Isaca CISM Practice Test 36
Question 350
A sales organization suffered credential theft after repeated social engineering calls to its help desk. After reviewing the situation, the management objective is to measure effectiveness after training changes. Which response MOST directly addresses it?
- Implement dual approval and recorded verification for sensitive recovery requests
- Review actual identity-proofing calls and escalation decisions
- Train on verification procedures and supervised escalation drills
- Test sampled reset requests and track unauthorized exceptions
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Proof of behavior matters more than course attendance. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Preventive workflow limits social engineering. That action primarily serves the different objective to prevent overrides of high-risk identity resets. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to measure effectiveness after training changes.
B:Real-world patterns reveal weaknesses. That action primarily serves the different objective to identify behavior gaps in service desk authentication. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to measure effectiveness after training changes.
C:Scenario practice improves response. That action primarily serves the different objective to teach staff how to challenge urgent callers safely. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to measure effectiveness after training changes.
Question 351
An insurance firm finds archived customer records without usable ownership or retention tags. For the next governance decision, the team must implement lifecycle controls consistently. Which choice BEST provides that outcome?
- Map repositories, records, owners and legal hold requirements
- Apply a documented sensitivity and retention taxonomy
- Have business owners approve disposition and access decisions
- Enforce retention and authorized deletion using recorded approvals
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Lifecycle obligations need operating controls. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Deleting unknown records may violate obligations. That action primarily serves the different objective to reconstruct the inventory before bulk deletion. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to implement lifecycle controls consistently.
B:Different records require different handling. That action primarily serves the different objective to classify records based on business and privacy impact. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to implement lifecycle controls consistently.
C:IT custody does not establish data ownership. That action primarily serves the different objective to assign accountable data stewards. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to implement lifecycle controls consistently.
Question 352
An analytics platform gives administrators permanent privileged access to production datasets. The security program has been tasked specifically to validate that access is appropriately restricted. Which approach should be selected?
- Define break-glass authorization and independent post-use review
- Collect actionable privileged activity logs with independent monitoring
- Review sampled grants and test expiry against the approved role model
- Introduce just-in-time elevated roles with approval and expiry
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Documentation cannot replace enforcement. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Availability exceptions need accountability. That action primarily serves the different objective to ensure emergency data access remains possible. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to validate that access is appropriately restricted.
B:Visibility is needed to identify abuse. That action primarily serves the different objective to detect misuse of privileged sessions. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to validate that access is appropriately restricted.
D:Temporary privilege reduces persistent exposure. That action primarily serves the different objective to reduce standing privilege. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to validate that access is appropriately restricted.
Question 353
A health insurer deploys a machine learning claims service and needs security controls integrated before release. A security manager has a defined assignment: test whether security controls work. Which action BEST fulfills that specific assignment?
- Use controlled model promotion with accountable approval and version history
- Exercise unauthorized inference access and inspect audit events
- Embed data minimization, access control and testing criteria into design acceptance
- Threat-model sensitive data use, model access and third-party dependencies
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Positive test evidence validates enforcement. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Model updates can alter risk unexpectedly. That action primarily serves the different objective to prevent unreviewed model changes. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to test whether security controls work.
C:Security design should precede release. That action primarily serves the different objective to choose secure development requirements. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to test whether security controls work.
D:AI workflows introduce data and model risks. That action primarily serves the different objective to identify risks to training and inference workflows. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to test whether security controls work.
Question 354
A nonprofit runs yearly penetration testing but does not repair repeated high-severity findings. The accountable executive now asks the team to report recurring control failure to governance. What should the security manager recommend?
- Create accountable remediation tasks with agreed severity targets
- Rank confirmed exploitable findings by donor-system exposure and impact
- Retest affected attack paths and retain validation evidence
- Escalate repeat findings and root causes to the responsible executives
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Persistent patterns may need structural investment. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Unowned reports cannot fix risk. That action primarily serves the different objective to assign clear owners and deadlines. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to report recurring control failure to governance.
B:Testing value comes from risk reduction. That action primarily serves the different objective to prioritize actionable remediation. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to report recurring control failure to governance.
C:A closed ticket is not a verified fix. That action primarily serves the different objective to verify corrections rather than trust ticket closure. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to report recurring control failure to governance.
Question 355
A multinational's data loss prevention program blocks harmless collaboration but misses confidential file exports. After reviewing the situation, the management objective is to evaluate actual DLP control coverage. Which response MOST directly addresses it?
- Review classification and authorized sharing patterns with data owners
- Run monitored policy simulations and tune false positives before blocking
- Map sensitivity labels and risky destinations to enforceable DLP conditions
- Measure confirmed leakage events and bypass paths by channel
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Alert count alone is not protection. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Rules need business context. That action primarily serves the different objective to clarify protected information and valid workflows. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to evaluate actual DLP control coverage.
