CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
An IS auditor is evaluating the effectiveness of a security awareness program. Which of the following metrics would BEST indicate that the program is achieving its objectives?
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
✓
Reduction in the number of successful phishing attacks
A reduction in the number of successful phishing attacks over time demonstrates that employees are better at recognizing and reporting phishing attempts, indicating improved security awareness.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Scores on post-training quizzes
Why it's wrong here
Quiz scores measure knowledge retention, not application in real situations.
- ✓
Reduction in the number of successful phishing attacks
Why this is correct
This directly measures behavior change and the effectiveness of training.
- ✗
Percentage of employees who completed the annual training
Why it's wrong here
Completion rates measure participation, not effectiveness.
- ✗
Number of security incidents reported by employees
Why it's wrong here
An increase in reporting could be positive, but it doesn't directly measure behavior change.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 995 original CISA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CISA exam.