CISM Exam Dumps - Isaca Certification Questions and Answers

The most important outcome of effective risk treatment is the implementation of corrective actions that address the root causes of the risk and reduce its likelihood and/or impact to an acceptable level. Effective risk treatment does not necessarily eliminate the risk, but rather brings it within the organization’s risk appetite and tolerance. Timely reporting of incidents and reduced cost of acquiring controls are desirable benefits of effective risk treatment, but they are not the primary outcome.

The best way to ensure that relevant controls are applied to a project is to involve information security at each stage of project management. This will help to identify and address the security risks and requirements of the project from the beginning, and to integrate security controls into the project design, development, testing, and implementation. This will also help to avoid adding unnecessary or ineffective controls post-production, which can increase the project cost and complexity, and reduce the project performance and quality. By involving information security at each stage of project management, the information security manager can ensure that the project delivers the expected security value and aligns with the organization’s security strategy and objectives. References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 41.

According to the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) Study Manual, risk owners are responsible for managing a risk, including taking corrective action to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. When implementing controls, it is essential to obtain input from risk owners to ensure that the controls are effective in managing the risk to an acceptable level.

By obtaining input from risk owners, the organization can ensure that the controls are tailored to the specific risks and are effective in reducing the risk to an acceptable level. This can help to minimize the impact of the risk on the organization and reduce the potential for financial or reputational damage.

The correct answer is C because before migrating a human resources application to the cloud, the information security manager should assess the cloud provider’s security capabilities, control environment, compliance posture, data protection practices, incident response process, access management, privacy protections, and contractual commitments. Human resources applications often process sensitive personal and employment information, so third-party and cloud risks must be evaluated before migration. Updating policies may be necessary later, but it does not determine whether the provider can adequately protect the data. Encrypting data is important, but encryption alone does not address all cloud risks such as access control, availability, segregation, monitoring, legal jurisdiction, breach notification, and vendor operations. Conducting vulnerability scans on the cloud provider may not be permitted and would provide only a narrow technical view. CISM emphasizes due diligence and risk assessment when outsourcing or using third-party services. Therefore, a security assessment of the cloud provider is the best way to support the migration securely.

The information security manager should first determine the risk related to noncompliance with the policy, as this will help to understand the impact and likelihood of the policy violation and the potential consequences for the organization. The information security manager can then use the risk assessment results to communicate the importance of the policy to the IT personnel, propose any necessary changes to the policy or the processes, or request an audit of the policy development process, depending on the situation. Conducting user awareness training, updating policies and procedures, or requesting an audit are possible actions that the information security manager can take after determining the risk, but they are not the first step. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 2: Information Risk Management, Section: Risk Assessment, page 86; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, Question 59, page 60.

The primary objective of an information security policy is to outline management expectations (B). In CISM governance, policies serve as high-level statements that define direction, intent, and accountability for information security. While alignment with best practices (A) and regulatory compliance (C) are important considerations, they are secondary to clearly communicating what management expects from the organization. Detailing procedures (D) is not the role of policy; procedures translate policy into actionable steps. Clear policies establish authority and provide the foundation for standards, procedures, and enforcement.

Geopolitical risk involves complex legal, political, and compliance issues. The enterprise risk and legal teams are best positioned to provide guidance on how national laws, sanctions, and regulations impact operations and security strategies.

“In cases of geopolitical or cross-jurisdictional risk, coordination with legal and enterprise risk functions is essential for informed decision-making.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 1: Information Security Governance, Section: Legal and Regulatory Context*

Security and technical controls should follow this strategic evaluation.

Data encryption standards are the best information security initiative for creating an enterprise strategy for protecting data across multiple data repositories and different departments because they help to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data in transit and at rest. Data encryption is a process of transforming data into an unreadable format using a secret key or algorithm, so that only authorized parties can access and decrypt it. Data encryption standards are the rules or specifications that define how data encryption should be performed, such as the type, strength, and mode of encryption, the key management and distribution methods, and the compliance requirements. Data encryption standards help to protect data from unauthorized access, modification, or theft, as well as to meet the regulatory obligations for data privacy and security. Therefore, data encryption standards are the correct answer.

Gap analysis is the MOST helpful tool for understanding where to focus efforts when developing an information security strategy for an organization, because it helps to identify the current state and the desired state of the information security governance, and the gaps between them. Gap analysis also helps to prioritize the actions and resources needed to close the gaps and achieve the information security objectives.

References =

CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2020, p. 36: “Gap analysis is the process of comparing the current state and the desired state of information security governance and identifying the gaps that need to be addressed.”

CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2020, p. 37: “Gap analysis should be performed periodically to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the information security strategy and program and to identify the areas for improvement.”

CISM domain 1: Information security governance [Updated 2022] - Infosec Resources: “Gap analysis: This is a comparison of the current state of security with the desired state. It helps to identify the gaps in security and prioritize the actions required to close them.”

The correct answer is C because the incident response team should be initially engaged when a security event is identified as potentially requiring investigation, validation, classification, or escalation. The identification phase involves detecting, reporting, analyzing, and determining whether an event is actually an incident. Early engagement of the incident response team helps ensure the event is validated, categorized, prioritized, and handled according to the incident response plan. Preparation is an important phase in the incident management life cycle, but it occurs before a specific security event and involves planning, training, tools, and readiness. Eradication occurs after the incident is confirmed and containment activities have begun. Recovery occurs after the threat has been removed and services are being restored. CISM emphasizes timely detection, identification, classification, escalation, and response to reduce business impact. Since the question asks when the team should be engaged during a security event, the best answer is the identification phase.

 Information asset classification is the process of identifying, labeling, and categorizing information assets based on their value, sensitivity, and criticality to the organization. Information asset classification helps to establish appropriate security controls, policies, and procedures for protecting the information assets from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or destruction. One of the key elements of information asset classification is assigning owners to each information asset. Owners are responsible for managing the information asset throughout its lifecycle, including defining its security requirements, implementing security controls, monitoring its usage and performance, reporting any incidents or breaches, and ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory obligations. Therefore, assigning responsibility to the database administrator (DBA) is the best way to address the situation where several production databases do not have owners assigned to them. References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition1, page 256; Information Asset and Security Classification Procedure2.

An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a software or hardware device that monitors network traffic and detects unauthorized or malicious activities, such as attacks, intrusions, or breaches. An IDS can provide valuable evidence for an information security team to investigate an alleged breach of an organization’s network, as it can capture and analyze the network traffic in real time or after the fact. An IDS can help to identify the source, type, scope, and impact of the breach, as well as to generate alerts and reports for further investigation.

File integrity monitoring software (FIM), security information and event management (SIEM) tool, and antivirus software are not single sources of evidence for an information security team to review. FIM software monitors files and directories on a network or system and detects changes or modifications that may indicate unauthorized access or tampering. SIEM tool collects and correlates data from various sources, such as logs, events, alerts, incidents, and threats, and provides a unified view of the security posture of an organization. Antivirus software scans files and programs on a network or system and detects malware infections that may compromise the security or functionality of the system.

However, these tools are not sufficient by themselves to provide conclusive evidence for an information security team to investigate an alleged breach of an organization’s network. They may provide some clues or indicators of compromise (IOCs), but they may also generate false positives or negatives due to various factors, such as configuration errors, user behavior, benign activities, or evasion techniques. Therefore, an information security team should use multiple sources of evidence from different tools and methods to verify the validity and reliability of the findings.

References = CISM Manual, Chapter 6: Incident Response Planning (IRP), Section 6.2: Evidence Collection1

1: https://store.isaca.org/s/store#/store/browse/cat/a2D4w00000Ac6NNEAZ/tiles

Security awareness training is the most effective way to ensure information security policies are understood, as it educates employees on the purpose, content and importance of the policies, and how to comply with them. (From CISM Review Manual 15th Edition)

The correct answer is C because control performance can only be evaluated effectively when the testing method is appropriate for the objective of the evaluation. Different testing purposes require different methods. For example, control design effectiveness may be assessed through documentation review and interviews, while operating effectiveness may require sampling, observation, technical testing, or log review. Senior management support is useful, but it is not the most important factor in determining whether the evaluation will produce valid results. Interviewing control owners may provide useful information, but it may not independently confirm control effectiveness. International standards may provide useful criteria, but testing scenarios must be relevant to the organization’s actual risks, systems, and control objectives. CISM emphasizes that security control monitoring and evaluation should be risk-based, objective, and aligned with the intended control purpose. Selecting the right testing method ensures results are meaningful, reliable, and useful for management decision-making.

Including the impact of the risk as part of regular metrics is the best way for the information security manager to help senior management understand the related risk of having many user workstations with unpatched versions of software because it quantifies and communicates the potential consequences and likelihood of such a risk in terms of business objectives and performance indicators. Recommending the security steering committee conduct a review is not a good way because it does not provide any specific information or analysis about the risk or its impact. Updating the risk assessment at regular intervals is not a good way because it does not ensure that senior management is aware or informed about the risk or its impact. Sending regular notifications directly to senior managers is not a good way because it may be perceived as intrusive or annoying, and may not convey the severity or urgency of the risk or its impact. References: https://www.isaca.org/resources/isaca-journal/issues/2015/volume-6/measuring-the-value-of-information-security-investments https://www.isaca.org/resources/isaca-journal/issues/2017/volume-3/how-to-measure-the-effectiveness-of-your-information-security-management-system

The next thing that an information security manager should do after creating a roadmap to execute the strategy for an information security program is D. Develop a project plan to implement the strategy. This is because a project plan is a detailed document that outlines the scope, objectives, deliverables, milestones, tasks, resources, roles, responsibilities, risks, and dependencies of the implementation process. A project plan can help the information security manager to organize, coordinate, monitor, and control the activities and resources required to execute the strategy and achieve the desired outcomes. A project plan can also facilitate communication, collaboration, and reporting among the project team, stakeholders, and sponsors.

A project plan is a detailed document that outlines the scope, objectives, deliverables, milestones, tasks, resources, roles, responsibilities, risks, and dependencies of the implementation process. (From CISM Manual or related resources)

References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 3, Section 3.1.2, page 1281; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual 9th Edition, Question 74, page 19