Isaca CISM Practice Test - Questions Answers, Page 8

The incident response team can best leverage the results of a business impact analysis (BIA) by assigning restoration priority during incidents. A BIA is a process that identifies and evaluates the criticality and dependency of the organization's business functions, processes, and resources, and the potential impacts and consequences of their disruption or loss. The BIA results provide the basis for determining the recovery objectives, strategies, and plans for the organization's business continuity and disaster recovery. By using the BIA results, the incident response team can prioritize the restoration of the most critical and time-sensitive business functions, processes, and resources, and allocate the appropriate resources, personnel, and time to minimize the impact and duration of the incident.

Determining total cost of ownership (TCO) (B) is not a relevant way to leverage the results of a BIA, as it is not directly related to incident response. TCO is a financial metric that estimates the total direct and indirect costs of owning and operating an asset or a system over its lifecycle. TCO may be useful for evaluating the cost-effectiveness and return on investment of different security solutions or alternatives, but it does not help the incident response team to respond to or recover from an incident.

Evaluating vendors critical to business recovery is also not a relevant way to leverage the results of a BIA, as it is not a primary responsibility of the incident response team. Evaluating vendors critical to business recovery is a part of the vendor management process, which involves selecting, contracting, monitoring, and reviewing the vendors that provide essential products or services to support the organization's business continuity and disaster recovery. Evaluating vendors critical to business recovery may be done before or after an incident, but not during an incident, as it does not contribute to the incident response or restoration activities.

Calculating residual risk after the incident recovery phase (D) is also not a relevant way to leverage the results of a BIA, as it is not a timely or effective use of the BIA results. Residual risk is the risk that remains after the implementation of risk treatment or mitigation measures. Calculating residual risk after the incident recovery phase may be done as a part of the incident review or improvement process, but not during the incident response or restoration phase, as it does not help the incident response team to resolve or contain the incident.

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 4: Information Security Incident Management, Section: Incident Response Plan, Subsection: Business Impact Analysis, page 182-1831

Potential business loss is the most important factor to consider when determining asset valuation, as it reflects the impact of losing or compromising the asset on the organization's objectives and operations.Asset recovery cost, asset classification level, and cost of insurance premiums are also relevant, but not as important as potential business loss, as they do not capture the full value of the asset to the organization.Reference= CISM Review Manual 2023, page 461; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual 2023, page 292

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.Reference= 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 best indication of a successful information security culture is that end users know how to identify and report incidents. This shows that the end users are aware of the information security policies, procedures, and practices of the organization, and that they understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting the information assets and resources. It also shows that the end users are engaged and committed to the information security goals and objectives of the organization, and that they are willing to cooperate and collaborate with the information security team and other stakeholders in preventing, detecting, and responding to information security incidents.A successful information security culture is one that fosters a positive attitude and behavior toward information security among all members of the organization, and that aligns the information security strategy with the business strategy and the organizational culture1.

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 1: Information Security Governance, Section: Information Security Culture, page 281.

The most important reason to conduct interviews as part of the business impact analysis (BIA) process is to obtain input from as many relevant stakeholders as possible. A BIA is a process of identifying and analyzing the potential effects of disruptive events on the organization's critical business functions, processes, and resources. A BIA helps to determine the recovery priorities, objectives, and strategies for the organization's continuity planning. Interviews are one of the methods to collect data and information for the BIA, and they involve direct and interactive communication with the stakeholders who are involved in or affected by the business functions, processes, and resources. By conducting interviews, the information security manager can obtain input from as many relevant stakeholders as possible, such as business owners, managers, users, customers, suppliers, regulators, and partners. This can help to ensure that the BIA covers the full scope and complexity of the organization's business activities, and that the BIA reflects the accurate, current, and comprehensive views and expectations of the stakeholders. Interviews can also help to validate, clarify, and supplement the data and information obtained from other sources, such as surveys, questionnaires, documents, or systems. Interviews can also help to build rapport, trust, and collaboration among the stakeholders, and to increase their awareness, involvement, and commitment to the information security and continuity planning.

