CISM Information Security Programme Practice Question
An organization is developing a security scorecard for the CISO. Which of the following is a leading indicator that would be most useful for predicting future security incidents?
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
✓
Percentage of systems compliant with patch SLAs
Leading indicators, such as the percentage of systems with known vulnerabilities patched within the SLA, provide early warning of potential issues. Patch compliance is a proactive measure that reduces risk.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Mean time to respond (MTTR) to incidents
Why it's wrong here
MTTR is a lagging indicator of response efficiency.
- ✗
Number of security incidents in the past quarter
Why it's wrong here
Incident count is a lagging indicator.
- ✗
Total cost of security incidents
Why it's wrong here
Cost is a lagging outcome metric.
- ✓
Percentage of systems compliant with patch SLAs
Why this is correct
Patch compliance is a leading indicator of potential vulnerabilities.
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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.