CISM Exam Dumps - Isaca Certification Questions and Answers

Communication is a key factor for the effectiveness of cybersecurity incident response, as it ensures that all relevant parties are informed, coordinated, and aligned on the incident status, impact, actions, and responsibilities. Communication also helps to maintain trust, confidence, and transparency among the stakeholders, such as senior management, business units, customers, regulators, law enforcement, and media. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 5, Section 5.4.2.11

Evacuation drills provide real-time validation of physical security measures, staff preparedness, and response time during fire-related scenarios. They test both people and systems.

“Simulated exercises are the most effective method to evaluate real-world preparedness and the adequacy of response procedures.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 3: Security Controls Testing*

Paper reviews and awareness are useful, but only exercises reveal actual gaps in preparedness.

= Residual risk is the risk that remains after applying security controls. It reflects the actual exposure of the organization to noncompliance issues. Therefore, basing mandatory review and exception approvals on residual risk is the best approach for governing noncompliance with security requirements. It ensures that the organization is aware of the potential impact and likelihood of noncompliance and can make informed decisions about accepting, mitigating, or transferring the risk. References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 78.

The correct answer is A because a security culture is built through continuous reinforcement of expected behaviors across the organization. Regular information security awareness initiatives help employees understand threats, responsibilities, acceptable behavior, and how their daily actions affect organizational security. Executive approval of policy is important, but a policy alone does not create culture unless it is communicated, understood, and practiced. Following industry best practices may improve the security program, but it does not directly influence employee behavior throughout the organization. Incorporating security requirements into the software development life cycle is important for secure systems development, but it targets a specific process area rather than the entire organization. A strong information security culture requires awareness, communication, leadership support, and repeated behavioral reinforcement. From a CISM perspective, governance promotes a culture where information security is recognized as a business responsibility, not just a technical function. Regular awareness initiatives are therefore the best direct contributor among the options.

 Replacing key controls with weaker compensating controls may introduce new vulnerabilities or increase the likelihood or impact of existing threats, thus raising the risk levels beyond the acceptable limits defined by the risk appetite and tolerance of the organization. This may expose the organization to unacceptable losses or damages, such as financial, reputational, legal, or operational. Therefore, the information security manager should be most concerned about the potential elevation of risk levels and ensure that the risk owner is aware of the consequences and accountable for the decision.

References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 2: Information Risk Management, Section: Risk Treatment, page 941.

 A gap assessment is the best way to demonstrate that an information security program provides appropriate coverage, as it compares the current state of the information security program with the desired state based on the organization’s objectives, policies, standards, and regulations. A gap assessment can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the information security program, as well as the areas that need improvement or alignment. A gap assessment can also provide recommendations and action plans to close the gaps and achieve the desired level of information security coverage.

The other options are not as good as a gap assessment, as they do not provide a comprehensive and holistic view of the information security coverage. Security risk analysis is a process to identify and evaluate the risks to the information assets and the impact of potential threats and vulnerabilities. It can help to prioritize and mitigate the risks, but it does not measure the compliance or performance of the information security program. Maturity assessment is a process to measure the level of maturity of the information security program based on a predefined model or framework. It can help to benchmark and improve the information security program, but it does not account for the specific needs and expectations of the organization. Vulnerability scan report is a document that shows the results of a scan on the network or system to identify the existing or potential vulnerabilities. It can help to validate and improve the technical security, but it does not assess the non-technical aspects of information security, such as governance, policies, or awareness. References =

CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2022, pp. 211-212, 215-216, 233-234, 237-238.

CISM Questions, Answers & Explanations Database, ISACA, 2022, QID 1015.

CISM domain 3: Information security program development and management [2022 update], Infosec Certifications, 2.

Comprehensive and Detailed Step-by-Step Explanation:

During a cybersecurity incident, it is vital to ensure that the right people are involved and that decision-making occurs promptly.

A. Stakeholder plan: While identifying stakeholders is important, it does not outline decision-making during an incident.

B. Escalation plan: This is the BEST answer because it specifies how incidents are escalated to the appropriate level of authority, ensuring timely and effective decisions.

C. Up-to-date risk register: Although useful for understanding risks, it does not facilitate decision-making in real-time incidents.

D. Asset classification: This helps identify critical assets but does not address decision-making protocols during an incident.

