CISM Exam Dumps - Isaca Certification Questions and Answers

Decreasing false positives is the best indicator that the information security manager has tuned the system to address senior management’s concern that the organization’s intrusion prevention system (IPS) may repeatedly disrupt business operations. False positives are alerts generated by the IPS when it mistakenly blocks legitimate traffic or activity, causing disruption or downtime. Decreasing false positives means that the IPS has been configured to reduce such errors and minimize unnecessary interruptions. Increasing false negatives is not a good indicator because it means that the IPS has failed to detect or block malicious traffic or activity, increasing the risk of compromise or damage. Decreasing false negatives is not a good indicator because it does not affect business operations, but rather improves security detection or prevention. Increasing false positives is not a good indicator because it means that the IPS has increased its errors and interruptions, worsening senior management’s concern. References: https://www.isaca.org/resources/isaca-journal/issues/2017/volume-6/the-value-of-penetration-testing https://www.isaca.org/resources/isaca-journal/issues/2016/volume-5/security-scanning-versus-penetration-testing

Implementing the principle of least privilege primarily requires the identification of job duties. Job duties are the specific tasks and responsibilities that an individual performs as part of their role in the organization. By identifying the job duties, the organization can determine the minimum access privileges necessary for each individual to perform their assigned function, and nothing more. This helps to reduce the risk of unauthorized access, misuse, or compromise of information and resources. The principle of least privilege is a key security principle that states that every module (such as a user, a process, or a program) must be able to access only the information and resources that are necessary for its legitimate purpose12.

The other options are not the primary factors that require identification for implementing the principle of least privilege. Data owners are the individuals or entities that have the authority and responsibility to define the classification, usage, and protection of data. Data owners may be involved in granting or revoking access privileges to data, but they are not the ones who identify the job duties of the data users. Primary risk factors are the sources or causes of potential harm or loss to the organization. Primary risk factors may influence the level of access privileges granted to users, but they are not the ones who define the job duties of the users. Authentication controls are the mechanisms that verify the identity of users or systems before granting access to resources. Authentication controls may enforce the principle of least privilege, but they are not the ones who determine the job duties of the users. References =

Principle of least privilege

What Is the Principle of Least Privilege and Why is it Important? - F5 1

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The most likely cause of systems and applications missing critical patches is a lack of a release and deployment policy . CISM program management emphasizes that patching must be governed through formal change, release, and deployment processes to ensure updates are tested, approved, scheduled, deployed, and verified. Without a release and deployment policy, patches may not be consistently prioritized, assigned, implemented, or tracked to completion. Insufficient management oversight can contribute to poor patching, but the more direct cause is the absence of a formal process governing patch release and deployment. Reporting on damaged hardware is unrelated to missing software patches. An outdated CMDB can cause some assets to be missed, but it does not fully explain missing critical patches across systems and applications as effectively as the lack of a defined deployment policy. CISM stresses that repeatable operational processes are essential to maintain control effectiveness. Therefore, the absence of a release and deployment policy is the best answer.

The next thing an incident response team should do after establishing that an application has been breached is to isolate the impacted systems from the rest of the network, which means disconnecting them from the internet or other network connections to prevent further spread of the attack or data exfiltration. Isolating the impacted systems can help to contain the breach and limit its impact on the organization. The other options, such as maintaining the affected systems in a forensically acceptable state, conducting a risk assessment, or informing senior management, may be done later in the incident response process, after isolating the impacted systems. References:

https://www.crowdstrike.com/cybersecurity-101/incident-response/

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security/operations/incident-response-playbooks

https://www.invicti.com/blog/web-security/incident-response-steps-web-application-security/

The best first step is to evaluate and prioritize the risk to determine the appropriate treatment strategy before implementing mitigation.

“Once risks are identified, they should be evaluated and prioritized to determine the best response (mitigation, transfer, acceptance, or avoidance).”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 2: Risk Management, Section: Risk Treatment*

ISACA practice questions confirm the need for evaluation and prioritization before taking further action.

 A tabletop exercise is a simulation of a potential incident scenario that involves the key stakeholders and tests the roles, responsibilities, and procedures of the incident response plan. It is the best way to determine the effectiveness of the plan because it allows the participants to identify and address any gaps, weaknesses, or ambiguities in the plan, as well as to evaluate the communication, coordination, and decision-making processes. A tabletop exercise can also help to raise awareness, enhance skills, and improve teamwork among the incident response team members and other relevant parties.

An endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution provides advanced visibility, detection, and response capabilities at the endpoint level, which are critical for investigating and responding to incidents.

“EDR solutions help identify, investigate, and respond to threats on endpoints quickly, making them vital for incident response teams.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 4: Incident Management, Section: Tools and Technologies for Incident Response*

ISACA’s practice questions highlight EDR as the most helpful tool for comprehensive incident analysis and response.

The best first step is to assess the control state to determine why it is ineffective and whether adjustments, replacements, or compensating controls are needed.

“Regularly assess the effectiveness of security controls to ensure they are providing the intended level of protection.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section: Control Monitoring and Assessment*

ISACA practice questions stress that assessing the control state comes before taking further action.

According to the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) Study Manual, a mature information security culture is one in which staff members regularly consider risk in their decisions. This means that they are aware of the risks associated with their actions and take preventative steps to reduce the likelihood of negative outcomes. Other indicators of a mature information security culture include mandatory information security training for all staff, documented and communicated information security policies, and regular interaction between the CISO and the board.

Maintaining an information security governance framework enables an organization to identify, assess, and manage its information security risks. By establishing policies, procedures, and controls that are aligned with the organization ' s objectives and risk tolerance, an information security governance framework helps ensure that information security risks are managed to an acceptable level.

According to the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) Study Manual, " Information security governance provides a framework for managing and controlling information security practices and technologies at an enterprise level. Its primary objective is to manage and reduce risk through a process of identification, assessment, and management of those risks. "

While the other options listed (prioritizing resources, communicating guidelines, and remaining compliant with regulations) are also important benefits of maintaining an information security governance framework, they are all secondary to the primary benefit of managing business risks to an acceptable level.

When outsourcing to a cloud provider, regulatory compliance is paramount—especially with sensitive or proprietary applications. Non-compliance could result in legal penalties, fines, or reputational damage.

While RPOs, SLAs, and contract clauses are critical components of vendor risk management, ensuring adherence to relevant laws and industry regulations (such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS) is the first priority in cloud migration decisions.

“Prior to selecting a cloud provider, legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements must be reviewed to ensure alignment.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 1: Information Security Governance, Section: Compliance Considerations in Cloud Computing*

Assessing the risk of noncompliance ensures that decisions are based on an understanding of the business impact and security implications.

“Before reporting or remediating, it is critical to assess the risk associated with the control bypass to make informed decisions.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 2: Risk Management, Section: Risk Assessment*

The core objective of a post-incident review (PIR) is to identify gaps and weaknesses in the response process. This includes missteps, delays, communication failures, or policy limitations — all of which provide insight to improve future incident handling.

" Post-incident reviews focus on identifying root causes and areas for improvement to enhance the organization’s preparedness for future incidents.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 4: Post-Incident Activities*

Though training, reporting, and budgeting may follow, they are secondary outcomes of this process.

Ignored alert messages could have been prevented by conducting regular incident response testing because it would have ensured that the help desk staff are familiar with and trained on how to handle different types of alert messages from different sources, and how to escalate them appropriately. The server being compromised could not have been prevented by conducting regular incident response testing because it is related to security vulnerabilities or weaknesses in the server configuration or authentication mechanisms. The brute force attack could not have been prevented by conducting regular incident response testing because it is related to security threats or attacks from external sources. Stolen data could not have been prevented by conducting regular incident response testing because it is related to security breaches or incidents that may occur despite the incident response plan or process. 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

A red team exercise is a simulated cyber attack conducted by a group of ethical hackers or security experts (the red team) against an organization’s network, systems, and staff (the blue team) to test the organization’s ability to detect, respond, and recover from a real cyber attack. A red team exercise provides an information security manager with the most accurate indication of the organization’s ability to respond to a cyber attack, because it mimics the tactics, techniques, and procedures of real threat actors, and challenges the organization’s security posture, incident response plan, and security awareness in a realistic and adversarial scenario12. A red team exercise can measure the following aspects of the organization’s cyber attack response capability3:

The effectiveness and efficiency of the security controls and processes in preventing, detecting, and mitigating cyber attacks

The readiness and performance of the incident response team and other stakeholders in following the incident response plan and procedures

The communication and coordination among the internal and external parties involved in the incident response process

The resilience and recovery of the critical assets and functions affected by the cyber attack

