Isaca CISM Certified Information Security Manager Exam Dumps and Practice Test Questions Set 10 Q136-150
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Question 136:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise incident management programs?
A) Allowing IT and security teams to respond to incidents independently without centralized governance, standardized procedures, or reporting
B) Establishing a structured incident management program including governance, incident classification, response workflows, escalation procedures, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on automated alerting systems without human analysis, coordination, or context-based decision-making
D) Addressing incidents only after they have escalated into business disruptions, regulatory violations, or audit findings
Answer: B
Explanation:
Incident management programs are crucial for detecting, responding to, and mitigating IT and security incidents in a timely and coordinated manner. Option B, establishing a structured incident management program including governance, incident classification, response workflows, escalation procedures, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing IT and security teams to respond independently (Option A) results in inconsistent responses, gaps in coverage, and ineffective communication, which may lead to extended downtime, financial loss, and regulatory noncompliance. Relying solely on automated alerting systems (Option C) may miss contextual indicators, fail to prioritize incidents, and limit the ability to coordinate response efforts. Addressing incidents only after significant escalation (Option D) is reactive and exposes the organization to operational, financial, and reputational harm.
A mature incident management program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Incident classification ensures that all events are categorized based on severity, potential impact, regulatory implications, and urgency. Response workflows define the steps for investigating, containing, eradicating, and recovering from incidents while ensuring communication with stakeholders. Escalation procedures guarantee that high-impact incidents are immediately elevated to the appropriate management level for timely decision-making. Monitoring provides visibility into incident trends, response times, and recurring issues, while metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure program effectiveness, operational resilience, and response efficiency.
Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from incident post-mortems, regulatory updates, emerging threats, technological advances, and operational feedback to refine governance, classification criteria, response workflows, escalation procedures, and monitoring capabilities. Training and awareness programs educate personnel on incident identification, reporting procedures, response responsibilities, and regulatory obligations. Implementing a structured incident management program enhances operational resilience, reduces downtime, strengthens security posture, ensures regulatory compliance, and supports informed decision-making. Proactive governance, classification, workflows, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure the program evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and regulatory requirements, transforming incident management into a strategic capability that supports long-term enterprise security, business continuity, and stakeholder confidence.
Question 137:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise business continuity management (BCM) programs?
A) Allowing individual business units to develop continuity plans independently without central governance, risk assessment, or testing
B) Establishing a structured BCM program including governance, business impact analysis, risk assessment, recovery strategies, plan development, testing, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on disaster recovery solutions for IT systems without considering business processes, critical services, or human resources
D) Addressing continuity planning only after a major disruption, financial loss, or regulatory intervention
Answer: B
Explanation:
Business continuity management (BCM) programs ensure that critical business functions can continue or quickly resume following disruptions. Option B, establishing a structured BCM program including governance, business impact analysis, risk assessment, recovery strategies, plan development, testing, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and comprehensive approach. Allowing individual units to plan independently (Option A) can result in inconsistent coverage, gaps in critical process identification, and coordination failures during disruptions. Relying solely on IT disaster recovery solutions (Option C) overlooks dependencies on people, processes, facilities, suppliers, and regulatory obligations, which can compromise overall business resilience. Addressing continuity planning only after a disruption (Option D) is reactive, leaving the organization exposed to prolonged downtime, financial losses, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage.
A mature BCM program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Business impact analysis (BIA) identifies critical processes, dependencies, and tolerable downtime thresholds. Risk assessment evaluates internal and external threats, vulnerabilities, and potential impact on operations. Recovery strategies define the approach for maintaining or restoring critical services, systems, personnel, and infrastructure. Plan development documents detailed response and recovery procedures tailored to different types of disruptions. Testing and exercises validate the effectiveness of plans, identify gaps, and improve preparedness.