= The most important message to convey to employees in building a security risk-aware culture is that the responsibility for security rests with all employees, not just the information security function or the management. A security risk-aware culture is a collective mindset of the people in the organization working every day to protect the enterprise and its information assets from internal and external threats. A security risk-aware culture requires the workforce to know the security risks and the processes for avoiding or mitigating them, and to make thoughtful decisions that align with security policies and standards. A security risk-aware culture also incorporates a broader corporate culture of day-to-day actions that encourage employees to report security incidents, share security best practices, and participate in security awareness and training programs. A security risk-aware culture helps to reduce the human factor that causes 90 percent of all cyberattacks, and to offset the impact of corrupted or lost data, decreased revenue, regulatory fines, and reputational damage. A security risk-aware culture turns people from assets that must be protected into assets that actively contribute to the cybersecurity and risk management posture and elevate security to being a business enabler rather than a business impediment123.

Personal information requires different security controls than sensitive information is a true statement, but it is not the most important message to convey to employees in building a security risk-aware culture. Personal information is any information that can identify or relate to a natural person, such as name, address, email, phone number, social security number, etc. Sensitive information is any information that is confidential, proprietary, or has a high value or impact to the organization, such as trade secrets, financial data, customer data, intellectual property, etc. Different types of information may have different legal, regulatory, contractual, or ethical obligations to protect them from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or destruction. Therefore, different security controls may be applied to personal and sensitive information based on their classification, such as encryption, access control, retention, disposal, etc. However, this message does not address the broader concept of security risk-aware culture, which is not limited to information classification and protection, but also encompasses the behaviors, attitudes, and values of the employees towards security.

Employee access should be based on the principle of least privilege is a good practice, but it is not the most important message to convey to employees in building a security risk-aware culture. The principle of least privilege states that users should only have the minimum level of access and permissions that are necessary to perform their job functions, and no more. This principle helps to reduce the risk of unauthorized or inappropriate actions, such as data leakage, fraud, sabotage, etc., by limiting the exposure and impact of user activities. However, this message does not capture the essence of security risk-aware culture, which is not only about access control, but also about the awareness, understanding, and commitment of the employees to security.

Understanding an information asset’s value is critical to risk management is a valid point, but it is not the most important message to convey to employees in building a security risk-aware culture. Understanding an information asset’s value is essential to determine the potential impact and likelihood of a security risk, and to prioritize the appropriate risk response strategies, such as avoidance, mitigation, transfer, or acceptance. However, this message does not reflect the holistic nature of security risk-aware culture, which is not only about risk assessment, but also about risk communication, risk treatment, and risk monitoring. References =

Building a Culture of Security - ISACA2

The Risk-Conscious, Security-Aware Culture: The Forgotten Critical Security Control - Cisco3

CISM ITEM DEVELOPMENT GUIDE - ISACA4

The primary advantage of an organization using Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) to help manage its disaster recovery program is B. It allows the organization to prioritize its core operations. This is because DRaaS is a cloud computing service model that allows an organization to back up its data and IT infrastructure in a third-party cloud computing environment and provide all the disaster recovery orchestration, all through a SaaS solution, to regain access and functionality to IT infrastructure after a disaster1. DRaaS can help the organization to prioritize its core operations by:

Reducing the need for provisioning and maintaining its own off-site disaster recovery environment, which can be costly, complex, and resource-intensive12

Enabling the organization to continue running its applications from the service provider’s cloud or hybrid cloud environment instead of from the disaster-affected physical servers, which can minimize the downtime, data loss, and business disruption12

Providing the organization with flexible and scalable deployment options, such as on-demand, pay-per-use, or subscription-based models, that can meet its changing business needs and budget12

Leveraging the expertise, experience, and best practices of the service provider, who can handle the disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution, and ensure compliance with the relevant standards and regulations12

DRaaS is a cloud computing service model that allows an organization to back up its data and IT infrastructure in a third-party cloud computing environment and provide all the disaster recovery orchestration, all through a SaaS solution, to regain access and functionality to IT infrastructure after a disaster. DRaaS can help the organization to prioritize its core operations by reducing the need for provisioning and maintaining its own off-site disaster recovery environment, enabling the organization to continue running its applications from the service provider’s cloud or hybrid cloud environment, providing the organization with flexible and scalable deployment options, and leveraging the expertise, experience, and best practices of the service provider. (From CISM Manual or related resources)

= Change management controls are the most effective in preventing the introduction of vulnerabilities that may disrupt the availability of a critical business application. Change management controls are the policies, procedures, and practices that govern the initiation, approval, implementation, testing, and documentation of changes to the information systems and infrastructure. Change management controls help to ensure that changes are authorized, planned, controlled, and monitored, and that they do not introduce any unintended or adverse effects on the security, functionality, performance, or reliability of the system or application. Change management controls also help to identify and mitigate any potential risks or issues that may arise from the changes, and to ensure that the changes are aligned with the business objectives and requirements. By implementing change management controls, the organization can prevent the introduction of vulnerabilities that may disrupt the availability of a critical business application, as well as enhance the quality and efficiency of the change process. References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 105, page 106.

