CISM Online Practice Questions and Answers

Correct Answer: B

The lack of change management is a severe omission and will greatly increase information security risk. Since procedures are generally nonauthoritative, their lack of enforcement is not a primary concern. Systems that are developed by third-party vendors are becoming commonplace and do not represent an increase in security risk as much as poor change management. Poor capacity management may not necessarily represent a security risk.

Correct Answer: C

As high-level statements, information security policies should be straightforward and easy to understand. They arc high-level and, therefore, do not address network vulnerabilities directly or the process for communicating a violation. As policies, they should provide a uniform message to all groups and user roles.

Correct Answer: B

It is not always possible to provide adequate segregation of duties between programming and operations in order to meet certain business requirements. A mitigating control is to record all of the programmers' actions for later review by their supervisor, which would reduce the likelihood of any inappropriate action on the part of the programmer. Choices A, C and D do not solve the problem.

Correct Answer: A

SQL injection vulnerability arises when crafted or malformed user inputs are substituted directly in SQL queries, resulting into information leakage. Hardening the database listener does enhance the security of the database; however, it is unrelated to the SQL injection vulnerability. Normalization is related to the effectiveness and efficiency of the database but not to SQL injection vulnerability. SQL injections may also be observed in normalized databases. SQL injection vulnerability exploits the SQL query design, not the operating system.

Correct Answer: A

Correct Answer: B

Correct Answer: A

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 ontent Outline

Correct Answer: B

Correct Answer: A

The organization's risk tolerance is the most important factor to consider when choosing a shared alternate location for computing facilities, as it determines the acceptable level of risk exposure and the required recovery time objective (RTO) for the organization. A shared alternate location is a facility that is used by multiple organizations for disaster recovery purposes, and it may have limited resources, availability, and security. Therefore, the organization must assess its risk tolerance and ensure that the shared alternate location can meet its recovery requirements and protect its information assets. References: CISM Review Manual, 27th Edition, Chapter 4, Section 4.3.2, page 2291; CISM Online Review Course, Module 4, Lesson 3, Topic 22; BCMpedia, Alternate Site3

Correct Answer: C

Correct Answer: D

The information security manager should first evaluate the information security laws that apply to the acquired company, as they may differ from the laws of the parent organization. This will help the information security manager to understand

the legal and regulatory requirements, risks, and challenges that the acquired company faces in its operating environment. The information security manager can then determine the best approach to align the information security programs of

the two entities, taking into account the different laws and regulations, as well as the business objectives and strategies of the acquisition.

References: : CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 32.

Correct Answer: D

Initiating the organization's incident response process is the best course of action for the information security manager when a cloud application used by the organization is found to have a serious vulnerability. The incident response process is a set of predefined steps and procedures that aim to contain, analyze, resolve, and learn from security incidents. The information security manager should follow the incident response process to ensure that the vulnerability is properly reported, assessed, mitigated, and communicated to the relevant stakeholders. The incident response process should also involve the cloud service provider (CSP) and the business owner of the application, as they are responsible for the security and functionality of the cloud application. Instructing the vendor to conduct penetration testing, suspending the connection to the application in the firewall, and reporting the situation to the business owner of the application are all possible actions that may be taken as part of the incident response process, but they are not the best initial course of action. Penetration testing may help to identify the root cause and the impact of the vulnerability, but it may also cause further damage or disruption to the cloud application. Suspending the connection to the application in the firewall may prevent unauthorized access or exploitation of the vulnerability, but it may also affect the availability and continuity of the cloud application. Reporting the situation to the business owner of the application is an important step to inform them of the risk and the potential business impact, but it is not sufficient to address the vulnerability and its consequences. Therefore, the information security manager should initiate the incident response process as the best course of action, and then perform the other actions as appropriate based on the incident response plan and the risk assessment. References: CISM Review Manual 2023, page 211 1; CISM Practice Quiz 2

Correct Answer: A

Residual risk is the risk that remains after applying security controls. It reflects the actual exposure of the organization to noncompliance issues. Therefore, basing mandatory review and exception approvals on residual risk is the best approach for governing noncompliance with security requirements. It ensures that the organization is aware of the potential impact and likelihood of noncompliance and can make informed decisions about accepting, mitigating, or transferring the risk. References: CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 78.

Correct Answer: A

A recovery point objective (RPO) is required in a disaster recovery plan (DRP), because it indicates the earliest point in time to which it is acceptable to recover data after a disaster. It effectively quantifies the permissible amount of data loss in case of interruption. It is determined based on the acceptable data loss in case of disruption of operations. A DRP is a document that defines the procedures, resources, and actions to restore the critical IT systems and data in the event of a disaster that affects the normal operations of the organization. A DRP should include the RPO for each critical system and data, as well as the backup and restoration methods, frequency, and location to achieve the RPO. A RPO is not required in an information security plan, an incident response plan, or a business continuity plan (BCP), because these plans have different purposes and scopes. An information security plan is a document that defines the objectives, policies, standards, and guidelines for information security management in the organization. An incident response plan is a document that defines the procedures, roles, and responsibilities for identifying, analyzing, responding to, and learning from security incidents that may compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of information assets. A BCP is a document that defines the procedures, resources, and actions to ensure the continuity of the essential business functions and processes in the event of a disruption that affects the normal operations of the organization. These plans may include other metrics, such as recovery time objective (RTO), which is the amount of time after a disaster in which business operation is resumed, or resources are again available for use, but they do not require a RPO.

Correct Answer: C

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.