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The best indicator that an information security governance framework has been successfully implemented is A. The framework aligns internal and external resources. This is because the framework should ensure that the information security strategy, policies, and objectives are aligned with the business goals, stakeholder expectations, and regulatory requirements. The framework should also enable the effective allocation and coordination of internal and external resources, such as people, processes, technology, and finances, to support the information security program and its activities.

The framework should ensure that the information security strategy, policies, and objectives are aligned with the business goals, stakeholder expectations, and regulatory requirements. The framework should also enable the effective allocation and coordination of internal and external resources, such as people, processes, technology, and finances, to support the information security program and its activities. (From CISM Manual or related resources)

References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 1, Section 1.2.1, page 181; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual 9th Edition, Question 49, page 14

The best course of action when the organization receives complaints from users that some of their files have been encrypted and they are receiving demands for money to decrypt the files is to initiate incident response. This is because the organization is facing a ransomware attack, which is a type of malicious software that encrypts the victim’s data and demands a ransom for the decryption key. Ransomware attacks can cause significant disruption, damage, and loss to the organization’s operations, assets, and reputation. Therefore, the organization needs to quickly activate its incident response plan and team, which are designed to handle such security incidents in a coordinated, effective, and efficient manner. The incident response process involves the following steps1:

Preparation: The incident response team prepares the necessary resources, tools, and procedures to respond to the incident. The team also establishes the roles, responsibilities, and communication channels among the team members and other stakeholders.

Identification: The incident response team identifies the scope, source, and severity of the incident. The team also collects and preserves the relevant evidence and logs for further analysis and investigation.

Containment: The incident response team isolates the affected systems and networks to prevent the spread of the ransomware and limit the impact of the incident. The team also implements temporary or alternative solutions to restore the essential functions and services.

Eradication: The incident response team removes the ransomware and any traces of its infection from the affected systems and networks. The team also verifies that the systems and networks are clean and secure before restoring them to normal operations.

Recovery: The incident response team restores the affected systems and networks to normal operations. The team also decrypts or restores the encrypted data from backups or other sources, if possible. The team also monitors the systems and networks for any signs of recurrence or residual issues.

Lessons learned: The incident response team conducts a post-incident review to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the incident response process and team. The team also identifies the root causes, lessons learned, and best practices from the incident. The team also recommends and implements the necessary improvements and corrective actions to prevent or mitigate similar incidents in the future.

References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 4: Information Security Incident Management, Section: Incident Response Process, pages 229-2331; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, Question 45, page 432.

Information security awareness training and campaigns are the best way to enable the desired information security culture within an organization because they help to educate, motivate and influence the behavior and attitude of the employees towards information security. They also help to raise the awareness of the risks, threats and best practices of information security among the staff and stakeholders.

References = Organizational Culture for Information Security: A Systemic Perspective on the Articulation of Human, Cultural and Social Systems, CISM Exam Content Outline

An organization is most likely to accept the risk of noncompliance with a new regulatory requirement when the cost of complying with the regulation exceeds the potential penalties. In such cases, from a cost-benefit perspective, the organization might find it more economical to absorb potential fines or penalties rather than implementing costly controls or processes to comply with the regulation.

“Risk acceptance occurs when the cost of mitigating or transferring the risk exceeds the benefit of the mitigation. This also applies to regulatory noncompliance if the penalties are less than the costs of compliance.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 2: Risk Management, Section: Risk Treatment Options*

ISACA’s practice questions highlight that risk acceptance is a legitimate treatment when costs outweigh potential penalties or impact.

Conducting a business impact analysis (BIA) is the first step when creating an organization’s disaster recovery plan (DRP) because it helps to identify and prioritize the critical business functions or processes that need to be restored after a disruption, and determine their recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs)2. Identifying the response and recovery teams is not the first step, but rather a subsequent step that involves assigning roles and responsibilities for executing the DRP. Reviewing the communications plan is not the first step, but rather a subsequent step that involves defining the communication channels and protocols for notifying and updating the stakeholders during and after a disruption. Developing response and recovery strategies is not the first step, but rather a subsequent step that involves selecting and implementing the appropriate solutions and procedures for restoring the critical business functions or processes. References: 2 https://www.isaca.org/resources/isaca-journal/issues/2018/volume-3/business-impact-analysis-bia-and-disaster-recovery-planning-drp

Residual risk is the risk that remains after implementing risk mitigation actions. It is the most valuable component for senior management because it helps them to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of risk management and make informed decisions about risk acceptance, transfer or avoidance. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 2, Section 2.3.41

 Managed security solutions are services provided by external vendors that offer security expertise, resources, and tools to help organizations protect their information assets and systems. A primary benefit of managed security solutions is that they allow organizations to focus on their core business operations, while delegating the security tasks to the service provider. This can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization, as well as reduce the complexity and cost of managing security internally. Managed security solutions can also provide a wider range of capabilities, easier implementation across an organization, and lower cost of operations, but these are not the primary benefits, as they may vary depending on the quality and scope of the service provider. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2020, p. 841; CISM Online Review Course, Domain 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Module 3: Information Security Program Management, ISACA2

Analyzing security anomalies is the most effective way to detect security incidents, as it involves comparing the current state of the information system and network with the expected or normal state, and identifying any deviations or irregularities that may indicate a security breach or compromise. Security anomalies can be detected by using various tools and techniques, such as security information and event management (SIEM) systems, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), log analysis, network traffic analysis, and behavioral analysis. (From CISM Review Manual 15th Edition)

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.

