CISM Information Security Risk Management Practice Question
An organization has recently experienced a data breach due to a misconfigured database. The root cause was a lack of proper change management. As part of the risk management process, what should the organization do NEXT after implementing corrective controls?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse the order of the risk management process, selecting a corrective action (like training or policy updates) instead of the required evaluation step (residual risk assessment) that validates control effectiveness before moving to other activities.
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
✓
Perform a residual risk assessment
After implementing corrective controls, the next step in the risk management process is to perform a residual risk assessment. This evaluates the remaining risk after controls are applied, ensuring that the organization's risk appetite is not exceeded. Without this assessment, the organization cannot confirm whether the implemented controls are sufficient or if additional measures are needed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Perform a residual risk assessment
Why this is correct
After implementing controls, the organization must evaluate whether the residual risk meets the risk appetite.
- ✗
Purchase additional cyber insurance to cover future breaches
Why it's wrong here
Insurance transfers financial risk but does not address the effectiveness of implemented controls.
- ✗
Conduct security awareness training for all employees
Why it's wrong here
Training is part of the solution but not the immediate next step after control implementation.
- ✗
Update the information security policy to mandate stricter controls
Why it's wrong here
Policy updates should follow risk reassessment.
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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.