Isaca CISM Practice Test - Questions Answers, Page 10

Measuring the percentage of controls integrated into business processes is the most accurate way to determine the alignment of an information security strategy with organizational goals, as this reflects the extent to which the information security program supports and enables the business objectives and activities, and reduces the friction and resistance from the business stakeholders. The percentage of controls integrated into business processes also indicates the maturity and effectiveness of the information security program, and the level of awareness and acceptance of the information security policies and standards among the business users.Number of blocked intrusion attempts, number of business cases reviewed by senior management, and trends in the number of identified threats to the business are not the most accurate ways to determine the alignment of an information security strategy with organizational goals, as they do not measure the impact and value of the information security program on the business performance and outcomes, and may not reflect the business priorities and expectations.Reference= CISM Review Manual 2023, page 291; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual 2023, page 372; ISACA CISM - iSecPrep, page 223; CISM Exam Overview - Vinsys4

Risk acceptance is the decision to accept the level of residual risk after applying security controls, and to tolerate the potential impact and consequences of a security incident. Approval of risk acceptance should be provided by business senior management, as they are the owners and accountable parties of the business processes, activities, and assets that are exposed to the risk. Business senior management should also have the authority and responsibility to allocate the resources, personnel, and budget to implement and monitor the risk acceptance decision, and to report and escalate the risk acceptance status to the board of directors or the executive management.

The chief risk officer (CRO) (A) is a senior executive who oversees the organization's risk management function, and provides guidance, direction, and support for the identification, assessment, treatment, and monitoring of risks across the organization. The CRO may be involved in the risk acceptance process, such as by reviewing, endorsing, or advising the risk acceptance decision, but the CRO is not the ultimate approver of risk acceptance, as the CRO is not the owner or accountable party of the business processes, activities, and assets that are exposed to the risk.

The information security manager is the manager who leads and coordinates the information security function, and provides guidance, direction, and support for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the information security program and activities. The information security manager may be involved in the risk acceptance process, such as by conducting the risk assessment, recommending the risk treatment options, or documenting the risk acceptance decision, but the information security manager is not the ultimate approver of risk acceptance, as the information security manager is not the owner or accountable party of the business processes, activities, and assets that are exposed to the risk.

The compliance officer (D) is the officer who oversees the organization's compliance function, and provides guidance, direction, and support for the identification, assessment, implementation, and monitoring of the compliance requirements and obligations across the organization. The compliance officer may be involved in the risk acceptance process, such as by verifying, validating, or advising the risk acceptance decision, but the compliance officer is not the ultimate approver of risk acceptance, as the compliance officer is not the owner or accountable party of the business processes, activities, and assets that are exposed to the risk.

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 2: Information Risk Management, Section: Risk Treatment, Subsection: Risk Acceptance, page 95-961

= A business continuity plan (BCP) is the plan that should be invoked by an organization in an effort to remain operational during a disaster. A disaster is a sudden, unexpected, or disruptive event that causes significant damage, loss, or interruption to the organization's normal operations, assets, or resources. Examples of disasters are natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, or fires, or human-made disasters, such as cyberattacks, sabotage, or terrorism. A BCP is a document that describes the procedures, strategies, and actions that the organization will take to ensure the continuity of its critical business functions, processes, and services in the event of a disaster. A BCP also defines the roles and responsibilities of the staff, management, and other stakeholders involved in the business continuity management, and the resources, tools, and systems that will support the business continuity activities. A BCP helps the organization to:

Minimize the impact and duration of the disaster on the organization's operations, assets, and reputation.

Restore the essential functions and services as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Protect the health, safety, and welfare of the staff, customers, and partners.

Meet the legal, regulatory, contractual, and ethical obligations of the organization.

Learn from the disaster and improve the business continuity capabilities and readiness of the organization.

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section: Business Continuity Plan (BCP), page 1771; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, Question 83, page 772.

The underlying reason for the user error is the most important factor to determine during the post-incident review, as this helps the information security manager to understand the root cause of the breach, and to implement corrective and preventive actions to avoid similar incidents in the future. The underlying reason for the user error may be related to the lack of training, awareness, guidance, or motivation of the user, or to the complexity, usability, or design of the system or process that the user was using. By identifying the underlying reason for the user error, the information security manager can address the human factor of the information security program, and improve the security culture and behavior of the organization.The time and location that the breach occurred, evidence of previous incidents caused by the user, and appropriate disciplinary procedures for user error are not the most important factors to determine during the post-incident review, as they do not provide a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the breach, and may not help to prevent or reduce the likelihood or impact of future incidents.Reference= CISM Review Manual 2023, page 1671; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual 2023, page 382; ISACA CISM - iSecPrep, page 233

= Patch management is the process of applying updates to software and hardware systems to fix security vulnerabilities and improve functionality. Patch management is one of the best ways to prevent the exploitation of system vulnerabilities, as it reduces the attack surface and closes the gaps that attackers can exploit. Patch management also helps to ensure compliance with security standards and regulations, and maintain the performance and availability of systems.