Monitoring tracks compliance with BCM policies, incident response performance, and emerging threats that may affect continuity. Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure recovery time objectives (RTO), recovery point objectives (RPO), incident response effectiveness, and program maturity. Continuous improvement integrates lessons learned from incidents, testing exercises, audits, and evolving threats to enhance governance, BIA, risk assessments, recovery strategies, plan documentation, and testing practices. Training and awareness programs ensure personnel understand their roles in BCM, can respond effectively during disruptions, and comply with regulatory obligations. Implementing a structured BCM program enhances organizational resilience, reduces operational and financial risk, ensures regulatory compliance, supports strategic decision-making, and maintains stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, risk-based planning, testing, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure BCM evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging risks, and regulatory requirements, transforming continuity management into a strategic capability for long-term enterprise resilience and operational sustainability.
Question 138:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise vulnerability management programs?
A) Allowing IT teams to address vulnerabilities individually without centralized policy, prioritization, or monitoring
B) Establishing a structured vulnerability management program including governance, identification, risk-based prioritization, remediation, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on automated scanning tools without contextual risk evaluation, prioritization, or remediation tracking
D) Addressing vulnerabilities only after they have been exploited in incidents, audits, or regulatory findings
Answer: B
Explanation:
Vulnerability management programs are essential to proactively identify, evaluate, and remediate security weaknesses in IT systems, applications, and network infrastructure. Option B, establishing a structured vulnerability management program including governance, identification, risk-based prioritization, remediation, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing IT teams to address vulnerabilities independently (Option A) increases inconsistencies, leaves critical gaps unaddressed, and may result in conflicting remediation priorities. Relying solely on automated scanning tools (Option C) can generate high volumes of alerts without proper risk context or prioritization, leading to inefficient use of resources. Addressing vulnerabilities only after exploitation (Option D) is reactive, exposing the organization to operational disruptions, financial loss, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties.
A mature vulnerability management program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Vulnerability identification encompasses automated scanning, threat intelligence, configuration review, penetration testing, and vendor advisories. Risk-based prioritization evaluates vulnerabilities based on exploitability, potential impact, asset criticality, and regulatory obligations. Remediation activities include patch deployment, configuration changes, system hardening, and mitigation strategies. Monitoring tracks remediation progress, vulnerability recurrence, and overall risk exposure.
Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure vulnerability detection coverage, remediation timeliness, risk reduction, and program effectiveness. Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from incident analysis, audit findings, emerging threats, technological advancements, and operational feedback to refine governance, identification methods, prioritization criteria, remediation processes, and monitoring practices. Training and awareness programs educate personnel on vulnerability identification, reporting procedures, remediation responsibilities, and compliance obligations. Implementing a structured vulnerability management program enhances enterprise security posture, reduces the likelihood of successful attacks, ensures regulatory compliance, supports informed decision-making, and strengthens stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, risk-based prioritization, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure vulnerability management evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and regulatory requirements, transforming it into a strategic capability that protects the organization from security risks and supports long-term operational resilience.
Question 139:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise security awareness and training programs?
A) Allowing individual departments to provide ad hoc training without central governance, standardized content, or evaluation
B) Establishing a structured security awareness and training program, including governance, policies, role-based content, delivery methods, evaluation, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on generic vendor-provided content without alignment to enterprise policies, roles, or specific threats
D) Addressing training gaps only after security incidents, regulatory findings, or audit observations
Answer: B
Explanation:
Security awareness and training programs are critical for ensuring that personnel understand security policies, recognize threats, and act appropriately to protect enterprise information and systems. Option B, establishing a structured security awareness and training program including governance, policies, role-based content, delivery methods, evaluation, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing departments to conduct ad hoc training (Option A) can result in inconsistent content, uneven coverage, and gaps in security knowledge. Relying solely on generic vendor content (Option C) may not reflect enterprise-specific policies, compliance requirements, or emerging threats. Addressing gaps only after incidents (Option D) is reactive and increases the likelihood of recurring security breaches, operational disruption, financial loss, and reputational harm.
