CISM Incident Management Practice Question
During a major cybersecurity incident, the crisis management team (CMT) has been activated. Which of the following is the PRIMARY responsibility of the CEO as a member of the CMT?
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
✓
Authorizing external communications and resource allocation
The CEO provides strategic direction and approves major decisions, such as activating business continuity or communicating externally, while the CISO leads the technical response.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Authorizing external communications and resource allocation
Why this is correct
The CEO holds ultimate authority to approve external communications and commit organisational resources, which no other CMT member can exercise. This satisfies the stem's requirement for the CEO's primary responsibility during an activated crisis management team.
- ✗
Updating the incident response playbook
Why it's wrong here
Playbook updates are a preparedness activity performed by the security team between incidents, not during an active crisis. It is tempting because documented procedures feel central to response maturity, and it would be correct during post-incident review, when lessons learned are folded back into the playbook.
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Directing the technical containment efforts
Why it's wrong here
Directing technical containment is the incident response team's and CISO's function; the CEO's CMT role is strategic, covering business impact, communications and authority to invoke continuity plans. It is tempting because containment feels like the decisive action during a crisis, and it would be right for a technical lead coordinating hands-on remediation.
- ✗
Conducting forensic analysis of affected systems
Why it's wrong here
Forensic analysis is a hands-on technical task for digital forensics specialists preserving evidence, not a board-level executive function. It is tempting because evidence gathering drives legal and regulatory outcomes, and it would be correct for a forensic examiner supporting the investigation under the CISO's direction.
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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.