Intrusion detection is the process of monitoring network or system activities for signs of malicious or unauthorized behavior. Intrusion detection can help to detect and respond to attacks, but it does not prevent them from happening in the first place. Log monitoring is the process of collecting, analyzing and reviewing log files generated by various systems and applications. Log monitoring can help to identify anomalies, errors and security incidents, but it does not prevent them from occurring. Antivirus software is the program that scans files and systems for viruses, malware and other malicious code. Antivirus software can help to protect systems from infection, but it does not prevent the exploitation of system vulnerabilities that are not related to malware.

Therefore, patch management is the best security process to prevent the exploitation of system vulnerabilities, as it addresses the root cause of the problem and reduces the risk of compromise.Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition eBook | Digital | English1, Chapter 4: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section 4.3: Information Security Program Resources, Subsection 4.3.1: Information Security Infrastructure and Architecture, Page 204.

According to the CISM Review Manual, the first step to establishing an effective information security program is to create a business case that aligns the program objectives with the organization's goals and strategies. A business case provides the rationale and justification for the information security program and helps to secure the necessary resources and support from senior management and other stakeholders. A business case should include the following elements:

The scope and objectives of the information security program

The current state of information security in the organization and the gap analysis

The benefits and value proposition of the information security program

The risks and challenges of the information security program

The estimated costs and resources of the information security program

The expected outcomes and performance indicators of the information security program

The implementation plan and timeline of the information security program

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 3, Section 2, pages 97-99.

The best way to test for the existence of backdoors in a mission-critical business application that was outsourced to a third-party developer is to perform security code reviews on the entire application. A backdoor is a hidden or undocumented feature or function in a software application that allows unauthorized or remote access, control, or manipulation of the application or the system it runs on. Backdoors can be intentionally or unintentionally introduced by the developers, or maliciously inserted by the attackers, and they can pose serious security risks and threats to the organization and its data. Security code reviews are the process of examining and analyzing the source code of a software application to identify and eliminate any security vulnerabilities, flaws, or weaknesses, such as backdoors, that may compromise the functionality, performance, or integrity of the application or the system. Security code reviews can be performed manually by the security experts, or automatically by the security tools, or both, and they can be done at different stages of the software development life cycle, such as design, coding, testing, or deployment. Security code reviews can help to detect and remove any backdoors in the application before they can be exploited by the attackers, and they can also help to improve the quality, reliability, and security of the application.

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section: Information Security Program Development, page 1581; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, Question 87, page 812; CISM ITEM DEVELOPMENT GUIDE, page 63.

A single point of administration in network monitoring is a centralized system that allows network administrators to manage and monitor the entire network from one location. A single point of administration can provide several benefits, such as:

Promoting efficiency in control of the environment: A single point of administration can simplify and streamline the network management tasks, such as configuration, troubleshooting, performance optimization, security updates, backup and recovery, etc. It can also reduce the time and cost of network maintenance and administration, as well as improve the consistency and quality of network services.

Reducing unauthorized access to systems: A single point of administration can enhance the network security by implementing centralized authentication, authorization and auditing mechanisms. It can also enforce consistent security policies and standards across the network, and detect and respond to any unauthorized or malicious activities.

Preventing inconsistencies in information in the distributed environment: A single point of administration can ensure the data integrity and availability by synchronizing and replicating the data across the network nodes. It can also provide a unified view of the network status and performance, and facilitate the analysis and reporting of network data.

Allowing administrative staff to make management decisions: A single point of administration can support the decision-making process by providing relevant and timely information and feedback to the network administrators. It can also enable the administrators to implement changes and improvements to the network based on the business needs and objectives.

Therefore, the primary benefit of introducing a single point of administration in network monitoring is that it promotes efficiency in control of the environment, as it simplifies and streamlines the network management tasks and improves the network performance and quality.Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition eBook | Digital | English1, Chapter 4: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section 4.3: Information Security Program Resources, Subsection 4.3.1: Information Security Infrastructure and Architecture, Page 205.

According to the CISM Review Manual, the information security manager's best course of action when security controls may no longer be adequate due to changes in the organization's environment is to perform a new risk assessment. A risk assessment is a process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating the risks that affect the organization's information assets and business processes. A risk assessment should be performed periodically or whenever there are significant changes in the organization's environment, such as new threats, vulnerabilities, technologies, regulations, or business objectives. A risk assessment helps to determine the current level of risk exposure and the adequacy of existing security controls. A risk assessment also provides the basis for developing or updating the risk treatment plan, which defines the appropriate risk responses, such as implementing new or enhanced security controls, transferring the risk to a third party, accepting the risk, or avoiding the risk.

The other options are not the best course of action in this scenario. Reviewing the previous risk assessment and countermeasures may not reflect the current state of the organization's environment and may not identify new or emerging risks. Evaluating countermeasures to mitigate new risks may be premature without performing a new risk assessment to identify and prioritize the risks. Transferring the new risk to a third party may not be feasible or cost-effective without performing a new risk assessment to evaluate the risk level and the available risk transfer options.

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 2, Section 1, pages 43-45.