Isaca Certification CISM Isaca Study Notes

= Following the incident response plan is the most important step for the security manager before classifying the suspected event as a security incident, as it provides the guidance and procedures for the incident management team to follow in order to identify, contain, analyze, and resolve security incidents. The incident response plan should define the roles and responsibilities of the incident management team, the criteria and process for incident classification and prioritization, the communication and escalation protocols, the tools and resources for incident handling, and the post-incident review and improvement activities123. References =

1: CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, page 199-2004

2: CISM Practice Quiz, question 1011

3: Computer Security Incident Handling Guide5, page 2-3

 The information security manager should present a business case for additional controls to senior management, as this is the most effective way to communicate the risk and the need for mitigation. The information security manager should not instruct IT to deploy controls based on urgent business needs, as this may not align with the business objectives and may cause unnecessary costs and delays. The information security manager should not solicit bids for compensating control products, as this may not address the root cause of the risk and may not be the best solution. The information security manager should not recommend a different application, as this may not be feasible or desirable for the business. References = CISM Review Manual 2023, page 711; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual 2023, page 252

The incident response team can best leverage the results of a business impact analysis (BIA) by assigning restoration priority during incidents. A BIA is a process that identifies and evaluates the criticality and dependency of the organization’s business functions, processes, and resources, and the potential impacts and consequences of their disruption or loss. The BIA results provide the basis for determining the recovery objectives, strategies, and plans for the organization’s business continuity and disaster recovery. By using the BIA results, the incident response team can prioritize the restoration of the most critical and time-sensitive business functions, processes, and resources, and allocate the appropriate resources, personnel, and time to minimize the impact and duration of the incident.

Determining total cost of ownership (TCO) (B) is not a relevant way to leverage the results of a BIA, as it is not directly related to incident response. TCO is a financial metric that estimates the total direct and indirect costs of owning and operating an asset or a system over its lifecycle. TCO may be useful for evaluating the cost-effectiveness and return on investment of different security solutions or alternatives, but it does not help the incident response team to respond to or recover from an incident.

Evaluating vendors critical to business recovery © is also not a relevant way to leverage the results of a BIA, as it is not a primary responsibility of the incident response team. Evaluating vendors critical to business recovery is a part of the vendor management process, which involves selecting, contracting, monitoring, and reviewing the vendors that provide essential products or services to support the organization’s business continuity and disaster recovery. Evaluating vendors critical to business recovery may be done before or after an incident, but not during an incident, as it does not contribute to the incident response or restoration activities.

Calculating residual risk after the incident recovery phase (D) is also not a relevant way to leverage the results of a BIA, as it is not a timely or effective use of the BIA results. Residual risk is the risk that remains after the implementation of risk treatment or mitigation measures. Calculating residual risk after the incident recovery phase may be done as a part of the incident review or improvement process, but not during the incident response or restoration phase, as it does not help the incident response team to resolve or contain the incident.

References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 4: Information Security Incident Management, Section: Incident Response Plan, Subsection: Business Impact Analysis, page 182-1831

= The most useful source of information for a newly hired information security manager who has been tasked with developing and implementing an information security strategy is the organization’s mission statement and roadmap. The mission statement defines the organization’s purpose, vision, values, and goals, and the roadmap outlines the organization’s strategic direction, priorities, and initiatives. By reviewing the mission statement and roadmap, the information security manager can understand the organization’s business objectives, risk appetite, and security needs, and align the information security strategy with them. The information security strategy should support and enable the organization’s mission and roadmap, and provide the security governance, policies, standards, and controls to protect the organization’s information assets and processes.

The capabilities and expertise of the information security team (A) are important factors for the information security manager to consider, but they are not the most useful source of information for developing and implementing an information security strategy. The information security team is responsible for executing and maintaining the information security program and activities, such as risk management, security awareness, incident response, and compliance. The information security manager should assess the capabilities and expertise of the information security team to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and to plan the resource allocation, training, and development of the team. However, the capabilities and expertise of the information security team do not directly inform the information security strategy, which should be driven by the organization’s business objectives, risk appetite, and security needs.

A prior successful information security strategy © is a possible source of information for the information security manager to refer to, but it is not the most useful one. A prior successful information security strategy is a strategy that has been implemented and evaluated by another organization or a previous information security manager, and has achieved the desired security outcomes and benefits. The information security manager can learn from the best practices, lessons learned, and challenges of a prior successful information security strategy, and apply them to the current organization or situation. However, a prior successful information security strategy may not be relevant, applicable, or suitable for the organization, as it may not reflect the current or future business objectives, risk appetite, and security needs of the organization, or the changing threat landscape and business environment.

The organization’s information technology (IT) strategy (D) is also a possible source of information for the information security manager to consult, but it is not the most useful one. The IT strategy is a strategy that defines the IT vision, goals, and initiatives of the organization, and how IT supports and enables the business processes and activities. The information security manager should review the IT strategy to understand the IT infrastructure, systems, and services of the organization, and how they relate to the information security program and activities. However, the IT strategy is not the primary driver of the information security strategy, which should be aligned with the organization’s business objectives, risk appetite, and security needs, and not only with the IT objectives, capabilities, and requirements.

References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 1: Information Security Governance, Section: Information Security Strategy Development, page 23-241