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CISM Practice Question: An information security manager is preparing a…
An information security manager is preparing a report for the board on the state of information security governance. Which of the following elements is most important to include in the report?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse operational reporting (incident logs, tool lists) with governance reporting, which demands high-level, risk-focused metrics like KRIs that support strategic oversight.
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
✓
Key risk indicators (KRIs) related to the organization's critical assets.
Key risk indicators (KRIs) provide a forward-looking, quantifiable measure of risk exposure tied directly to critical assets, which is essential for the board to understand the effectiveness of governance and risk management. Unlike operational or tactical data, KRIs enable informed strategic decisions about risk appetite and resource allocation, aligning with the CISM focus on governance over management.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The percentage of the security budget spent on different projects.
Why it's wrong here
Financial reporting is important but not the most critical governance metric.
- ✓
Key risk indicators (KRIs) related to the organization's critical assets.
Why this is correct
KRIs effectively communicate risk posture and governance status to the board.
- ✗
A log of all recent security incidents and their root causes.
Why it's wrong here
While relevant, detailed logs are too granular; a summary is better.
- ✗
A detailed list of all security tools and their functionalities.
Why it's wrong here
This is operational detail not suitable for board reporting.
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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.