CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
A large enterprise recently experienced a data breach due to an insider threat. The IT governance committee is reviewing the incident and considering measures to prevent recurrence. Which of the following is the BEST course of action to address the root cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse detective controls (logging, SIEM) with preventive controls (PAM), or they mistakenly view termination as a root-cause fix rather than a reactive measure, failing to recognize that the root cause is the lack of access governance.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Implement a privileged access management (PAM) solution to control and monitor elevated access.
A privileged access management (PAM) solution directly addresses the root cause of an insider threat by controlling, monitoring, and auditing elevated access rights. Since the breach was caused by an insider, limiting and tracking privileged accounts prevents unauthorized or excessive use of administrative credentials, which is the most effective preventive measure against recurrence.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Implement a privileged access management (PAM) solution to control and monitor elevated access.
Why this is correct
PAM directly prevents and controls unauthorized privileged access, addressing the root cause.
- ✗
Increase logging and auditing of all user activities.
Why it's wrong here
Logging alone does not prevent a breach; it only helps detection.
- ✗
Deploy a security information and event management (SIEM) tool.
Why it's wrong here
SIEM is a detective control, not preventive.
- ✗
Terminate the employment of the insider who caused the breach.
Why it's wrong here
Termination is a reactive measure after the breach, not preventive.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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