A mature security awareness program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Policies define mandatory training requirements, content standards, delivery schedules, and evaluation criteria. Role-based content tailors training to the responsibilities, access privileges, and threat exposure of employees, contractors, and executives. Delivery methods may include e-learning, in-person workshops, phishing simulations, newsletters, and awareness campaigns. Evaluation assesses knowledge retention, behavioral changes, compliance adherence, and effectiveness in reducing incidents.
Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure training completion rates, assessment performance, incident reduction, policy adherence, and program maturity. Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from incidents, audits, emerging threats, regulatory changes, technological advances, and participant feedback to refine governance, content, delivery, and evaluation methods. Implementing a structured security awareness program strengthens enterprise security culture, reduces human-related risks, ensures regulatory compliance, enhances incident response readiness, and maintains stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, role-based content, evaluation, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure the program evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and regulatory requirements, transforming awareness and training into a strategic capability that supports long-term enterprise security, compliance, and operational resilience.
Question 140:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise compliance management programs?
A) Allowing individual departments to manage compliance independently without central governance, monitoring, or reporting
B) Establishing a structured compliance management program including governance, policies, risk assessment, monitoring, reporting, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on regulatory checklists without risk-based assessment, process integration, or organizational context
D) Addressing compliance deficiencies only after regulatory investigations, audit findings, or penalties
Answer: B
Explanation:
Compliance management programs ensure that the enterprise adheres to applicable laws, regulations, standards, and internal policies. Option B, establishing a structured compliance management program including governance, policies, risk assessment, monitoring, reporting, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing departments to manage compliance independently (Option A) increases the likelihood of inconsistent practices, gaps, and regulatory exposure. Relying solely on checklists (Option C) may not consider risk-based prioritization, process integration, or enterprise context. Addressing deficiencies only after external findings (Option D) is reactive and exposes the organization to regulatory penalties, operational disruption, reputational damage, and financial loss.
A mature compliance program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Policies define regulatory requirements, internal standards, roles, responsibilities, and enforcement mechanisms. Risk assessments identify areas of highest exposure and prioritize compliance efforts. Monitoring tracks adherence to policies, identifies potential violations, and provides insight into emerging regulatory changes. Reporting communicates compliance status, findings, and recommendations to executives, boards, and regulators.
Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure compliance coverage, issue remediation timeliness, regulatory alignment, and program effectiveness. Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from incidents, audits, regulatory updates, operational feedback, and best practices to refine governance, policies, monitoring, and reporting. Training and awareness programs educate personnel on regulatory requirements, internal policies, compliance responsibilities, and reporting obligations. Implementing a structured compliance management program strengthens organizational integrity, reduces regulatory and operational risk, ensures accountability, enhances decision-making, and maintains stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, risk-based assessment, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure compliance management evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging regulations, and operational changes, transforming it into a strategic capability supporting long-term enterprise success and regulatory alignment.
Question 141:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise risk management (ERM) programs?
A) Allowing individual business units to manage risks independently without a central governance, risk assessment framework, or monitoring
B) Establishing a structured ERM program including governance, risk identification, assessment, mitigation strategies, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on historical incident data without proactive risk identification, analysis, or mitigation
D) Addressing risks only after incidents, financial losses, or regulatory penalties occur
Answer: B
Explanation:
Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) programs provide a structured approach to identify, assess, mitigate, and monitor risks across the organization. Option B, establishing a structured ERM program including governance, risk identification, assessment, mitigation strategies, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it ensures that risk management is proactive, enterprise-aligned, and comprehensive. Allowing individual units to manage risks independently (Option A) results in fragmented processes, inconsistent methodologies, gaps in coverage, and increased vulnerability to threats. Relying solely on historical incidents (Option C) provides a reactive view, overlooking emerging risks, changing business environments, and operational dependencies. Addressing risks only after incidents occur (Option D) exposes the organization to operational disruptions, financial loss, regulatory sanctions, and reputational harm.
