CISM Incident Management Practice Question
Following a major security incident, the lessons learned meeting is scheduled. Which of the following outcomes is MOST important to ensure the effectiveness of future incident response?
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
✓
Updating the incident response plan and playbooks based on findings
The primary outcome of a lessons learned meeting is to identify improvements and update the IR plan, not just document or blame.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Conducting a new risk assessment
Why it's wrong here
A fresh risk assessment addresses future exposure, not the response weaknesses the incident exposed, so corrective actions go unidentified. It is tempting because risk assessment is a core CISM activity, and would be correct when scoping controls for a new system or after significant change, not when harvesting response lessons.
- ✗
Creating a detailed report for senior management
Why it's wrong here
A management report documents findings but does not itself change procedures, so response capability is not improved. It is tempting because reporting is a genuine governance obligation, and would be correct when the objective is executive visibility or regulatory evidence rather than implementing corrective actions.
- ✓
Updating the incident response plan and playbooks based on findings
Why this is correct
Updating plans and playbooks converts lessons-learned findings into revised procedures, directly satisfying the stem's requirement for effective future incident response. Unlike awareness or reporting changes, this closes the loop by embedding corrective actions into documented, repeatable steps responders follow under pressure, ensuring the same failures are not repeated.
- ✗
Assigning blame to responsible parties
Why it's wrong here
Blame discourages the honest disclosure that lessons learned depends on, so root causes stay hidden and recur. It is tempting because accountability feels like a natural post-incident outcome, and would be appropriate in a disciplinary or HR process rather than a review whose purpose is improving response capability.
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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.