CISM Incident Management Practice Question
A security analyst suspects a credential compromise involving an executive's account. The analyst has isolated the system. What should be the NEXT step according to best practices?
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
✓
Create a forensic image of the affected system
Before any remediation, preserving evidence (forensic image) is critical for investigation and potential legal action. Then notify the incident manager to follow the playbook.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create a forensic image of the affected system
Why this is correct
Forensic imaging preserves evidence before any changes are made.
- ✗
Block the account in Active Directory
Why it's wrong here
Blocking may destroy evidence; forensic image should be taken first.
- ✗
Notify the executive and ask them to change their password
Why it's wrong here
Notification is important but evidence preservation comes first.
- ✗
Reset the executive's password immediately
Why it's wrong here
Password reset is a remediation step, but evidence should be preserved first.
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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.