A mature ERM program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Risk identification involves identifying internal and external threats, vulnerabilities, operational dependencies, strategic initiatives, and emerging regulatory changes. Risk assessment evaluates the likelihood, impact, and severity of each risk to prioritize mitigation strategies. Mitigation strategies may include risk avoidance, transfer, acceptance, or reduction through controls, processes, insurance, or contingency planning. Monitoring tracks risk exposure, control effectiveness, and emerging threats to ensure alignment with enterprise objectives.
Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure risk exposure trends, control effectiveness, mitigation success, and program maturity. Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from incidents, audits, emerging threats, operational feedback, and technological advancements to refine governance, identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring, and reporting processes. Training and awareness programs educate employees, management, and stakeholders on risk identification, mitigation responsibilities, and compliance obligations. Implementing a structured ERM program enhances organizational resilience, strengthens decision-making, ensures regulatory compliance, reduces financial and operational risks, and maintains stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, risk identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure that ERM evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and regulatory requirements, transforming risk management into a strategic capability that supports long-term organizational sustainability, operational excellence, and stakeholder trust.
Question 142:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise data governance programs?
A) Allowing departments to manage data quality, security, and privacy independently without centralized policies, oversight, or metrics
B) Establishing a structured data governance program, including governance, policies, data stewardship, data quality management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on technology tools for data validation without establishing roles, policies, or accountability
D) Addressing data quality, privacy, or compliance issues only after regulatory findings or operational errors occur
Answer: B
Explanation:
Enterprise data governance programs are critical for ensuring data accuracy, consistency, security, and regulatory compliance. Option B, establishing a structured data governance program including governance, policies, data stewardship, data quality management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing departments to manage data independently (Option A) results in inconsistent data quality, duplication, gaps in ownership, and increased regulatory risk. Relying solely on technology tools (Option C) may automate validation, but cannot enforce accountability, data stewardship, policy adherence, or process alignment. Addressing data issues only after errors or findings (Option D) is reactive and exposes the organization to operational disruptions, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties.
A mature data governance program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to provide authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Policies define standards for data quality, access, privacy, classification, retention, and compliance. Data stewardship assigns accountability to specific roles for managing, validating, and ensuring adherence to policies. Data quality management monitors the accuracy, completeness, consistency, and timeliness of critical data. Monitoring ensures compliance with policies, tracks data-related incidents, and identifies emerging gaps. Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure data quality, compliance adherence, stewardship effectiveness, and program maturity.
Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from operational errors, regulatory changes, emerging threats, technological developments, and stakeholder feedback to refine governance, policies, stewardship, monitoring, and reporting processes. Training and awareness programs educate staff on data handling, compliance responsibilities, data stewardship principles, and risk management. Implementing a structured data governance program enhances operational efficiency, ensures regulatory compliance, reduces errors, supports informed decision-making, and strengthens stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, policies, stewardship, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure that data governance evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging regulatory requirements, and business needs, transforming it into a strategic capability supporting long-term organizational success, data-driven decision-making, and operational excellence.
Question 143:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise third-party risk management programs?
A) Allowing individual departments to manage third-party relationships without centralized policies, risk assessment, or monitoring
B) Establishing a structured third-party risk management program, including governance, due diligence, risk assessment, contract management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on contractual clauses without assessing actual operational, security, or financial risks
D) Addressing third-party risks only after breaches, service failures, or audit findings occur
Answer: B
Explanation:
Third-party risk management programs are essential for identifying, assessing, mitigating, and monitoring risks associated with vendors, suppliers, and service providers. Option B, establishing a structured third-party risk management program including governance, due diligence, risk assessment, contract management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing departments to manage third-party relationships independently (Option A) increases the likelihood of inconsistent risk assessments, inadequate controls, operational gaps, and compliance violations. Relying solely on contractual clauses (Option C) may establish formal obligations, but does not provide real insight into operational, security, or financial risk exposure. Addressing risks only after incidents or failures (Option D) is reactive and increases organizational exposure to service disruption, financial loss, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage.
