Pass the Isaca Isaca Certification CISM Questions and answers with CertsForce

Before implementing a BYOD program, it is most important to develop an acceptable use policy that defines the roles and responsibilities of the organization and the employees, the security requirements and controls for the devices, the acceptable and unacceptable behaviors and activities, and the consequences of non-compliance. This policy will help to establish a clear and consistent framework for managing the risks and benefits of BYOD.

References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, page 197

Level of residual risk is the amount of risk that remains after applying risk treatment options, such as avoidance, mitigation, transfer, or acceptance. The information security manager should compare the level of residual risk with the organization’s risk appetite, which is the amount of risk that the organization is willing to accept in pursuit of its objectives. The comparison will help to determine whether the risk treatment options are sufficient, excessive, or inadequate, and whether further actions are needed to align the risk level with the risk appetite.

References =

CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2020, p. 49: “Residual risk is the risk that remains after risk treatment.”

CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2020, p. 43: “Risk appetite is the amount of risk, on a broad level, that an entity is willing to accept in pursuit of value.”

CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2020, p. 50: “The information security manager should compare the residual risk with the risk appetite and determine whether the risk treatment options are sufficient, excessive, or inadequate.”

This approach is the best because it ensures that users have the minimum level of access required to perform their job functions, which reduces the risk of unauthorized access or misuse of data. User roles are defined based on the business needs and responsibilities of the users, and they can be easily managed and audited.

A well-defined organizational hierarchy best enables the design of an effective incident escalation process. Incident escalation requires clarity about authority, reporting paths, decision-making responsibility, and communication channels. CISM incident management emphasizes that response processes must define roles, responsibilities, thresholds, and escalation procedures before incidents occur. Without a clear organizational hierarchy, incidents may be delayed, misrouted, or escalated to personnel without appropriate authority. Enforceable control baselines and defense-in-depth controls are important for prevention and security consistency, but they do not define escalation paths. A comprehensive risk register supports risk management but does not by itself establish who must be notified or who can make response decisions during an incident. Escalation must align with the organization’s management structure so that operational, legal, communications, and executive decisions can be made quickly. Therefore, a well-defined organizational hierarchy is the strongest foundation for an effective escalation process.

Even with cybersecurity insurance, the organization remains ultimately accountable for the impact of a breach (C). Insurance represents risk transfer, not risk elimination or avoidance. CISM clearly states that accountability for risk cannot be transferred; only financial impact may be partially offset. Insurance does not justify reducing security controls (B) and does not constitute redundant controls (D). Avoidance (A) would require eliminating the risky activity entirely. Management must continue to manage, monitor, and mitigate risk in line with appetite, regardless of insurance coverage.

The first step is to invoke the incident response plan to ensure a systematic, controlled, and compliant response to the security incident.

“The incident response plan should be activated immediately to investigate, contain, and resolve incidents of unauthorized access.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 4: Incident Management, Section: Incident Response Plan Execution*

ISACA practice questions also reinforce that invoking the incident response plan is the essential first response to contain the breach.

 The CEO is the best able to influence the security culture within an organization because the CEO sets the tone and direction for the organization and has the authority and responsibility to ensure that the organization’s objectives are aligned with its strategy. The CEO can also communicate the importance and value of information security to all stakeholders and foster a culture of security awareness and accountability. The CISO, CIO and COO are important roles in information security management, but they do not have the same level of influence and authority as the CEO. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, page 221; CISM Exam Content Outline, Domain 1, Task 12

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is responsible for leading and coordinating an organization ' s information security program, and as such, is in a prime position to influence the security culture within the organization. The CISO is responsible for setting policies and standards, educating employees about security risks and best practices, and ensuring that the organization is taking appropriate measures to mitigate security risks. By demonstrating a strong commitment to information security, the CISO can help to create a security-aware culture within the organization.

The most important consideration is the current security awareness level of employees (C). CISM emphasizes that culture change must start from an understanding of current behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge gaps. Benchmarking (A), regulations (B), and formal frameworks (D) provide structure, but culture is driven by people. Tailoring initiatives to the existing awareness level increases adoption and effectiveness, leading to sustainable risk reduction.

The best strategy for risk treatment is to prioritize controls that directly mitigate the organization’s most critical risks. This aligns with a risk-based approach, where limited resources are directed toward areas with the highest business impact.

“Effective risk treatment involves prioritizing actions that address the most critical risks to the organization, considering impact and likelihood.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 2: Risk Response and Mitigation*

Advancing maturity or applying quick wins may help, but they are not as strategic or impactful as targeting top-priority risks.

