Match each security metric to its description.
Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
Average time to detect an incident
Average time to remediate an incident
Average time between system failures
Contractual commitment for service levels
Indicator of risk level change
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
MTTD: Average time taken to identify a security incident after it occurs.
Security metrics are used to measure different aspects of incident response and risk management. MTTD measures detection speed, MTTR measures response speed, MTBF measures system reliability, and ALE measures financial risk. Common confusions include swapping MTTD and MTTR definitions.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
MTTD: Average time taken to identify a security incident after it occurs.
Why this is correct
This is the correct definition of Mean Time to Detect (MTTD).
MTTR: Average time taken to contain and remediate a security incident after detection.
Why this is correct
This is the correct definition of Mean Time to Respond (MTTR).
MTBF: Average time between system failures, often used for availability metrics.
Why this is correct
This is the correct definition of Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF).
ALE: Expected annual financial loss from a specific risk, calculated as SLE x ARO.
Why this is correct
This is the correct definition of Annualized Loss Expectancy (ALE).
MTTD: Average time taken to contain and remediate a security incident after detection.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect — this describes MTTR, not MTTD.
MTTR: Average time between system failures.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect — this describes MTBF, not MTTR.
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About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CISM question from scratch — 871 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.