CISM Exam Dumps - Certified Information Security Manager

According to the CISM Review Manual (Digital Version), Chapter 3, Section 3.2.1, strategic alignment is the primary outcome of an information security program1. Strategic alignment means that the information security program supports and is tailored to the organization’s objectives and business strategy1. It also means that the information security program is aligned with other assurance functions, such as physical, human resources, quality, and IT1.

The CISM Review Manual (Digital Version) also states that strategic alignment is essential for achieving a competitive advantage, enhancing customer trust, reducing legal and regulatory risks, and improving organizational performance1. Strategic alignment requires effective communication and collaboration among all stakeholders, including senior management, information owners, information security managers, information security steering committees, and external partners1.

The CISM Exam Content Outline also covers the topic of strategic alignment in Domain 3 — Information Security Program Development and Management (33% exam weight)2. The subtopics include:

3.2.1 Information Security Strategy

3.2.2 Information Security Governance

3.2.3 Information Security Risk Management

3.2.4 Information Security Compliance

I hope this answer helps you prepare for your CISM exam. Good luck! 😊

The answer to the question is B. Spread a site across multiple ISPs. This is because spreading a site across multiple Internet service providers (ISPs) can help to reduce the impact of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack by increasing the bandwidth and redundancy of the site, and making it harder for the attacker to target and overwhelm a single point of failure. Spreading a site across multiple ISPs can also help to distribute the traffic load and balance the performance of the site, and to mitigate the effects of regional or network-specific outages or disruptions. Spreading a site across multiple ISPs can be done by using various techniques, such as anycast routing, content delivery networks (CDNs), or cloud-based services12.

Spreading a site across multiple ISPs can help to reduce the impact of a DDoS attack by increasing the bandwidth and redundancy of the site, and making it harder for the attacker to target and overwhelm a single point of failure. (From CISM Manual or related resources)

References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 4, Section 4.2.1, page 2091; DDoS Attacks—A Cyberthreat and Possible Solutions2

Reputational damage is often intangible, subjective, and hard to quantify, making it the most challenging aspect to measure.

“Reputation impact is difficult to quantify and may have long-term effects that are not immediately apparent.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 4: Incident Management, Section: Post-incident Analysis*

ISACA practice questions highlight that reputational damage is uniquely challenging to measure accurately.

A balanced scorecard most effectively enables information security govern-ance. Information security governance is the process of establishing and maintaining a framework to provide assurance that information security strategies are aligned with and support business objectives, are consistent with applicable laws and regulations, and are managed effectively and efficiently1. A balanced scorecard is a tool for meas-uring and communicating the performance and progress of an organization toward its strategic goals. It typically includes four perspectives: financial, customer, internal pro-cess, and learning and growth2. A balanced scorecard can help information security managers to:

•Align information security objectives with business objectives and communicate them to senior management and other stakeholders

•Monitor and report on the effectiveness and efficiency of information security processes and controls

•Identify and prioritize improvement opportunities and corrective actions

•Demonstrate the value and benefits of information security investments

•Foster a culture of security awareness and continuous learning

Several sources have proposed models or frameworks for applying the balanced scorecard approach to information security governance34 . The other options are not the most effective applications of a balanced scorecard for information security. Pro-ject management is the process of planning, executing, monitoring, and closing pro-jects to achieve specific objectives within constraints such as time, budget, scope, and quality. A balanced scorecard can be used to measure the performance of individual projects or project portfolios, but it is not specific to information security projects. Per-formance is the degree to which an organization or a process achieves its objectives or meets its standards. A balanced scorecard can be used to measure the performance of information security processes or functions, but it is not limited to performance measurement. Risk management is the process of identifying, analyzing, evaluating, treating, monitoring, and communicating risks that affect an organization’s objec-tives. A balanced scorecard can be used to measure the risk exposure and risk appetite of an organization, but it is not a tool for risk assessment or treatment. References: 1: Information Security Governance - ISACA 2: Balanced scorecard - Wikipedia 3: Key Per-formance Indicators for Security Governance Part 1 - ISACA 4: A Strategy Map for Se-curity Leaders: Applying the Balanced Scorecard Framework to Information Security - Security Intelligence : How to Measure Security From a Governance Perspective - ISA-CA : Project management - Wikipedia : Performance measurement - Wikipedia : Risk management - Wikipedia

The principle of least privilege—ensuring access is granted only to those whose job functions require it—is the primary control for securing data, especially in cloud environments.