B:Testing reduces user disruption. That action primarily serves the different objective to pilot enforcement without disrupting work. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to evaluate actual DLP control coverage.
C:Risk-based rules improve targeting. That action primarily serves the different objective to select policy rules for meaningful leakage channels. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to evaluate actual DLP control coverage.
Question 356
A large university is moving endpoints to a centralized security management platform. Teams report the endpoint baseline has been published, but the committee has no evidence that protections are enforced. For the next governance decision, the team must validate endpoint protection consistently. Which choice BEST provides that outcome?
- Pilot in representative departments and use staged deployment controls
- Measure policy compliance and tested detection across device groups
- Publish the approved endpoint baseline and count policy acknowledgements as evidence of effective protection
- Inventory operating systems, critical applications and management constraints
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:An enrolled device is not necessarily protected. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Research workloads may have compatibility needs. That action primarily serves the different objective to deploy safely across research departments. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to validate endpoint protection consistently.
C:Publishing baselines is design governance, not operating effectiveness. Measured policy compliance and tested detection across device types are required to verify protection.
D:Device diversity affects control rollout. That action primarily serves the different objective to understand unsupported devices and workloads. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to validate endpoint protection consistently.
Question 357
An enterprise uses multiple public clouds and wants consistent access controls without forcing identical implementations. The security program has been tasked specifically to test effective access across clouds. Which approach should be selected?
- Review privilege paths and logging evidence for each implementation
- Set common identity, logging and data-protection control objectives
- Document customer-managed and provider-managed controls per service
- Translate the common outcomes into approved configurations in each cloud
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Similar policy names may yield different rights. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
B:Outcomes can be comparable across platforms. That action primarily serves the different objective to define cross-cloud security outcomes. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to test effective access across clouds.
C:Cloud responsibility varies by service model. That action primarily serves the different objective to map each provider's responsibility boundaries. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to test effective access across clouds.
D:Uniform intent may need different technical controls. That action primarily serves the different objective to implement platform-native baselines. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to test effective access across clouds.
Question 358
A transport company manages thousands of certificates for vehicle APIs and fears accidental expiry. A security manager has a defined assignment: test rotation before a major deadline. Which action BEST fulfills that specific assignment?
- Track certificate owners, dependencies and expiration dates
- Exercise renewal and rollback on representative service paths
- Assign automated rotation ownership and emergency recovery procedures
- Use overlapping trust and staged replacement with partner validation
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:A runbook alone may contain errors. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Unknown credentials create outage risks. That action primarily serves the different objective to establish an accurate credential inventory. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to test rotation before a major deadline.
C:Renewal needs operational accountability. That action primarily serves the different objective to define certificate renewal responsibilities. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to test rotation before a major deadline.
D:Cutover can fail if clients are not prepared. That action primarily serves the different objective to implement safe rotation without service interruption. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to test rotation before a major deadline.
Question 359
A national retailer plans secure coding practices for a rapidly growing delivery application. The accountable executive now asks the team to handle a critical flaw found before launch. What should the security manager recommend?
- Pause release or obtain authorized risk treatment based on business impact
- Use source/dependency analysis and targeted dynamic testing in the pipeline
- Require threat modeling and risk acceptance criteria for significant features
- Embed product security responsibilities in development and release governance
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Deadlines do not eliminate product risk. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
B:Different tests find different weaknesses. That action primarily serves the different objective to automate a suitable mix of tests. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to handle a critical flaw found before launch.
C:Early decisions affect architecture. That action primarily serves the different objective to integrate security into product planning. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to handle a critical flaw found before launch.
D:Ownership prevents late-stage gaps. That action primarily serves the different objective to assign owners of application security requirements. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to handle a critical flaw found before launch.
Question 360
A hospital tracks security controls by purchase date and vendor name but cannot prove effectiveness. After reviewing the situation, the management objective is to report ineffective controls to risk owners. Which response MOST directly addresses it?
- Document the risk scenario and measurable preventive or detective result
- Link failed tests to residual impact, remediation dates and accountable owners
- Use configuration inspection, operation sampling and controlled security tests
- Test whether controls function repeatedly in the production context
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Management needs impact and ownership. This is the specified management outcome in the scenario; it gives the accountable team an action matched to the stated requirement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Control intent must be explicit. That action primarily serves the different objective to define the expected outcome of each control. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to report ineffective controls to risk owners.
C:Multiple evidence types improve assurance. That action primarily serves the different objective to select independent validation methods. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to report ineffective controls to risk owners.
D:A good design may be badly operated. That action primarily serves the different objective to distinguish operating from design effectiveness. It is not the step that directly satisfies the stated need to report ineffective controls to risk owners.