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section: Business Impact Analysis (BIA), pages 178-1801; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, Question 65, page 602.

The primary reason to perform regular reviews of the cybersecurity threat landscape is to compare emerging trends with the existing organizational security posture, as this helps the information security manager to identify and prioritize the gaps and risks that need to be addressed. The cybersecurity threat landscape is dynamic and constantly evolving, and the organization's security posture may not be adequate or aligned with the current and future threats.By reviewing the threat landscape regularly, the information security manager can assess the effectiveness and maturity of the security program, and recommend appropriate actions and controls to improve the security posture and reduce the likelihood and impact of cyberattacks.Reference= CISM Review Manual 2023, page 831; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual 2023, page 322; ISACA CISM - iSecPrep, page 173

= According to the CISM Review Manual, the information security manager should actively engage with stakeholders to align security and business goals. This means understanding the business needs, expectations, and risk appetite of the stakeholders, and communicating the value and benefits of security initiatives to them. By engaging with stakeholders, the information security manager can also gain their support and commitment for security programs and projects, and ensure that security objectives are aligned with business strategy and priorities.Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2020, page 23.

The most important information to communicate with regard to the open items from the risk register to senior management is the potential business impact of these risks. The potential business impact is the estimated consequence or loss that the organization may suffer if the risk materializes or occurs. The potential business impact can be expressed in quantitative or qualitative terms, such as financial, operational, reputational, legal, or strategic impact. Communicating the potential business impact of the open items from the risk register helps senior management to understand the severity and urgency of these risks, and to prioritize the risk response actions and resources accordingly. Communicating the potential business impact also helps senior management to align the risk management objectives and activities with the business objectives and strategies, and to ensure that the risk appetite and tolerance of the organization are respected and maintained.

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 2: Information Risk Management, Section: Risk Assessment, page 831; CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 2: Information Risk Management, Section: Risk Reporting, page 1012.

= The most useful source of information for a newly hired information security manager who has been tasked with developing and implementing an information security strategy is the organization's mission statement and roadmap. The mission statement defines the organization's purpose, vision, values, and goals, and the roadmap outlines the organization's strategic direction, priorities, and initiatives. By reviewing the mission statement and roadmap, the information security manager can understand the organization's business objectives, risk appetite, and security needs, and align the information security strategy with them. The information security strategy should support and enable the organization's mission and roadmap, and provide the security governance, policies, standards, and controls to protect the organization's information assets and processes.

The capabilities and expertise of the information security team (A) are important factors for the information security manager to consider, but they are not the most useful source of information for developing and implementing an information security strategy. The information security team is responsible for executing and maintaining the information security program and activities, such as risk management, security awareness, incident response, and compliance. The information security manager should assess the capabilities and expertise of the information security team to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and to plan the resource allocation, training, and development of the team. However, the capabilities and expertise of the information security team do not directly inform the information security strategy, which should be driven by the organization's business objectives, risk appetite, and security needs.

A prior successful information security strategy is a possible source of information for the information security manager to refer to, but it is not the most useful one. A prior successful information security strategy is a strategy that has been implemented and evaluated by another organization or a previous information security manager, and has achieved the desired security outcomes and benefits. The information security manager can learn from the best practices, lessons learned, and challenges of a prior successful information security strategy, and apply them to the current organization or situation. However, a prior successful information security strategy may not be relevant, applicable, or suitable for the organization, as it may not reflect the current or future business objectives, risk appetite, and security needs of the organization, or the changing threat landscape and business environment.

The organization's information technology (IT) strategy (D) is also a possible source of information for the information security manager to consult, but it is not the most useful one. The IT strategy is a strategy that defines the IT vision, goals, and initiatives of the organization, and how IT supports and enables the business processes and activities. The information security manager should review the IT strategy to understand the IT infrastructure, systems, and services of the organization, and how they relate to the information security program and activities. However, the IT strategy is not the primary driver of the information security strategy, which should be aligned with the organization's business objectives, risk appetite, and security needs, and not only with the IT objectives, capabilities, and requirements.

Reference= CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 1: Information Security Governance, Section: Information Security Strategy Development, page 23-241