CISM Incident Management Practice Question
An organization has experienced a ransomware incident that has encrypted critical servers. The incident response team is unable to restore operations within the maximum tolerable downtime (MTD). Which action should be taken next?
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
✓
Escalate to activate the business continuity/disaster recovery plan
When an incident cannot be resolved within MTD, it escalates to business continuity/disaster recovery activation to restore operations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Notify law enforcement
Why it's wrong here
Law enforcement notification may be considered but does not address operational downtime.
- ✗
Increase the ransom payment
Why it's wrong here
Paying ransom is risky and not a standard IR procedure; BC/DR is the correct escalation.
- ✓
Escalate to activate the business continuity/disaster recovery plan
Why this is correct
BC/DR activation is triggered when MTD is at risk, ensuring continuity of critical functions.
- ✗
Engage the forensics firm to preserve evidence
Why it's wrong here
Evidence preservation is important but not the immediate priority when MTD is exceeded.
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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.