This CISM practice question tests your understanding of incident management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A healthcare organization suffers a ransomware attack that encrypts critical patient data. The incident response team activates the incident response plan. The backup administrator reports that the most recent backups are from three days ago and are stored on a disconnected tape drive. However, the organization's legal counsel advises that according to regulatory requirements, patient data must be recoverable within 24 hours. The CEO is considering paying the ransom to avoid extended downtime and regulatory penalties. As the incident manager, what should you recommend?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Restore from the tape backups and accept the three-day data loss.
Option B is correct because restoring from known-good offline backups is the best practice, even with a three-day data loss. Paying the ransom (A) is discouraged and may not guarantee recovery. Negotiating (C) is risky and time-consuming. Waiting for law enforcement (D) delays recovery and may not provide a decryption key in time.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Pay the ransom to ensure quick recovery and avoid regulatory penalties.
Why it's wrong here
Paying encourages criminal activity and may not result in successful decryption.
✗
Report the incident to law enforcement and wait for a decryption key.
Why it's wrong here
Law enforcement may not be able to provide a key quickly; this delays recovery.
✓
Restore from the tape backups and accept the three-day data loss.
Why this is correct
Reliable backup restoration eliminates the need to pay and complies with data recovery, albeit with some loss.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Attempt to negotiate with the attackers for a lower ransom while simultaneously working on backup restoration.
Why it's wrong here
Negotiation is risky and may prolong the incident; focus should be on restoration.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CISM NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Incident Management — This question tests Incident Management — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Restore from the tape backups and accept the three-day data loss. — Option B is correct because restoring from known-good offline backups is the best practice, even with a three-day data loss. Paying the ransom (A) is discouraged and may not guarantee recovery. Negotiating (C) is risky and time-consuming. Waiting for law enforcement (D) delays recovery and may not provide a decryption key in time.
What should I do if I get this CISM question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CISM NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.