CISM Exam Dumps - Certified Information Security Manager

The reduction of organizational risk is the desired outcome that best supports a decision to invest in a new security initiative. The organizational risk is the level of exposure or uncertainty that the organization faces in achieving its objectives. The organizational risk is influenced by various factors, such as the threat landscape, the vulnerability of the assets, the impact of the incidents, and the effectiveness of the controls. The information security manager should evaluate the organizational risk and propose security initiatives that can reduce the risk to an acceptable level. The security initiatives should be aligned with the business goals, the risk appetite, and the available resources of the organization. The security initiatives should also provide a positive return on investment (ROI) or value for money (VFM) for the organization. The reduction of organizational risk is the ultimate goal and benefit of any security initiative, as it enhances the security posture, performance, and resilience of the organization. Enhanced security monitoring and reporting, reduced control complexity, and enhanced threat detection capability are all possible outcomes of security initiatives, but they are not the best ones to support a decision to invest in a new security initiative. These outcomes are more specific and technical, and they may not directly relate to the business objectives or the risk appetite of the organization. These outcomes are also intermediate or enabling, rather than final or ultimate, as they may not necessarily lead to the reduction of organizational risk. For example, enhanced security monitoring and reporting may improve the visibility and awareness of the security status, but it may not prevent or mitigate the incidents. Reduced control complexity may simplify the security management and maintenance, but it may not address the emerging or evolving threats. Enhanced threat detection capability may increase the speed and accuracy of identifying the attacks, but it may not reduce the impact or the likelihood of the attacks. Therefore, the reduction of organizational risk is the best outcome to support a decision to invest in a new security initiative, as it demonstrates the value and effectiveness of the security initiative for the organization. References = CISM Review Manual 2023, page 40 1; CISM Practice Quiz 2

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are the best tool to monitor the effectiveness of information security governance because they are quantifiable and measurable metrics that reflect the achievement of the information security objectives and the alignment of the information security strategy with the business goals. KPIs can help to evaluate the performance, efficiency, quality, and value of the information security processes and activities, and to identify the areas of improvement or adjustment. KPIs can also provide feedback to the management and the stakeholders on the status and progress of the information security governance. Some examples of KPIs for information security governance are: percentage of compliance with security policies and standards, number and severity of security incidents, return on security investment, and maturity level of information security capabilities12.

A balanced scorecard is a strategic management tool that translates the vision and mission of the organization into four perspectives: financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth. A balanced scorecard can help to align the information security strategy with the business strategy, but it is not a tool to monitor the effectiveness of information security governance. A balanced scorecard can include KPIs as part of its measurement system, but it is not a substitute for KPIs13.

A business impact analysis (BIA) is a process of assessing the potential consequences of a disruption to the organization’s critical business functions or processes. A BIA can help to identify the critical assets, dependencies, recovery priorities, and recovery objectives for the information security program, but it is not a tool to monitor the effectiveness of information security governance. A BIA is a one-time or periodic activity, not a continuous monitoring process14.

A risk profile is a representation of the organization’s exposure to various types of risks, such as operational, financial, strategic, or reputational. A risk profile can help to identify the sources, likelihood, and impact of potential threats to the organization’s assets and objectives, and to determine the risk appetite and tolerance for the information security program, but it is not a tool to monitor the effectiveness of information security governance. A risk profile is a snapshot of the organization’s risk posture at a given point in time, not a dynamic monitoring tool15. References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, pages 23-241; CISM Exam Content Outline, Domain 1, Knowledge Statement 1.122; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Database, Question ID 10093; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Database, Question ID 10104; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Database, Question ID 10115

After an intrusion has been detected and contained, the system should be recovered to a known and trusted state. The best practice for ensuring the integrity of the recovered system is to install the OS, patches, and application from the original source, such as the vendor’s website or media. This way, any malicious code or backdoors that may have been inserted by the intruder can be eliminated. Restoring the OS, patches, and application from a backup may not guarantee the integrity of the system, as the backup may have been compromised or outdated. Restoring the application and data from a forensic copy may preserve the evidence of the intrusion, but it may also reintroduce the vulnerability or malware that allowed the intrusion in the first place. Removing all signs of the intrusion from the OS and application may not be sufficient or feasible, as the intruder may have made subtle or hidden changes that are difficult to detect or undo.

References =

ISACA, CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, 2020, page 2401

ISACA, CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Database - 12 Month Subscription, 2020, question ID 2132

The BEST practice for ensuring the integrity of the recovered system after an intrusion is to restore the OS, patches, and application from a backup. This will ensure that the system is in a known good state, without any potential residual malicious code or changes from the intrusion. Restoring from a backup also enables the organization to revert to a previous configuration that has been tested and known to be secure. This step should be taken prior to conducting a thorough investigation and forensic analysis to determine the cause and extent of the intrusion.

“An information security training program should be tailored to the specific roles and responsibilities of employees. This will help them understand how their actions affect information security and what they need to do to protect it. A generic training program that is focused on policy, business processes or recent incidents may not be relevant or effective for all employees.”