A mature third-party risk management program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Due diligence evaluates vendor financial stability, operational capability, security controls, regulatory compliance, and reputation. Risk assessments prioritize vendors based on criticality, potential impact, and exposure. Contract management ensures that agreements define roles, responsibilities, service levels, security controls, compliance obligations, and reporting requirements. Monitoring tracks vendor performance, adherence to contractual obligations, emerging risks, and regulatory compliance.
Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure vendor risk exposure, performance against service levels, remediation effectiveness, and program maturity. Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from incidents, audits, regulatory updates, technological changes, and operational feedback to refine governance, due diligence procedures, risk assessment criteria, contract management processes, and monitoring practices. Training and awareness programs educate personnel on third-party risk identification, contractual obligations, monitoring responsibilities, and regulatory requirements. Implementing a structured third-party risk management program enhances operational resilience, strengthens vendor oversight, reduces regulatory and financial risks, ensures compliance, and supports informed decision-making. Proactive governance, due diligence, risk assessment, contract management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure that third-party risk management evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and regulatory requirements, transforming it into a strategic capability supporting long-term enterprise security, compliance, and operational success.
Question 144:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise IT service management (ITSM) programs?
A) Allowing IT teams to manage services independently without standardized processes, governance, or metrics
B) Establishing a structured ITSM program including governance, service catalog, incident and problem management, change management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on tool automation without aligning processes, governance, or service objectives
D) Addressing service deficiencies only after user complaints, SLA breaches, or audit findings
Answer: B
Explanation:
IT Service Management (ITSM) programs ensure that IT services are delivered efficiently, consistently, and aligned with business objectives. Option B, establishing a structured ITSM program including governance, service catalog, incident and problem management, change management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing IT teams to manage services independently (Option A) can result in inconsistent service quality, SLA violations, operational inefficiencies, and misalignment with business needs. Relying solely on automation (Option C) may optimize certain processes but cannot ensure governance, process integration, or alignment with service objectives. Addressing deficiencies only after complaints or SLA breaches (Option D) is reactive and exposes the organization to operational, financial, and reputational risks.
A mature ITSM program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. A service catalog defines all IT services, associated processes, service levels, and responsibilities. Incident and problem management processes ensure timely resolution, root cause identification, and prevention of recurring issues. Change management provides controlled mechanisms for implementing modifications with minimal disruption. Monitoring tracks service performance, SLA compliance, incident trends, and process effectiveness. Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure service availability, resolution times, user satisfaction, and ITSM program maturity.
Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from incidents, audits, SLA reviews, user feedback, and technological advancements to refine governance, processes, service definitions, and monitoring practices. Training and awareness programs educate IT personnel on ITSM processes, roles, responsibilities, and alignment with business objectives. Implementing a structured ITSM program enhances service reliability, operational efficiency, alignment with business goals, regulatory compliance, and user satisfaction. Proactive governance, service catalog management, incident and problem management, change management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure ITSM evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging business needs, and technological developments, transforming IT service delivery into a strategic capability supporting long-term organizational success, operational resilience, and customer trust.
Question 145:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise audit management programs?
A) Allowing departments to manage internal audits independently without centralized policies, governance, or reporting
B) Establishing a structured audit management program, including governance, audit planning, risk-based prioritization, execution, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on checklist-based audits without risk alignment, governance, or follow-up
D) Addressing audit deficiencies only after findings, regulatory penalties, or operational incidents
Answer: B
Explanation:
Audit management programs are critical for assessing organizational controls, compliance, operational efficiency, and risk management effectiveness. Option B, establishing a structured audit management program including governance, audit planning, risk-based prioritization, execution, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing departments to manage audits independently (Option A) may result in inconsistent coverage, insufficient oversight, and gaps in risk assessment. Relying solely on checklist-based audits (Option C) may identify procedural gaps but fails to assess risks, controls effectiveness, or alignment with organizational objectives. Addressing deficiencies only after findings or incidents (Option D) is reactive and increases operational, financial, and regulatory risk exposure.