“Access to information and systems should be based on the principles of least privilege and need to know, regardless of environment.”

— CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section: Access Control Management

ISACA’s CISM practice questions consistently highlight this principle as central to effective cloud security.

Explore

The most important consideration when developing key performance indicators (KPIs) for the information security program is B. Alignment with business initiatives. This is because KPIs are measurable values that demonstrate how effectively the information security program is achieving its objectives and delivering value to the organization. KPIs should be aligned with the business initiatives, such as the strategic goals, the mission, the vision, and the values of the organization, and support the achievement of the desired outcomes and benefits. KPIs should also reflect the needs, expectations, and challenges of the business stakeholders, and provide relevant, meaningful, and actionable information for decision making and improvement. KPIs should not be too technical, complex, or ambiguous, but rather focus on the key aspects of information security performance, such as risk, compliance, maturity, value, and effectiveness.

KPIs are measurable values that demonstrate how effectively the information security program is achieving its objectives and delivering value to the organization. KPIs should be aligned with the business initiatives, such as the strategic goals, the mission, the vision, and the values of the organization, and support the achievement of the desired outcomes and benefits. (From CISM Manual or related resources)

References = CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 1, Section 1.3.2, page 281; CISM Domain – Information Security Program Development | Infosec2; KPIs in Information Security: The 10 Most Important Security Metrics3

 The best way to test for the existence of backdoors in a mission-critical business application that was outsourced to a third-party developer is to perform security code reviews on the entire application. A backdoor is a hidden or undocumented feature or function in a software application that allows unauthorized or remote access, control, or manipulation of the application or the system it runs on. Backdoors can be intentionally or unintentionally introduced by the developers, or maliciously inserted by the attackers, and they can pose serious security risks and threats to the organization and its data. Security code reviews are the process of examining and analyzing the source code of a software application to identify and eliminate any security vulnerabilities, flaws, or weaknesses, such as backdoors, that may compromise the functionality, performance, or integrity of the application or the system. Security code reviews can be performed manually by the security experts, or automatically by the security tools, or both, and they can be done at different stages of the software development life cycle, such as design, coding, testing, or deployment. Security code reviews can help to detect and remove any backdoors in the application before they can be exploited by the attackers, and they can also help to improve the quality, reliability, and security of the application.

References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section: Information Security Program Development, page 1581; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, Question 87, page 812; CISM ITEM DEVELOPMENT GUIDE, page 63.

The best way to ensure that information security concerns are considered during the procurement of SaaS solutions is to integrate information security risk assessments into the procurement process. This will allow the organization to identify and evaluate the potential security risks and impacts of using a SaaS provider, and to select the most appropriate solution based on the risk appetite and tolerance of the organization. Information security risk assessments should be conducted at the early stages of the procurement process, before selecting a vendor or signing a contract, and should be updated periodically throughout the contract lifecycle.

Providing regular information security training to the procurement team (B) is a good practice, but it may not be sufficient to address the specific security issues and challenges of SaaS solutions. The procurement team may not have the expertise or the authority to conduct information security risk assessments or to negotiate security requirements with the vendors.

Inviting IT members into regular procurement team meetings to influence best practice © is also a good practice, but it may not be effective if the IT members are not involved in the actual procurement process or decision making. The IT members may not have the opportunity or the influence to conduct information security risk assessments or to ensure that security concerns are adequately addressed in the procurement contracts.

Enforcing the right to audit in procurement contracts with SaaS vendors (D) is an important control, but it is not the most effective way to ensure that information security concerns are considered during the procurement process. The right to audit is a post-contractual measure that allows the organization to verify the security controls and compliance of the SaaS provider, but it does not prevent or mitigate the security risks that may arise from using a SaaS solution. The right to audit should be complemented by information security risk assessments and other security requirements in the procurement contracts.

References = CISM Review Manual (Digital Version), Chapter 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section: Information Security Program Management, Subsection: Procurement and Vendor Management, Page 141-1421