The most effective way to avoid paying the ransom in a ransomware attack is to have a properly tested offline backup system. A ransomware attack is a type of cyberattack that encrypts the victim’s data or systems and demands a payment for the decryption key. A properly tested offline backup system is a method of storing copies of the data or systems in a separate location that is not connected to the network or the internet. By having a properly tested offline backup system, the hospital can restore its critical server from the backup without paying the ransom or losing any data. The other options are not the most effective way to avoid paying the ransom in a ransomware attack, although they may be some preventive or detective measures. Employee training on ransomware is a preventive measure that can help raise awareness and reduce the likelihood of falling victim to phishing or other social engineering techniques that may deliver ransomware. However, it does not guarantee that employees will always follow best practices or that ransomware will not enter the network through other means. A continual server replication process is a method of creating copies of the server data or systems in real time or near real time. However, it may not be effective against ransomware, as the replication process may also copy the encrypted data or systems, making them unusable. A properly configured firewall is a preventive measure that can help block malicious network traffic and prevent unauthorized access to the server. However, it does not guarantee that ransomware will not bypass the firewall through other channels, such as email attachments or removable media.

 A security operations center (SOC) relies on the centralized logging server to collect, store, analyze and correlate security events from various sources such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, etc. The centralized logging server uses the timestamps of the events to perform the analysis and correlation. If the IT system clocks are not synchronized with the centralized logging server, the SOC will face difficulties in identifying the sequence and causality of the events, which will affect its ability to detect and respond to potential security breaches. Therefore, this presents the greatest challenge to the SOC’s awareness of potential security breaches.

Operating systems that are no longer supported by the vendor may pose a security risk, but they can be mitigated by applying compensating controls such as isolation, segmentation, monitoring, etc. The patch management system that does not deploy patches in a timely manner may also increase the vulnerability exposure, but it can be remediated by prioritizing and applying the critical patches as soon as possible. An organization that has a decentralized data center that uses cloud services may face some challenges in ensuring the security and compliance of the cloud environment, but it can leverage the cloud service provider’s security capabilities and tools to enhance the SOC’s visibility and control. Therefore, these options are not the greatest challenges to the SOC’s awareness of potential security breaches. References = CISM Certified Information Security Manager Study Guide, Chapter 8: Security Operations and Incident Management, page 2691; CISM Foundations: Module 4 Course, Part One: Security Operations and Incident Management2; RSI Security, Common Challenges of SOC Teams3; Infosec Matter, Security Operations Center: Challenges of SOC Teams4

The disk hash value is a unique identifier that is calculated from the binary data of the disk. It is used to verify that the disk image is an exact copy of the original disk and that no changes have occurred during the acquisition or analysis process. The disk hash value is stored externally, such as on a CD-ROM or a USB drive, to prevent tampering or corruption. The disk hash value can also be used as evidence in court to prove the authenticity and reliability of the digital evidence123 References = 1: CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, ISACA, 2017, page 2532: Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations Fourth Edition, page 4-103: Forensic disk acquisition over the network, Andrea Fortuna, 2018.The main purpose of creating and storing an external disk hash value when performing forensic data acquisition from a hard disk is to validate the integrity of the data during the analysis. This is done by comparing the original hash value of the disk to the hash value created during the acquisition process, which can be used to ensure that the data has not been tampered with or corrupted in any way. Additionally, by creating a hash value of the disk, it can be used to quickly verify the integrity of any data that is accessed from the disk in the future.

The primary objective of performing a vulnerability assessment following a business system update is to review the effectiveness of controls. A vulnerability assessment is a systematic review of security weaknesses in an information system. It evaluates if the system is susceptible to any known vulnerabilities, assigns severity levels to those vulnerabilities, and recommends remediation or mitigation, if and whenever needed1. A business system update is a process of modifying or enhancing an information system to improve its functionality, performance, security, or compatibility. A business system update may introduce new features, fix bugs, patch vulnerabilities, or comply with new standards or regulations2. Performing a vulnerability assessment following a business system update is important because it helps to:

•Review the effectiveness of controls that are implemented to protect the information sys-tem from threats and risks

•Identify any new or residual vulnerabilities that may have been introduced or exposed by the update

•Evaluate the impact and likelihood of potential incidents that may exploit the vulnerabili-ties

•Prioritize and implement appropriate actions to address the vulnerabilities

•Verify and validate the security posture and compliance of the updated information sys-tem

Therefore, the primary objective of performing a vulnerability assessment following a business system update is to review the effectiveness of controls that are designed to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information system and its data. The other options are not the primary objectives of performing a vulnerability as-sessment following a business system update. Determining operational losses is not an objective, but rather a possible consequence of not performing a vulnerability as-sessment or not addressing the identified vulnerabilities. Improving the change control process is not an objective, but rather a possible outcome of performing a vulnerability assessment and incorporating its results and recommendations into the change man-agement cycle. Updating the threat landscape is not an objective, but rather a prereq-uisite for performing a vulnerability assessment that requires using up-to-date sources of threat intelligence and vulnerability information. References: 1: Vulnerability As-sessment - NIST 2: System Update - Techopedia : Vulnerability Assessment vs Penetra-tion Testing - Imperva : Change Control Process - NIST : Threat Landscape - NIST