A mature audit management program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Audit planning identifies areas of highest risk, aligns with organizational priorities, and ensures coverage across operational, financial, IT, and regulatory domains. Risk-based prioritization ensures resources focus on areas with the greatest potential impact. Audit execution follows standardized methodologies to assess controls, compliance, operational effectiveness, and risk management practices. Monitoring tracks audit progress, issue remediation, and follow-up effectiveness. Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure audit coverage, finding resolution rates, risk reduction, and program maturity.
Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from audit results, regulatory updates, emerging risks, technological advances, and operational feedback to refine governance, planning, execution, monitoring, and reporting. Training and awareness programs educate auditors, management, and staff on audit objectives, methodologies, reporting obligations, and compliance requirements. Implementing a structured audit management program strengthens organizational governance, enhances risk management, ensures regulatory compliance, improves operational efficiency, and maintains stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, risk-based planning, standardized execution, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure audit management evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and regulatory requirements, transforming internal audit into a strategic capability supporting long-term organizational resilience, control effectiveness, and value delivery.
Question 146:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise access control programs?
A) Allowing each department to manage user access independently without centralized policies, governance, or monitoring
B) Establishing a structured access control program including governance, policies, role-based access, segregation of duties, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on automated account provisioning tools without policy enforcement, access reviews, or compliance checks
D) Addressing access violations only after unauthorized activity, audit findings, or security incidents occur
Answer: B
Explanation:
Access control programs are critical for ensuring that users have appropriate permissions to perform their roles while preventing unauthorized access to sensitive systems and data. Option B, establishing a structured access control program including governance, policies, role-based access, segregation of duties, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing each department to manage access independently (Option A) leads to inconsistent practices, unmonitored permissions, conflicts in segregation of duties, and increased risk of data breaches. Relying solely on automated provisioning tools (Option C) may streamline account creation, but cannot enforce policies, perform periodic reviews, or ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Addressing violations only after incidents (Option D) is reactive and exposes the organization to operational, financial, and reputational risks.
A mature access control program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Policies define access criteria, user roles, segregation of duties, authorization procedures, and compliance obligations. Role-based access ensures that users receive permissions based on their functional responsibilities, reducing the risk of excessive or inappropriate access. Segregation of duties prevents conflicts that could enable fraud, unauthorized transactions, or policy violations. Monitoring tracks access activity, anomalies, policy adherence, and potential threats. Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure access compliance, review effectiveness, incident reduction, and program maturity.
Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from access violations, audit findings, regulatory changes, technological advancements, and operational feedback to refine governance, policies, role definitions, monitoring, and review processes. Training and awareness programs educate employees on access policies, authorization procedures, and security responsibilities. Implementing a structured access control program enhances data protection, reduces the likelihood of unauthorized activity, ensures regulatory compliance, strengthens operational resilience, and maintains stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, policy enforcement, role-based access, segregation of duties, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure the program evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and regulatory requirements, transforming access management into a strategic capability that supports long-term security, operational efficiency, and stakeholder trust.
Question 147:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise configuration management programs?
A) Allowing IT teams to configure systems independently without standardized policies, governance, or documentation
B) Establishing a structured configuration management program, including governance, policies, configuration baselines, change management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on automated configuration tools without establishing standards, policies, or approval workflows
D) Addressing configuration errors only after system failures, security incidents, or audit findings
Answer: B
Explanation:
Configuration management programs ensure that IT systems and devices are configured consistently, securely, and in alignment with organizational policies. Option B, establishing a structured configuration management program including governance, policies, configuration baselines, change management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing IT teams to configure systems independently (Option A) leads to inconsistent settings, vulnerabilities, and operational errors. Relying solely on automated tools (Option C) may enforce certain configurations but cannot account for organizational policies, approval processes, or governance oversight. Addressing configuration errors only after failures or incidents (Option D) is reactive and exposes the organization to downtime, security breaches, and regulatory noncompliance.
