The answer is to reset the affected employees' passwords and enable multi-factor authentication. This is the correct next step because incident response containment for compromised credentials from phishing requires immediately invalidating the harvested credentials to block the attacker’s access, especially since users often reuse passwords across systems. On the Certified Information Security Manager CISM exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the containment phase within the Incident Response process—specifically that you must stop the breach from spreading before moving to eradication or recovery. A common trap is to jump straight to forensic analysis or user training, but the exam emphasizes that containment actions like password resets and MFA are the priority to prevent lateral movement. Memory tip: think “Lock and Block”—lock the compromised account and block the attacker’s entry point with MFA.
CISM Incident Management Practice Question
This CISM practice question tests your understanding of incident management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
During a simulated phishing exercise, several employees clicked a link and entered their credentials on a fake login page. The security team needs to determine the impact. Which of the following should be the NEXT step?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Reset the affected employees' passwords and enable multi-factor authentication
When credentials are compromised in a phishing attack, the immediate priority is to contain the breach by invalidating the exposed credentials. Resetting the affected employees' passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) prevents attackers from using the harvested credentials for unauthorized access, especially if the credentials are reused across other systems. This aligns with the Incident Response phase of containment before moving to eradication or recovery.
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.
✓
Reset the affected employees' passwords and enable multi-factor authentication
Why this is correct
This mitigates the credential compromise.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Implement a security awareness training program
Why it's wrong here
Training is important but not an immediate response to current compromise.
✗
Conduct a forensic analysis of the employees' workstations
Why it's wrong here
Forensic analysis may be done later, but immediate password reset is higher priority.
✗
Block the phishing domain at the web proxy
Why it's wrong here
Blocking the domain is good, but does not protect accounts already compromised.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse the containment phase with the eradication phase, choosing to block the phishing domain (Option D) instead of immediately neutralizing the compromised credentials, which is the more urgent action to prevent further unauthorized access.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a simulated phishing exercise, the fake login page typically captures credentials via HTTP POST to an attacker-controlled server. Resetting passwords invalidates the NTLM or Kerberos hashes (in Active Directory environments) or the stored password hashes (in cloud identity providers like Azure AD), while enabling MFA adds a second factor (e.g., TOTP, FIDO2) that renders the stolen password useless for future authentication. This step is critical because attackers often use compromised credentials within minutes for lateral movement or privilege escalation.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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: Reset the affected employees' passwords and enable multi-factor authentication — When credentials are compromised in a phishing attack, the immediate priority is to contain the breach by invalidating the exposed credentials. Resetting the affected employees' passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) prevents attackers from using the harvested credentials for unauthorized access, especially if the credentials are reused across other systems. This aligns with the Incident Response phase of containment before moving to eradication or recovery.
What should I do if I get this CISM question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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