CISM Incident Management Practice Question
During a data breach investigation, the incident response team discovers that a backup was encrypted by ransomware. The team needs to determine the sequence of events leading to the encryption. Which of the following documentation is MOST critical to preserve for potential litigation?
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
✓
The chain of custody for the backup media
Chain of custody documentation is essential to prove the integrity and admissibility of digital evidence in court.
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 communication logs between team members
Why it's wrong here
Communication logs between team members are internal coordination records; they do not establish the sequence of events leading to the backup's encryption. Such logs are relevant for assessing response effectiveness, but the forensic timeline of attacker activity is what litigation demands.
- ✓
The chain of custody for the backup media
Why this is correct
Chain of custody documentation records who handled the backup media, when, and how, proving evidence integrity. Without it, encrypted media may be ruled inadmissible, undermining litigation. It directly satisfies the stem's requirement to preserve documentation critical for potential legal proceedings.
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The forensic tools used in the investigation
Why it's wrong here
The forensic tools used establish methodology and tool validity, not the chronological sequence of events leading to the encryption. Tool documentation is genuinely required for evidence admissibility challenges, but the timeline itself must come from the preserved forensic artefacts.
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The incident response plan version used during the incident
Why it's wrong here
The incident response plan version documents intended procedure, not the actual sequence of events that led to the encryption. It is genuinely useful for demonstrating process compliance during a review, but it cannot reconstruct the attacker's actions for litigation.
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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.