A mature configuration management program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Policies define standard configurations, hardening requirements, change procedures, and compliance criteria. Configuration baselines document approved system settings, network configurations, software versions, and security parameters. Change management ensures that all modifications follow standardized procedures, including approval, testing, documentation, and rollback capabilities. Monitoring tracks configuration changes, deviations from baselines, policy adherence, and emerging risks. Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure configuration compliance, deviation trends, change success rates, and program maturity.
Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from incidents, audit findings, technological advancements, operational feedback, and regulatory changes to refine governance, policies, baselines, change procedures, and monitoring practices. Training and awareness programs educate IT staff on configuration standards, change processes, compliance obligations, and operational best practices. Implementing a structured configuration management program ensures system consistency, reduces the risk of misconfigurations, enhances security, ensures regulatory compliance, strengthens operational resilience, and maintains stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, standardized baselines, change management, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure that configuration management evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and operational requirements, transforming it into a strategic capability that supports long-term security, reliability, and efficiency.
Question 148:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise change management programs?
A) Allowing IT and business units to implement changes independently without standardized procedures, governance, or risk assessment
B) Establishing a structured change management program including governance, change policies, risk assessment, approval workflows, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on automated tools to deploy changes without approvals, testing, or documentation
D) Addressing change failures only after incidents, service disruptions, or audit findings
Answer: B
Explanation:
Change management programs are critical to ensuring that modifications to IT systems, processes, and services are implemented in a controlled, consistent, and risk-aware manner. Option B, establishing a structured change management program including governance, change policies, risk assessment, approval workflows, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing IT and business units to implement changes independently (Option A) leads to inconsistent practices, untested modifications, operational disruption, and increased risk exposure. Relying solely on automated tools (Option C) may expedite deployment but cannot ensure risk assessment, approvals, testing, or documentation. Addressing change failures only after incidents occur (Option D) is reactive and exposes the organization to downtime, service degradation, security incidents, financial loss, and regulatory penalties.
A mature change management program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Change policies define procedures, roles, responsibilities, risk thresholds, testing requirements, communication protocols, and compliance obligations. Risk assessment evaluates potential impact, likelihood of failure, interdependencies, and mitigation measures for proposed changes. Approval workflows ensure that changes are reviewed and authorized by appropriate stakeholders before implementation. Monitoring tracks change execution, adherence to procedures, incident correlation, and post-implementation performance. Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure change success rates, incident reduction, process compliance, and program maturity.
Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from change failures, incidents, operational feedback, technological advancements, and regulatory updates to refine governance, policies, risk assessment, approval workflows, monitoring, and reporting practices. Training and awareness programs educate IT personnel, business stakeholders, and management on change management processes, risk assessment techniques, and compliance responsibilities. Implementing a structured change management program enhances operational stability, reduces the risk of service disruption, ensures compliance, strengthens stakeholder confidence, and supports informed decision-making. Proactive governance, risk assessment, approvals, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure that change management evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging technologies, and regulatory requirements, transforming it into a strategic capability that supports long-term operational resilience, efficiency, and organizational success.
Question 149:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise incident response and disaster recovery programs?
A) Allowing IT and business units to respond to incidents independently without standardized procedures, governance, or testing
B) Establishing a structured incident response and disaster recovery program, including governance, policies, roles, response workflows, testing, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on automated alerting and backup systems without defined procedures, communication, or decision-making frameworks
D) Addressing incidents and disasters only after they cause operational disruption, financial loss, or regulatory penalties
Answer: B
Explanation:
Incident response and disaster recovery programs are essential for minimizing operational impact, maintaining business continuity, and restoring services during and after disruptions. Option B, establishing a structured incident response and disaster recovery program including governance, policies, roles, response workflows, testing, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing IT and business units to respond independently (Option A) leads to inconsistent procedures, delayed responses, and increased risk exposure. Relying solely on automated alerting and backup systems (Option C) provides limited response capability and fails to address coordination, decision-making, and prioritization during incidents. Addressing incidents only after significant impact (Option D) is reactive and exposes the organization to operational, financial, reputational, and regulatory risks.
