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CISM: Certified Information Security Manager

Subjects : certifications, cism, it-skills

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. Used to understand the flow of one process into another.
Role-based access control
The board of directors and senior management
Waterfall chart
Safeguards over keys

2. Computer that has duplicate components so it can continue to operate when one of its main components fail
Fault-tolerant computer
Virus
Aligned with organizational goals
Its ability to reduce or eliminate business risks

3. Should be determined from the risk assessment results.
Encryption
Audit objectives
Monitoring processes
Proficiency testing

4. Reducing risk to a level too small to measure is _______________.
The awareness and agreement of the data subjects
Impractical and is often cost-prohibitive
Assess the risks to the business operation
Total cost of ownership (TCO)

5. The starting point for driving management's attention to information security. All other choices will follow the risk assessment.
Undervoltage (brownout)
Acceptable use policies
Return on security investment (ROSI)
Risk assessment - evaluation and impact analysis

6. Utility program that detects and protects a personal computer from unauthorized intrusions
Multinational organization
Encryption of the hard disks
The data custodian
Personal firewall

7. All within the responsibility of the information security manager.
Transmit e-mail messages
Cost of control
include security responsibilities in a job description
Platform security - intrusion detection and antivirus controls

8. Effective and efficient in large user communities because it controls system access by the roles defined for groups of users. Users are assigned to the various roles and the system controls the access based on those roles.
Data isolation
Background checks of prospective employees
Role-based access control
Impractical and is often cost-prohibitive

9. Can be a standalone driver for an information security governance measure. No further analysis nor justification is required since the entity has no choice in the regulatory requirements.
Transmit e-mail messages
Skills inventory
Regulatory compliance
Internal risk assessment

10. Awareness training would most likely result in any attempted ____________ being challenged by the authorized employee
Tailgating
Notifications and opt-out provisions
Methodology used in the assessment
All personnel

11. Has to be integrated into the requirements of every software application's design.
Trojan horse
Background checks of prospective employees
Encryption key management
Tie security risks to key business objectives

12. The weakest link in security implementation - and awareness would reduce this risk. Through security awareness and training programs - individual employees can be informed and sensitized on various security policies and other security topics - thus e
People
Identify the relevant systems and processes
Logon banners
Security risk

13. Same intent as a cracker but does not have the technical skills and knowledge
Increase business value and confidence
Personal firewall
Encryption key management
Script kiddie

14. Any event or action that could cause a loss of or damage to computer hardware - software - data - information - or processing capability
Security risk
Requirements of the data owners
Cyber terrorist
Annually or whenever there is a significant change

15. An internal review of a web-based application system finds the ability to gain access to all employees' accounts by changing the employee's ID on the URL used for accessing the account. It means _____________.
The authentication process is broken
Aligned with organizational goals
Monitoring processes
Exceptions to policy

16. Can be used to detect an external attack but would not help in authenticating a user attempting to connect.
Patch management
Worm
Intrusion detection system (IDS)
Monitoring processes

17. A trusted third party that attests to the identity of the signatory - and reliance will be a function of the level of trust afforded the CA.
Residual risk would be reduced by a greater amount
Certificate authority (CA)
Breakeven point of risk reduction and cost
Rule-based access control

18. A process that helps organizations manipulate important knowledge that is part of the orgs. memory
Encryption of the hard disks
Knowledge management
Breakeven point of risk reduction and cost
Alignment with business strategy

19. Occurs when the incoming level
Defining and ratifying the classification structure of information assets
Power surge/over voltage (spike)
Annual loss expectancy (ALE)calculations
Do with the information it collects

20. Adherence to local regulations must always be the priority. _______________________ is the most effective compromise in this situation.
Decentralization
Logon banners
Threat assessment
Negotiating a local version of the organization standards

21. Will associate data access with the role performed by an individual - thus restricting access to data required to perform the individual's tasks.
Role-based policy
Prioritization
Worm
Alignment with business strategy

22. Responsible for assigning user entitlements and approving access to the systems for which they are responsible.
Deeper level of analysis
Encryption key management
Requirements of the data owners
Data owners

23. Useful but only with regard to specific technical skills.
Encryption of the hard disks
Total cost of ownership (TCO)
Vulnerability assessment
Proficiency testing

24. The _____________________is a severe omission and will greatly increase information security risk. Presents the GREATEST information security risk for an organization with multiple - but small - domestic processing locations
Baseline standard and then develop additional standards
Lack of change management
Encryption
All personnel

25. Provides strong online authentication.
Baseline standard and then develop additional standards
Calculating the value of the information or asset
Public key infrastructure (PKI)
Data isolation

