CISM Exam Dumps - Isaca Certification Questions and Answers

Providing the help desk with clear criteria for what constitutes a security incident (C) is the most effective way to enable early recognition. In CISM incident management, frontline functions such as the help desk are critical for early detection and escalation, but only if they understand what events require security attention. Reviewing call logs (A) or participating in post-incident reviews (B) improves awareness after the fact, not recognition in real time. Including help desk staff on the response team (D) is unnecessary and impractical for incident identification. Clearly defined criteria and escalation thresholds empower the help desk to act quickly and consistently.

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

During the initiation phase of the system development life cycle (SDLC) for a software project, information security activities should address security objectives, which are derived from the business objectives and the risk assessment. Security objectives define the desired level of protection for the system and its data, and guide the selection of security controls in later phases. Baseline security controls are predefined sets of security requirements that apply to common types of systems or environments. Benchmarking security metrics is a process of comparing the performance of security processes or controls against a standard or best practice. Cost-benefit analyses are used to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of security controls, and are usually performed in the acquisition/development phase or the implementation phase of the SDLC. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, page 1021; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, page 772

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A new security project is more likely to be approved if it aligns with the organization’s goals, objectives, and strategies. This shows that the project supports the business needs and adds value to the organization. Organizational alignment is one of the key elements of a business case for information security, as stated in the CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition1, page 41. IT strategy alignment, threats to the organization, and existing control costs are also important factors to consider, but they are not as persuasive as organizational alignment in obtaining approval for a new security project. References = 1: CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition by Isaca (Author)

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The fundamental purpose of establishing security metrics is to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the information security controls and processes. Security metrics are quantitative or qualitative measures that indicate how well the organization is achieving its security objectives and goals. Security metrics can help the information security manager to monitor, evaluate, and improve the performance of the information security program, as well as to identify gaps, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Security metrics can also help the organization to demonstrate compliance with internal and external standards, regulations, and best practices. Increasing return on investment (ROI), adopting security best practices, and establishing security benchmarks are possible outcomes or benefits of using security metrics, but they are not the fundamental purpose of establishing them. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, pages 46-471; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, page 642

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Security metrics are used to measure the effectiveness of controls and evaluate the overall security posture of an organization. This feedback provides an understanding of the progress made towards achieving security objectives and allows organizations to make necessary adjustments.

Comprehensive and Detailed Step-by-Step Explanation:

Determining downtime costs requires understanding the financial and operational impact on the business.

A. Fault tree analysis: Primarily used for identifying the root causes of failures, not for assessing downtime costs.

B. Cost-benefit analysis: Compares the costs and benefits of implementing controls but does not specifically address downtime.

C. Return on investment (ROI) analysis: Evaluates the financial return of an investment rather than the cost of an outage.

D. Business impact analysis (BIA): This is the BEST answer because a BIA identifies the effects of a disruption on critical business functions and quantifies the financial impact, including downtime costs.

Human error remains the leading cause of cybersecurity breaches, including mishandling data, misconfigurations, and falling for phishing attacks.

“Human error continues to be one of the most common causes of data breaches and security incidents.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 4: Incident Management, Section: Root Cause Analysis*

Assigning a risk owner is the best way to ensure a risk response plan will be developed and executed in a timely manner, because a risk owner is responsible for monitoring, controlling, and reporting on the risk, as well as implementing the appropriate risk response actions. A risk owner should have the authority, accountability, and resources to manage the risk effectively. Establishing risk metrics, training on risk management procedures, and reporting on documented deficiencies are all important aspects of risk management, but they do not guarantee that a risk response plan will be executed promptly and properly. Risk metrics help to measure and communicate the risk level and performance, but they do not assign any responsibility or action. Training on risk management procedures helps to increase the awareness and competence of the staff involved in risk management, but it does not ensure that they will follow the procedures or have the authority to do so. Reporting on documented deficiencies helps to identify and communicate the gaps and weaknesses in the risk management process, but it does not provide any solutions or corrective actions. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2021, pages 125-126, 136-137.

= The primary objective of performing a post-incident review is to identify the root cause of the incident, which is the underlying factor or condition that enabled or facilitated the occurrence of the incident. Identifying the root cause helps to understand the nature and origin of the incident, and to prevent or mitigate similar incidents in the future. A post-incident review also aims to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the incident response process, identify lessons learned and best practices, and recommend improvements for the incident management policies, procedures, controls, and tools. However, these are secondary objectives that depend on the identification of the root cause as the first step.

Re-evaluating the impact of incidents is not the primary objective of performing a post-incident review, as it is already done during the incident response process. The impact of incidents is the extent and severity of the damage or harm caused by the incident to the organization’s assets, operations, reputation, or stakeholders. Re-evaluating the impact of incidents may be part of the post-incident review, but it is not the main goal.

Identifying vulnerabilities is not the primary objective of performing a post-incident review, as it is also done during the incident response process. Vulnerabilities are weaknesses or flaws in the system or network that can be exploited by attackers to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the information or resources. Identifying vulnerabilities may be part of the post-incident review, but it is not the main goal.