A mature program begins with governance and executive sponsorship to establish authority, accountability, and alignment with enterprise objectives. Policies define incident classification, escalation procedures, communication protocols, recovery priorities, and compliance obligations. Roles and responsibilities ensure that personnel understand their duties during an incident or disaster. Response workflows provide step-by-step procedures for identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident review. Testing and exercises validate the program’s effectiveness, identify gaps, and enhance readiness. Monitoring tracks incident trends, response performance, recovery times, and compliance adherence. Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure program effectiveness, incident response time, recovery objectives achievement, and operational resilience.
Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from incidents, audits, regulatory updates, operational feedback, and technological advancements to refine governance, policies, workflows, monitoring, and reporting practices. Training and awareness programs educate personnel on incident recognition, response procedures, and recovery responsibilities. Implementing a structured incident response and disaster recovery program strengthens operational resilience, reduces downtime, ensures regulatory compliance, supports informed decision-making, and maintains stakeholder confidence. Proactive governance, policies, defined roles, response workflows, testing, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure the program evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and regulatory requirements, transforming incident response and disaster recovery into a strategic capability supporting long-term enterprise continuity, operational reliability, and stakeholder trust.
Question 150:
Which of the following is the most effective approach to implement enterprise cybersecurity governance programs?
A) Allowing IT security teams to implement controls independently without executive oversight, policies, or monitoring
B) Establishing a structured cybersecurity governance program, including executive sponsorship, policies, risk management integration, compliance alignment, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement
C) Relying solely on technical security controls without policy enforcement, risk assessment, or a governance framework
D) Addressing cybersecurity gaps only after breaches, incidents, or regulatory penalties occur
Answer: B
Explanation:
Cybersecurity governance programs are critical for aligning security initiatives with enterprise objectives, regulatory requirements, and risk management strategies. Option B, establishing a structured cybersecurity governance program including executive sponsorship, policies, risk management integration, compliance alignment, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement, is the most effective because it provides a proactive, enterprise-aligned, and systematic approach. Allowing IT teams to implement controls independently (Option A) leads to inconsistent security practices, gaps in compliance, and insufficient executive oversight. Relying solely on technical controls (Option C) ignores governance, risk management, policy enforcement, and organizational alignment. Addressing cybersecurity gaps only after incidents occur (Option D) is reactive and exposes the organization to operational disruption, financial loss, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage.
A mature cybersecurity governance program begins with executive sponsorship to provide authority, accountability, and strategic alignment with enterprise objectives. Policies define security objectives, risk appetite, access management, incident management, compliance requirements, and operational responsibilities. Risk management integration ensures that cybersecurity controls align with enterprise risk assessments, threat landscapes, and mitigation strategies. Compliance alignment ensures adherence to regulations, standards, and contractual obligations. Monitoring tracks security posture, control effectiveness, incidents, policy adherence, and emerging threats. Metrics, KPIs, and KRIs measure program effectiveness, risk reduction, compliance coverage, incident response performance, and organizational maturity.
Continuous improvement incorporates lessons learned from security incidents, audits, regulatory changes, technological advances, and operational feedback to refine governance, policies, risk management integration, monitoring, and reporting practices. Training and awareness programs educate employees, IT personnel, and executives on cybersecurity policies, responsibilities, emerging threats, and compliance obligations. Implementing a structured cybersecurity governance program enhances security posture, reduces risk exposure, ensures regulatory compliance, strengthens operational resilience, supports informed decision-making, and maintains stakeholder confidence. Proactive executive sponsorship, policies, risk management integration, monitoring, metrics, and continuous improvement ensure that cybersecurity governance evolves with enterprise objectives, emerging threats, and regulatory requirements, transforming it into a strategic capability supporting long-term organizational resilience, secure operations, and stakeholder trust.