easyMultiple Choice
CISM Practice Question: Given the exhibit, what is the MOST significant…
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. ``` NETWORK ARCHITECTURE DESCRIPTION - Internet edge: Firewall cluster (active-active) with IPS - DMZ: Web servers, external-facing applications - Internal network segregated into VLANs by business unit - Management network for system administrators - Security Operations Center (SOC) monitors all traffic - Remote access via VPN with multi-factor authentication - Data centers: Tier 3 physical security and environmental controls ```
Given the exhibit, what is the MOST significant governance gap in the described architecture?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse operational security gaps (like weak authentication or missing IDS) with governance gaps, failing to recognize that the absence of a formal oversight body undermines all other security controls at a strategic level.
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
✓
No defined security governance board or oversight mechanism
The exhibit describes a cloud-based architecture with multiple business units and third-party integrations, but no centralized security governance board or oversight mechanism is mentioned. Without a governance body to define, approve, and enforce security policies, the organization lacks strategic direction, accountability, and risk management alignment, making this the most significant gap in the Information Security Governance domain.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Weak authentication for remote access
Why it's wrong here
Remote-access authentication is a technical control weakness, not the governance gap the exhibit describes, which concerns oversight and decision rights rather than credential strength. It is tempting because weak authentication is a common finding, and would be correct where the scenario asks for the most significant technical vulnerability in remote access.
- ✓
No defined security governance board or oversight mechanism
Why this is correct
Without a governance board or oversight mechanism, no one owns risk decisions, policy approval or accountability across the architecture. This absence is the foundational gap: technical controls may exist, but nothing directs or validates them.
- ✗
Insufficient physical security in data centers
Why it's wrong here
Physical data-centre controls sit outside the governance architecture depicted in the exhibit, which concerns logical access and data-flow oversight, so this misdirects attention from the actual gap. It is tempting because physical security is a genuine governance domain, and would be the correct focus where an assessment covers facility controls, environmental protection or site access.
- ✗
Lack of intrusion detection for internal traffic
Why it's wrong here
Internal intrusion detection addresses threat monitoring rather than the governance gap the exhibit exposes, which concerns accountability and control ownership across the architecture. It is tempting because internal traffic visibility is a legitimate security control, and would be the right answer where the scenario's deficiency is detection coverage inside the trusted network.
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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.