CISM Information Security Programme Practice Question
A CISO is developing key risk indicators (KRIs) for the security programme. Which TWO of the following are lagging indicators? (Select TWO.)
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
✓
Number of data breaches in the past quarter
Lagging indicators measure past performance or outcomes. Number of data breaches and mean time to respond (MTTR) are outcome and efficiency metrics that reflect past events. Patch compliance and phishing click rate are leading indicators.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Number of data breaches in the past quarter
Why this is correct
Breaches are outcomes of past failures.
- ✗
Percentage of systems patched within SLA
Why it's wrong here
This is a leading indicator of future risk reduction.
- ✗
Percentage of access reviews completed on time
Why it's wrong here
This is a leading indicator of governance effectiveness.
- ✗
Phishing click rate
Why it's wrong here
Click rate is a leading indicator of user susceptibility.
- ✓
Mean time to respond (MTTR) to incidents
Why this is correct
MTTR measures past response performance.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISM 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 CISM exam.