 The best indicator of the effectiveness of a recent information security awareness campaign delivered across the organization is the increase in the number of reported security incidents. This means that the employees have become more aware of the security threats and issues, and have learned how to recognize and report them to the appropriate authorities. Reporting security incidents is a vital part of the incident response process, as it helps to identify and contain the incidents, prevent further damage, and initiate the recovery actions. Reporting security incidents also helps to collect and analyze the incident data, which can be used to improve the security controls and policies, and to prevent or mitigate similar incidents in the future. An increase in the number of reported security incidents shows that the awareness campaign has successfully raised the level of security knowledge, attitude, and behavior among the employees, and has encouraged them to take an active role in protecting the organization’s information assets.

References =

CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 1631

Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Security Awareness Improvement Methods2

Developing metrics to assess the effectiveness of cybersecurity awareness program3

How to build a successful information security awareness programme - BCS4

How to Increase Cybersecurity Awareness - ISACA5

An email digital signature will verify to recipient the integrity of an email message because it ensures that the message has not been altered or tampered with during transit, and confirms that the message originated from the sender and not an imposter. An email digital signature will not protect the confidentiality of an email message because it does not encrypt or hide the message content from unauthorized parties. An email digital signature will not automatically correct unauthorized modification of an email message because it does not change or restore the message content if it has been altered or tampered with. An email digital signature will not prevent unauthorized modification of an email message because it does not block or stop any attempts to alter or tamper with the message content. References: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/secure-messages-by-using-a-digital-signature-549ca2f1-a68f-4366-85fa-b3f4b5856fc6 https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/digital-signature

 The number of business objectives directly supported by information security initiatives is the best indication of information security strategy alignment with the organizational goals and objectives. This metric shows how well the information security strategy is aligned with the business strategy, and how effectively the information security program is delivering value to the organization. The more business objectives that are supported by information security initiatives, the more aligned the information security strategy is with the organizational goals and objectives.

The other options are not the best indicators of information security strategy alignment, as they do not directly measure the impact or contribution of information security initiatives to the business objectives. The percentage of information security incidents resolved within defined SLAs is a measure of the efficiency and effectiveness of the incident management process, but it does not reflect how well the information security strategy is aligned with the business strategy. The percentage of corporate budget allocated to information security initiatives is a measure of the investment and commitment of the organization to information security, but it does not indicate how well the information security initiatives are aligned with the business objectives or how they are prioritized. The number of business executives who have attended information security awareness sessions is a measure of the awareness and involvement of the senior management in information security, but it does not show how well the information security strategy is aligned with the business strategy or how it supports the business objectives. References =

CISM Exam Content Outline | CISM Certification | ISACA, Domain 1, Task 1.1

CISM MASTER CHEAT SHEET - SkillCertPro, Chapter 1, page 2

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), page 1

Certified Information Security Manager Exam Prep Guide: Aligned with …, page 1

CISM: Certified Information Security SKILLS COVERED Manager, page 1

Reviewing the vendor contract should be the information security manager’s first course of action when discovering an HVAC vendor has remote access to the stores to enable real-time monitoring and equipment diagnostics. The vendor contract should specify the terms and conditions of the vendor’s access to the retailer’s network, such as the scope, purpose, duration, frequency, and method of access. The vendor contract should also define the roles and responsibilities of both parties regarding security, privacy, compliance, liability, and incident response. Reviewing the vendor contract will help the information security manager to understand the contractual obligations and expectations of both parties, and to identify any gaps or issues that need to be addressed or resolved1. The other options are not the first course of action for the information security manager when discovering an HVAC vendor has remote access to the stores. Conducting a penetration test of the vendor may be a useful way to assess the vendor’s security posture and potential vulnerabilities, but it should be done with the vendor’s consent and cooperation, and after reviewing the vendor contract2. Reviewing the vendor’s technical security controls may be a necessary step to verify the vendor’s compliance with security standards and best practices, but it should be done after reviewing the vendor contract and in accordance with the agreed-upon audit procedures3. Disconnecting the real-time access may be a drastic measure that could disrupt the vendor’s service delivery and violate the vendor contract, unless there is a clear and imminent threat or breach that warrants such action. References: 1: Vendor Access: Addressing the Security Challenge with Urgency - BeyondTrust 2: Penetration Testing - NIST 3: Reduce Risk from Third Party Access | BeyondTrust : Third-Party Vendor Security Risk Management & Prevention

Involving stakeholders from various business units promotes buy-in, relevance, and adherence. When users feel they’ve had input in shaping the policy, they're more likely to support and follow it.

Stakeholders also provide insights into business processes that help ensure policies are practical and tailored. This collaboration enhances organizational alignment and ensures policies do not create unintended operational friction.

“Stakeholder involvement is key to ensuring that policies are practical, aligned with operations, and accepted throughout the organization.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 1: Information Security Governance, Section: Policy Development and Implementation*

post-incident review of an information security incident is a process that aims to identify the root causes, contributing factors, and lessons learned from the incident, and to implement corrective and preventive actions to avoid or mitigate similar incidents in the future. The primary objective of a post-incident review is to prevent recurrence, as it helps to improve the security posture, awareness, and resilience of the organization. Preventing recurrence also helps to reduce the impact and cost of future incidents, as well as to enhance the reputation and trust of the organization. Updating the risk profile, minimizing impact, and determining the impact are not the primary objectives of a post-incident review, although they may be part of its outcomes or outputs. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, page 1011

Alignment to an industry security framework ensures that the organization adopts best practices and standards for security control implementation and maintenance. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Domain 1: Information Security Governance, Chapter 1: Establish and Maintain an Information Security Strategy, Section: Information Security Frameworks