- A
Employees should have been trained to recognize phishing emails.
Why wrong: While training is important, the root cause here is a technical control failure, not user awareness.
- B
The email filter vendor did not provide adequate support.
Why wrong: This is an external factor, not a management/governance failure within the organization.
- C
The security team did not have a change management process for security control configurations.
A lack of change management for security controls is a governance failure that allowed the misconfiguration to persist.
- D
The incident response plan was not followed during the incident.
Why wrong: This is not the root cause; the incident occurred due to a pre-existing control weakness.
Question 266 of 905
CISM Incident Management Practice Question
This CISM practice question tests your understanding of incident management. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Following a ransomware incident where data was encrypted and exfiltrated, the root cause analysis reveals that the initial access occurred through a phishing email that bypassed email filters due to a misconfiguration. The misconfiguration was not identified because the security team lacked a formal process to review firewall rule changes. Which of the following is the most appropriate management/governance failure to document in the lessons learned?
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 security team did not have a change management process for security control configurations.
The technical cause is the phishing email, the process failure is the lack of review of email filter configurations, and the management/governance failure is the absence of a change management process for security controls.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Employees should have been trained to recognize phishing emails.
Why it's wrong here
While training is important, the root cause here is a technical control failure, not user awareness.
- ✗
The email filter vendor did not provide adequate support.
Why it's wrong here
This is an external factor, not a management/governance failure within the organization.
- ✓
The security team did not have a change management process for security control configurations.
Why this is correct
A lack of change management for security controls is a governance failure that allowed the misconfiguration to persist.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The incident response plan was not followed during the incident.
Why it's wrong here
This is not the root cause; the incident occurred due to a pre-existing control weakness.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the CISM exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which CISM exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
- →
Incident Management — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CISM question test?
Incident Management — This question tests Incident Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The security team did not have a change management process for security control configurations. — The technical cause is the phishing email, the process failure is the lack of review of email filter configurations, and the management/governance failure is the absence of a change management process for security controls.
What should I do if I get this CISM question wrong?
Identify which CISM exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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