Identifying control improvements is not the primary objective of performing a post-incident review, as it is a result of the root cause analysis. Controls are measures or mechanisms that are implemented to protect the system or network from threats, reduce risks, or ensure compliance with policies and standards. Identifying control improvements is an important outcome of the post-incident review, but it is not the main goal. References =

ISACA CISM: PRIMARY goal of a post-incident review should be to?

CISM Exam Overview - Vinsys

CISM Review Manual, Chapter 4, page 176

CISM Exam Content Outline | CISM Certification | ISACA, Domain 4, Task 4.3

 The most important factor to ensuring information stored by an organization is protected appropriately is assigning information asset ownership. Information asset ownership is the process of identifying and assigning the roles and responsibilities of the individuals or groups who have the authority and accountability for the information assets and their protection. Information asset owners are responsible for defining the business value, classification, and security requirements of the information assets, as well as granting the access rights and privileges to the information users and custodians. Information asset owners are also responsible for monitoring and reviewing the security performance and compliance of the information assets, and reporting and resolving any security issues or incidents. By assigning information asset ownership, the organization can ensure that the information assets are properly identified, categorized, protected, and managed according to their importance, sensitivity, and regulatory obligations.

References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 1: Information Security Governance, Section: Data Classification, page 331; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, Question 62, page 572.

Business strategy is the overarching driver for any organizational initiative, including security. Information security policies must align with the strategic goals of the organization to ensure relevance, support, and effectiveness.

Security policies that do not consider the business context may hinder operations or fail to protect key objectives. Business-driven policies are more likely to gain executive support and compliance from stakeholders, creating a strong foundation for governance.

“Information security policies must be aligned with business goals and objectives to ensure that they support the overall mission and are embraced by stakeholders.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 1: Information Security Governance, Section: Strategy Alignment*

 The business process owner is the person who is responsible for overseeing and managing the business processes and functions that are essential for the organization’s operations and objectives. The business process owner has the most direct and detailed knowledge of the inputs, outputs, dependencies, resources, and performance indicators of the business processes and functions. Therefore, the business process owner is the best person to calculate the recovery time and cost estimates when performing a business impact analysis (BIA), which is a process of identifying and quantifying the potential losses, damages, or consequences that could result from a disruption or an incident that affects the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of the information assets and systems that support the business processes and functions. The recovery time and cost estimates are the measures that indicate the time and money that are needed to resume and restore the normal business operations and functions after the disruption or incident. The recovery time and cost estimates can help to prioritize and protect the critical activities and resources, to allocate the appropriate budget and resources, to implement the necessary controls and measures, and to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the business continuity and disaster recovery plans.

The business continuity coordinator, the senior management, and the information security manager are all important roles in the BIA process, but they are not the best ones to calculate the recovery time and cost estimates. The business continuity coordinator is the person who is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the BIA process, as well as the development, implementation, and maintenance of the business continuity and disaster recovery plans. The business continuity coordinator can help to define and communicate the scope, objectives, and methodology of the BIA, to collect and analyze the data and information from the business process owners and other stakeholders, to report and present the BIA results and recommendations, and to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement and optimization of the BIA and the plans. The senior management is the group of people who have the ultimate authority and accountability for the organization’s strategy, direction, and performance. The senior management can help to approve and support the BIA process and the plans, to provide the strategic guidance and vision for the business continuity and disaster recovery, to allocate the necessary budget and resources, to oversee and monitor the BIA and the plans, and to make the final decisions and approvals. The information security manager is the person who is responsible for ensuring the security of the information assets and systems that support the business processes and functions. The information security manager can help to identify and assess the information security risks and issues that could affect the BIA and the plans, to implement and manage the security controls and measures that are needed to protect and recover the information assets and systems, to coordinate and collaborate with the business process owners and other stakeholders on the security aspects of the BIA and the plans, and to provide the security expertise and advice. References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, pages 228-2291; CISM Practice Quiz, question 1722

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.

 = Risk appetite is the amount and type of risk that an organization is willing to accept in pursuit of its objectives. It is a key factor that influences the information security strategy and objectives, as well as the selection and implementation of security controls. Risk appetite must be defined in order for an information security manager to evaluate the appropriateness of controls currently in place, as it provides the basis for determining whether the controls are sufficient, excessive, or inadequate to address the risks faced by the organization. The information security manager should align the controls with the risk appetite of the organization, ensuring that the controls are effective, efficient, and economical. References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 29, page 31.

A SIEM system provides the ability to collect, correlate, and analyze security events, enabling effective prioritization of incidents based on risk and impact. SIEM solutions also support tracking incidents from detection through resolution, as stated in the CISM Review Manual under incident management and monitoring.

Executive sponsorship (A) is the most critical factor for the long-term success of an information security program. CISM emphasizes that leadership support enables funding, enforcement, cross-functional cooperation, and cultural adoption. Skilled staff (B), automation (C), and training (D) are important but depend on sustained executive backing to remain effective. Without sponsorship, security initiatives often lack authority and momentum.