The lessons learned and improvement opportunities identified from the cyber attack simulation

The other options, such as a walk-through of the incident response plan, a black box penetration test, or a simulated phishing exercise, are not as accurate as a red team exercise in indicating the organization’s ability to respond to a cyber attack, because they have the following limitations4 :

A walk-through of the incident response plan is a theoretical and hypothetical exercise that involves reviewing and discussing the incident response plan and procedures with the relevant stakeholders, without actually testing them in a live environment. A walk-through can help to familiarize the participants with the incident response roles and responsibilities, and to identify any gaps or inconsistencies in the plan, but it cannot measure the actual performance and effectiveness of the incident response process under a real cyber attack scenario.

A black box penetration test is a technical and targeted exercise that involves testing the security of a specific system or application, without any prior knowledge or access to its internal details or configuration. A black box penetration test can help to identify the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the system or application, and to simulate the perspective and behavior of an external attacker, but it cannot test the security of the entire network or organization, or the response of the incident response team and other stakeholders to a cyber attack.

A simulated phishing exercise is a social engineering and awareness exercise that involves sending fake emails or messages to the organization’s staff, to test their ability to recognize and report phishing attempts. A simulated phishing exercise can help to measure the level of security awareness and training of the staff, and to simulate one of the most common cyber attack vectors, but it cannot test the security of the network or systems, or the response of the incident response team and other stakeholders to a cyber attack.

References = 1: What is a Red Team Exercise? | Redscan 2: Red Team vs Blue Team: How They Differ and Why You Need Both | CISA 3: Red Team Exercises: What They Are and How to Run Them | Rapid7 4: What is a Walkthrough Test? | Definition and Examples | ISACA : Penetration Testing Types: Black Box, White Box, and Gray Box | CISA

Compartmentalization is the best defense-in-depth implementation for protecting high value assets or for handling environments that have trust concerns because it is a strategy that divides the network or system into smaller segments or compartments, each with its own security policies, controls, and access rules. Compartmentalization helps to isolate and protect the most sensitive or critical data and functions from unauthorized or malicious access, as well as to limit the damage or impact of a breach or compromise. Compartmentalization also helps to enforce the principle of least privilege, which grants users or processes only the minimum access rights they need to perform their tasks. Therefore, compartmentalization is the correct answer.

 = A forensic examination is a process of collecting, preserving, analyzing, and presenting digital evidence in a manner that is legally acceptable. The first step in conducting a forensic examination is to create an image of the original data on new media, such as a hard disk, a CD-ROM, or a USB drive. This is done to ensure that the original data is not altered, damaged, or destroyed during the examination. An image is an exact copy of the data, including the file system, the slack space, and the deleted files. Creating an image also allows the examiner to work on a duplicate of the data, rather than the original, which may be needed as evidence in court. Booting the original hard disk on a clean system is not a good practice, as it may change the data on the disk, such as the timestamps, the registry entries, and the log files. Duplicating data from the backup media is not sufficient, as the backup media may not contain all the data that is relevant to the investigation, such as the deleted files, the temporary files, and the swap files. Shutting down and relocating the server is not advisable, as it may cause data loss, corruption, or tampering. The server should be kept running and isolated from the network until an image is created. References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 204-205.

Prior to conducting a forensic examination, an information security manager should create an image of the original data on new media. This is done in order to preserve the evidence, as making changes to the original data could potentially alter or destroy the evidence. Creating an image of the data also helps to ensure that the data remains intact and free from any interference or tampering.

 Cost-benefit analysis results are the best way to support the business case for an increase in the information security budget because they help to demonstrate the value and return on investment of the proposed security initiatives or projects. A cost-benefit analysis is a method of comparing the costs and benefits of different alternatives or options, taking into account both quantitative and qualitative factors. A cost-benefit analysis helps to justify the need and feasibility of the security budget, as well as to prioritize the security spending based on the expected outcomes and impacts. Therefore, cost-benefit analysis results are the correct answer.

Reimaging the systems (B) is the most reliable method to eradicate malware because it ensures complete removal of malicious code, including hidden persistence mechanisms. Malware scanning (A) may miss advanced threats, while blocking access (C) is a containment action, not eradication. Vulnerability assessments (D) help identify weaknesses but do not remove existing malware. CISM incident management guidance prioritizes thorough eradication to prevent reinfection and restore system integrity.