The correct answer is C because security metrics provide measurable evidence of whether controls are operating effectively and achieving intended outcomes. Establishing and reporting metrics allows the information security manager to monitor trends, identify control weaknesses, support management decisions, and demonstrate program performance. Benchmarking can provide useful external comparison, but it does not directly measure the organization’s own control effectiveness. Reviewing audit logs is valuable for specific detective controls, but it is too narrow to monitor the overall effectiveness of security controls. Threat assessments help identify changing threat conditions, but they do not directly show whether controls are performing as intended. CISM emphasizes performance measurement, monitoring, and reporting as essential components of managing an information security program. Metrics should be aligned with security objectives, risk appetite, and business goals. Effective metrics allow management to determine whether controls remain appropriate, efficient, and effective in reducing risk to acceptable levels.

A security exceptions process is the most effective governance mechanism for handling noncompliance with standards because it creates a controlled, risk-based method to manage deviations while maintaining accountability. In CISM terms, standards define minimum acceptable baselines, but real-world constraints (legacy systems, third-party limitations, business urgency) sometimes require temporary or conditional deviations. A formal exception process ensures: the business documents the justification, identifies the risk owner, evaluates risk impact, defines compensating controls, sets an expiration date, and tracks remediation to closure. Creating new standards (A) does not fix noncompliance and can increase confusion. Stopping activities (C) may be necessary for extreme/unacceptable risk, but it is not the “best approach” in general because it can unnecessarily disrupt business operations. Extra monitoring (D) can be a compensating control, but without a formal exception workflow it lacks governance, approval, and traceability.

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 first step when integrating information security into HR management processes is to assess the business objectives of the processes, which means understanding the purpose, scope, and expected outcomes of the HR functions and activities, and how they relate to the organization’s strategy and goals. The assessment will help to identify the information security requirements, risks, and controls that are relevant and applicable to the HR processes, and to align the information security objectives with the business objectives.

References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, CISM: Overview of domains [updated 2022]

A risk owner is a person or entity that is responsible for ensuring that risk is managed effectively. One of the primary responsibilities of a risk owner is to implement controls that will help mitigate or manage the risk. While risk assessments, determining the organization ' s risk appetite, and monitoring control effectiveness are all important aspects of managing risk, it is the responsibility of the risk owner to take the necessary actions to manage the risk.

The correct answer is C because artificial intelligence tools used for vulnerability and control deficiency analysis must integrate effectively with the organization’s existing security infrastructure and technologies. Such tools usually rely on data from vulnerability scanners, configuration management systems, SIEM platforms, endpoint tools, asset inventories, ticketing systems, cloud platforms, and control monitoring solutions. If interoperability is weak, the artificial intelligence capability may receive incomplete, inaccurate, delayed, or inconsistent data, reducing the value of analysis and decision support. Alignment with policies is important, but policy alignment alone will not ensure that the tool can function effectively. Adaptability and scalability are also useful, especially as environments grow, but they are secondary to the tool’s ability to connect with current systems. Training requirements are important for adoption, but training cannot compensate for poor technical integration. From a CISM program management perspective, new security capabilities should be planned to support existing processes, technologies, reporting, and risk management objectives. Therefore, interoperability is the most important consideration.

The correct answer is D because the recovery phase focuses on restoring affected IT services, systems, and operations after containment and eradication have been completed. The objective is to return services to an operational state in a controlled manner while ensuring that the threat has been removed and systems are stable. Recovering business operation support is related to the broader business continuity goal, but the recovery phase of incident management is primarily concerned with restoring IT services and affected environments. Performing a lessons-learned review usually occurs after recovery, during post-incident review or improvement activities. Documenting restoration actions is important for evidence, accountability, and future analysis, but documentation is not the primary objective of recovery. In CISM incident management, recovery includes restoring systems, validating functionality, monitoring for recurrence, and returning operations to normal. Therefore, the primary objective of the recovery phase is to bring IT services back online safely and effectively.

 Establishing an information security steering committee is the best way to facilitate the integration of information security governance into enterprise governance. The information security steering committee is a cross-functional group of senior managers who provide strategic direction, oversight, and support for the information security program. The committee ensures that the information security strategy is aligned with the enterprise strategy, objectives, and risk appetite. The committee also fosters collaboration and communication among various stakeholders and promotes a culture of security awareness and accountability. Developing an information security policy, documenting the information security governance framework, and implementing an information security awareness program are all important activities for implementing and maintaining information security governance, but they do not necessarily facilitate its integration into enterprise governance. These activities may be initiated or endorsed by the information security steering committee, but they are not sufficient to ensure that information security governance is embedded into the enterprise governance structure and processes. References = CISM Review Manual 2023, page 34 1; CISM Practice Quiz 2

The CISM Review Manual emphasizes that the success of a DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan) depends greatly on clear communication of the plan to all stakeholders. Stakeholders must be aware of their roles and responsibilities during an incident to ensure the plan can be effectively executed. While testing, updating, and reviewing the plan are also important, communication is critical to effective execution.