA CCM / STAR Resources

Hub · Shared responsibility · CyberSilo CSA