Pearson 712-50 New Attempt

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (250–350 words) From Exact Extract from Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) Documents:

The EC-Council CCISO Body of Knowledge identifies the allocation of resources for remediation as the most important outcome of the management response within the audit process. CCISO materials emphasize that audits only create value when findings lead to actionable remediation, which requires executive approval and funding.

While identifying deficiencies and root causes is important, CCISO guidance makes clear that management response is where leadership formally decides whether risks will be accepted, mitigated, transferred, or avoided. This decision directly determines whether staffing, budget, tools, and timelines will be assigned to address identified issues.

Adding controls is a potential outcome, but CCISO stresses that controls cannot be implemented without explicit management commitment of resources. Therefore, the defining result of management response is the determination of remediation support.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (250–350 words)

Exact alignment with EC-Council CCISO documentation and referenced ISO standards

According to EC-Council Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) program documentation, measuring the effectiveness of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) requires defined, repeatable, and standardized metrics. The CCISO body of knowledge explicitly aligns ISMS performance measurement with ISO/IEC 27004, which is the international standard dedicated to information security metrics, measurement, and reporting.

ISO/IEC 27004 provides guidance on how organizations should develop, implement, analyze, and improve measurements that assess the effectiveness and efficiency of an ISMS. The CCISO program emphasizes that governance-level leaders must rely on quantifiable, objective metrics rather than operational frameworks or risk assessment standards when evaluating ISMS performance. ISO 27004 directly supports this executive requirement by defining what to measure, how to measure it, and how to interpret results in the context of business objectives.

In contrast, ITIL is a service management framework focused on IT service delivery and lifecycle management, not on measuring ISMS effectiveness. While ITIL supports operational excellence, CCISO materials clearly distinguish IT service management from security governance measurement.

COBIT (corrected from the incorrect spelling “CODIT”) is a governance and management framework for enterprise IT. Although COBIT includes security-related control objectives and maturity models, it is not designed specifically to measure ISMS effectiveness at the level required by ISO-aligned security programs.

ISO/IEC 27005, meanwhile, focuses on information security risk management. The CCISO curriculum explains that risk assessment is a critical component of an ISMS, but it does not provide guidance on performance measurement or effectiveness metrics.

Therefore, as confirmed in EC-Council CCISO documentation and its reliance on ISO standards, ISO/IEC 27004 is the correct and authoritative standard used to measure the effectiveness of an ISMS, making Option C the correct answer.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (250–350 words) From Exact Extract from Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) Documents:

The EC-Council CCISO Body of Knowledge identifies lack of proper policy governance as the most common reason security policies are ignored or unenforced. Policy governance includes executive sponsorship, ownership assignment, approval authority, enforcement mechanisms, and periodic review.

CCISO documentation explains that without governance, policies become theoretical documents with no accountability or enforcement power. Even well-written policies fail when leadership does not mandate compliance or assign responsibility for enforcement.

While awareness, role clarity, and risk management contribute to policy effectiveness, CCISO materials emphasize that governance is the root enabler. Governance ensures that policies are aligned with business objectives, formally approved, communicated, enforced, and audited.

Therefore, lack of proper policy governance is the most probable explanation.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

KPIs are measurable values that demonstrate how effectively an organization is achieving key objectives.

Standardization Importance:

Uniform KPIs across the organization allow easy comparison, correlation, and alignment with overarching goals.

Why Not Other Options:

A: Independent development risks misalignment with strategic goals.

B & D: KPIs can include both qualitative and quantitative metrics.