26. Requires a process to verify that the control process worked as intended. Examples such as dual-control or dual-entry bookkeeping provide verification and assurance that the process operated as intended.
Power surge/over voltage (spike)
Proficiency testing
Control effectiveness
Personal firewall

27. Addresses strengths - weaknesses - opportunities and threats. Although useful - a SWOT analysis is not as effective a tool.
SWOT analysis
Detection defenses
Comparison of cost of achievement
Classification of assets needs

28. The risk that has been assumed by a third party and may not necessarily be equal to the minimal form of residual risk.
Transferred risk
The board of directors and senior management
Decentralization
Information security manager

29. Lists only the threats that the information asset is exposed to. It does not consider the value of the asset and impact of the threat on the value.
Waterfall chart
Threat assessment
The balanced scorecard
Audit objectives

30. Provide metrics to which outsourcing firms can be held accountable.
Script kiddie
Consensus on risks and controls
Cross-site scripting attacks
Service level agreements (SLAs)

31. In assessing the degree to which an organization may be affected by new privacy legislation - information security management should first _____________________.
IP address packet filtering
Residual risk
Security baselines
Identify the relevant systems and processes

32. Occurs when the electrical supply drops
Residual risk would be reduced by a greater amount
Undervoltage (brownout)
Power surge/over voltage (spike)
Strategic alignment of security with business objectives

33. Lists only the vulnerabilities inherent in the information asset that can attract threats. It does not consider the value of the asset and the impact of perceived threats on the value.
Process of introducing changes to systems
Vulnerability assessment
Access control matrix
Key controls

34. Are not infallible. When tuning the solution - one has to adjust the sensitivity level to give preference either to false reject rate (type I error rate) where the system will be more prone to err denying access to a valid user or erring and allowing
Biometric access control systems
Proficiency testing
Control risk
Cracker

35. Responsible for securing the information.
include security responsibilities in a job description
The data custodian
Baseline standard and then develop additional standards
Protective switch covers

36. The risk that remains after putting into place an effective risk management program; therefore - acceptable risk is achieved when this amount is minimized.
Residual risk
MAL wear
Continuous analysis - monitoring and feedback
Encryption of the hard disks

37. Culture has a significant impact on how information security will be implemented in a ______________________.
Control risk
Certificate authority (CA)
Patch management process
Multinational organization

38. A key indicator of performance measurement.
Exceptions to policy
Safeguards over keys
Strategic alignment of security with business objectives
People

39. The risk that controls may not prevent/detect an incident with a measure of control effectiveness.
Return on security investment (ROSI)
What happened and how the breach was resolved
Control risk
Deeper level of analysis

40. The information security manager needs to prioritize the controls based on ________________________.
Background check
The board of directors and senior management
Risk assessment - evaluation and impact analysis
Risk management and the requirements of the organization

41. The best measure for preventing the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information.
Acceptable use policies
Risk management and the requirements of the organization
Well-defined roles and responsibilities
Threat assessment

42. Risk assessment is a very important process for the ___________________. Risk assessment provides information on the likelihood of occurrence of security incidence and assists in the selection of countermeasures - but not in the prioritization.
Centralization of information security management
The awareness and agreement of the data subjects
Patch management process
Creation of a business continuity plan

43. It is more efficient to establish a ___________________for locations that must meet specific requirements.
Biometric access control systems
Baseline standard and then develop additional standards
Countermeasure cost-benefit analysis
Defining and ratifying the classification structure of information assets

44. When considering the value of assets ______________________ would give the information security manager the MOST objective basis for measurement of value delivery in information security governance
Lack of change management
Comparison of cost of achievement
Role-based access control
Monitoring processes

45. Carries out the technical administration.
The database administrator
Applying the proper classification to the data
Prioritization
Information contained on the equipment

46. Has full responsibility over data.
Waterfall chart
Total cost of ownership (TCO)
Key risk indicator (KRI) setup
The data owner

47. The most fundamental evaluation criteria for the appropriate selection of any security technology is ________________________.
Role-based policy
Support the business objectives of the organization
Security risk
Its ability to reduce or eliminate business risks

48. Change management controls the _____________________. This is often the point at which a weakness will be introduced.
Assess the risks to the business operation
Process of introducing changes to systems
Data mart
The balanced scorecard

49. Warranted in circumstances where compliance may be difficult or impossible and the risk of noncompliance is outweighed by the benefits.
Skills inventory
Exceptions to policy
Tie security risks to key business objectives
Intrusion detection system (IDS)

50. There is a time lag between the time when a security vulnerability is first published - and the time when a patch is delivered. - The best protection is to _____________________ until a patch is installed.
Risk assessment - evaluation and impact analysis
Process of introducing changes to systems
Identify the vulnerable systems and apply compensating controls
Background check