CISM Information Security Programme Practice Question
A security manager is developing metrics for the C-suite dashboard. Which combination of metrics would provide the best view of security program effectiveness, including both leading and lagging indicators?
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
✓
Phishing click rate and mean time to detect (MTTD)
Phishing click rate is a leading indicator that measures user awareness and proactive security posture, while mean time to detect (MTTD) is a lagging indicator that reflects the efficiency of detection processes. Together, they provide a balanced view of program effectiveness for executive oversight.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Breach count and number of security tools deployed
Why it's wrong here
Number of tools is not a performance metric; breach count is a lagging indicator but not balanced.
- ✓
Phishing click rate and mean time to detect (MTTD)
Why this is correct
Phishing click rate is a leading indicator of user awareness; MTTD is a lagging indicator of detection capability.
- ✗
Patch compliance and number of vulnerabilities identified
Why it's wrong here
Both are leading indicators; lacks lagging indicators like incident response time.
- ✗
Number of security incidents and percentage of budget spent
Why it's wrong here
Missing leading indicators; budget is not a performance metric.
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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.