= A merger with another organization would MOST likely require a revision to the information security program, because it involves a significant change in the scope, structure, and objectives of the organization. A merger could affect the information security policies, procedures, roles, responsibilities, and resources of the organization, as well as introduce new risks and challenges. Therefore, the information security program should be reviewed and updated to reflect the new situation and ensure alignment with the organizational goals and strategies. An increase in industry threat level, a significant increase in reported incidents, and a change in IT management are all events that could affect the information security program without necessarily requiring a revision. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, page 3181; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, page 1532

Criteria for activation are essential to ensure that the BCP is triggered appropriately in response to a disruption.

“The BCP should include clearly defined activation criteria to ensure that plans are invoked when necessary.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section: Business Continuity Planning*

ISACA’s practice questions confirm that criteria for activation are core to a BCP’s effectiveness.

= After a ransomware incident, the most important concern for the information security manager is to identify the root cause of the incident and prevent it from happening again. The root cause analysis (RCA) is a systematic process of finding and eliminating the underlying factors that led to the incident, such as vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, human errors, or malicious actions. Without performing a RCA, the organization may not be able to address the root cause and may face the same or similar incidents in the future, which could result in more damage, costs, and reputational loss. Therefore, the information security manager should prioritize the RCA over other concerns, such as meeting the SLA, RTO, or notification requirements, which are important but secondary to the RCA.

References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 254-2551; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Database - 12 Month Subscription, QID 4202

 According to the CISM Review Manual (Digital Version), page 5, information security culture is the set of values, attitudes, and behaviors that shape how an organization and its employees view and practice information security. Transforming the information security culture requires a change management process that involves the following steps: creating a sense of urgency, forming a powerful coalition, developing a vision and strategy, communicating the vision, empowering broad-based action, generating short-term wins, consolidating gains and producing more change, and anchoring new approaches in the culture1. Among the four options, strong management support is the best enabler for transforming the information security culture, as it can provide the necessary leadership, resources, sponsorship, and alignment for the change management process. Periodic compliance audits, robust technical security controls, and incentives for security incident reporting are important elements of information security, but they are not sufficient to change the culture without strong management support. References = 1: CISM Review Manual (Digital Version), page 5

The Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is the first step in developing a disaster recovery plan because it identifies critical business processes, dependencies, and acceptable downtime.

" A BIA provides the foundation for disaster recovery planning by identifying business functions and their criticality. "

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 3: Program Development, Section: Disaster Recovery Planning*

Risk assessments follow the BIA and inform recovery strategies, but the BIA must come first.

Isolating the impacted endpoints is the best course of action for the information security manager after an employee clicked on a link in a phishing email, triggering a ransomware attack because it prevents the ransomware from spreading to other systems or devices on the network, and minimizes the damage or disruption caused by the attack. Wiping the affected system is not a good course of action because it may destroy any evidence or data that could be used for investigation or recovery. Notifying internal legal counsel is not a good course of action because it does not address the immediate threat or impact of the ransomware attack. Notifying senior management is not a good course of action because it does not address the immediate threat or impact of the ransomware attack. References: https://www.isaca.org/resources/isaca-journal/issues/2017/volume-5/incident-response-lessons-learned https://www.isaca.org/resources/isaca-journal/issues/2018/volume-3/incident-response-lessons-learned

Comprehensive and Detailed Step-by-Step Explanation:

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems are designed to collect, analyze, and correlate data from multiple sources, making them the BEST choice for identifying and correlating intrusion attempt alerts.

A. Threat analytics software: While this can provide insights, it is not specialized for real-time correlation and alerting across various platforms.

B. Host intrusion detection system (HIDS): HIDS monitors individual hosts and detects intrusions, but it does not correlate alerts from multiple sources.

C. SIEM: This is the BEST answer because SIEM integrates logs from diverse systems, applies correlation rules, and provides actionable insights into intrusion attempts.

D. Network intrusion detection system (NIDS): While NIDS detects network-level anomalies, it does not correlate alerts from other systems.

A ransomware incident is a type of cyberattack that encrypts the victim’s data and demands a ransom for its decryption. Ransomware can cause significant disruption and damage to critical systems and data, as well as financial losses and reputational harm. To recover from a ransomware incident, the organization needs to have reliable and accessible backups of its data, preferably in an encrypted format. However, if the backups are unavailable or corrupt, the organization will face a major challenge in restoring its data and operations. Therefore, option D is the most challenging factor for the recovery of critical systems and data following a ransomware incident. References = CISA MS-ISAC Ransomware Guide1, page 9; How to Write an Incident Response Plan for Ransomware Recovery2.