CISM Questions Bank

= A business continuity plan (BCP) is the plan that should be invoked by an organization in an effort to remain operational during a disaster. A disaster is a sudden, unexpected, or disruptive event that causes significant damage, loss, or interruption to the organization’s normal operations, assets, or resources. Examples of disasters are natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, or fires, or human-made disasters, such as cyberattacks, sabotage, or terrorism. A BCP is a document that describes the procedures, strategies, and actions that the organization will take to ensure the continuity of its critical business functions, processes, and services in the event of a disaster. A BCP also defines the roles and responsibilities of the staff, management, and other stakeholders involved in the business continuity management, and the resources, tools, and systems that will support the business continuity activities. A BCP helps the organization to:

Minimize the impact and duration of the disaster on the organization’s operations, assets, and reputation.

Restore the essential functions and services as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Protect the health, safety, and welfare of the staff, customers, and partners.

Meet the legal, regulatory, contractual, and ethical obligations of the organization.

Learn from the disaster and improve the business continuity capabilities and readiness of the organization.

References = CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, Chapter 3: Information Security Program Development and Management, Section: Business Continuity Plan (BCP), page 1771; CISM Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual, 10th Edition, Question 83, page 772.

The most effective way to prevent information security incidents is to implement a security awareness training program for employees. Security awareness training provides employees with the knowledge and skills they need to identify potential security threats and protect their systems from unauthorized access and malicious activity. Security awareness training also helps to ensure that employees understand their roles and responsibilities when it comes to information security, and can help to reduce the risk of information security incidents by making employees more aware of potential risks. Additionally, implementing a security information and event management (SIEM) tool, deploying a consistent incident response approach, and deploying intrusion detection tools in the network environment can also help to reduce the risk of security incidents

= Testing response scenarios is the most important factor in increasing the effectiveness of incident responders, as it allows them to practice their skills, identify gaps and weaknesses, evaluate the adequacy and feasibility of the incident response plan, and improve their coordination and communication. Testing response scenarios can also help to enhance the confidence and readiness of the incident responders, as well as to measure their performance and compliance with the policies and procedures. Testing response scenarios can be done through various methods, such as tabletop exercises, simulations, drills, or full-scale exercises, depending on the scope, objectives, and complexity of the scenarios.

The other options are not as important as testing response scenarios, although they may also contribute to the effectiveness of incident responders. Communicating with the management team is important to ensure that the incident responders have the necessary support, resources, and authority to carry out their tasks, as well as to report the status and outcomes of the incident response. However, communication alone is not sufficient to increase the effectiveness of incident responders, as they also need to have the relevant knowledge, skills, and experience to handle the incidents. Integrating staff with the IT department may help to facilitate the collaboration and information sharing between the incident responders and the IT staff, who may have the technical expertise and access to the systems and data involved in the incidents. However, integration alone is not enough to increase the effectiveness of incident responders, as they also need to have the appropriate roles, responsibilities, and processes to manage the incidents. Reviewing the incident response plan annually is important to ensure that the plan is updated and aligned with the current risks, threats, and business requirements, as well as to incorporate the lessons learned and best practices from previous incidents. However, reviewing the plan alone is not enough to increase the effectiveness of incident responders, as they also need to test and validate the plan in realistic scenarios and conditions. References =

CISM Review Manual, 16th Edition, ISACA, 2022, pp. 223-225, 230-231.

CISM Questions, Answers & Explanations Database, ISACA, 2022, QID 1004.

Lessons learned analysis is the best way to enable an organization to enhance its incident response plan processes and procedures because it helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current plan, capture the feedback and recommendations from the incident responders and stakeholders, and implement the necessary improvements and corrective actions for future incidents. Security risk assessments are not directly related to enhancing the incident response plan, but rather to identifying and evaluating the security risks and controls of the organization. Information security audits are not directly related to enhancing the incident response plan, but rather to verifying and validating the compliance and effectiveness of the security policies and standards of the organization. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are not directly related to enhancing the incident response plan, but rather to measuring and reporting the performance and progress of the security objectives and initiatives of the organization. References: