CISM 2

When an organization hires a new information security manager, which of the following goals should this individual pursue FIRST?

• A. Develop a security architecture

• B. Establish good communication with steering committee members

• C. Assemble an experienced staff

• D. Benchmark peer organizations

Answer explanation

Explanation: New information security managers should seek to build rapport and establish lines of communication with senior management to enlist their support. Benchmarking peer organizations is beneficial to better understand industry best practices, but it is secondary to obtaining senior management support. Similarly, developing a security architecture and assembling an experienced staff are objectives that can be obtained later.

It is MOST important that information security architecture be aligned with which of the following?

• A. Industry best practices

• B. Information technology plans

• C. Information security best practices

• D. Business objectives and goals

Answer explanation

Explanation: Information security architecture should always be properly aligned with business goals and objectives. Alignment with IT plans or industry and security best practices is secondary by comparison.

Which of the following is MOST likely to be discretionary?

• A. Policies

• B. Procedures

• C. Guidelines

• D. Standards

Answer explanation

Explanation: Policies define security goals and expectations for an organization. These are defined in more specific terms within standards and procedures. Standards establish what is to be done while procedures describe how it is to be done. Guidelines provide recommendations that business management must consider in developing practices within their areas of control; as such, they are discretionary.

Security technologies should be selected PRIMARILY on the basis of their:

• A. ability to mitigate business risks.

• B. evaluations in trade publications.

• C. use of new and emerging technologies.

• D. benefits in comparison to their costs.

Answer explanation

Explanation: The most fundamental evaluation criterion for the appropriate selection of any security technology is its ability to reduce or eliminate business risks. Investments in security technologies should be based on their overall value in relation to their cost; the value can be demonstrated in terms of risk mitigation. This should take precedence over whether they use new or exotic technologies or how they are evaluated in trade publications.

Which of the following are seldom changed in response to technological changes?

• A. Standards

• B. Procedures

• C. Policies

• D. Guidelines

Answer explanation

Explanation: Policies are high-level statements of objectives. Because of their high-level nature and statement of broad operating principles, they are less subject to periodic change. Security standards and procedures as well as guidelines must be revised and updated based on the impact of technology changes.

The MOST important factor in planning for the long-term retention of electronically stored business records is to take into account potential changes in:

• A. storage capacity and shelf life.

• B. regulatory and legal requirements.

• C. business strategy and direction.

• D. application systems and media.

Answer explanation

Explanation: Long-term retention of business records may be severely impacted by changes in application systems and media. For example, data stored in nonstandard formats that can only be read and interpreted by previously decommissioned applications may be difficult, if not impossible, to recover. Business strategy and direction do not generally apply, nor do legal and regulatory requirements. Storage capacity and shelf life are important but secondary issues.

Which of the following is characteristic of decentralized information security management across a geographically dispersed organization?

• A. More uniformity in quality of service

• B. Better adherence to policies

• C. Better alignment to business unit needs

• D. More savings in total operating costs

Answer explanation

Explanation: Decentralization of information security management generally results in better alignment to business unit needs. It is generally more expensive to administer due to the lack of economies of scale. Uniformity in quality of service tends to vary from unit to unit.

Which of the following is the MOST appropriate position to sponsor the design and implementation of a new security infrastructure in a large global enterprise?

• A. Chief security officer (CSO)

• B. Chief operating officer (COO)

• C. Chief privacy officer (CPO)

• D. Chief legal counsel (CLC)

Answer explanation

Explanation: The chief operating officer (COO) is most knowledgeable of business operations and objectives. The chief privacy officer (CPO) and the chief legal counsel (CLC) may not have the knowledge of the day- to-day business operations to ensure proper guidance, although they have the same influence within the organization as the COO. Although the chief security officer (CSO) is knowledgeable of what is needed, the sponsor for this task should be someone with far-reaching influence across the organization.

Which of the following would be the MOST important goal of an information security governance program?

• A. Review of internal control mechanisms

• B. Effective involvement in business decision making

• C. Total elimination of risk factors

• D. Ensuring trust in data

Answer explanation

Explanation: The development of trust in the integrity of information among stakeholders should be the primary goal of information security governance. Review of internal control mechanisms relates more to auditing, while the total elimination of risk factors is not practical or possible. Proactive involvement in business decision making implies that security needs dictate business needs when, in fact, just the opposite is true. Involvement in decision making is important only to ensure business data integrity so that data can be trusted.

Relationships among security technologies are BEST defined through which of the following?

• A. Security metrics

• B. Network topology

• C. Security architecture

• D. Process improvement models

Answer explanation

Explanation: Security architecture explains the use and relationships of security mechanisms. Security metrics measure improvement within the security practice but do not explain the use and relationships of security technologies. Process improvement models and network topology diagrams also do not describe the use and relationships of these technologies.