CISM Misaligned program objectives? Practice Question
During a review of the information security program, the security manager discovers that the program's objectives are not aligned with the organization's strategic business goals. What is the best course of action?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISACA often tests the misconception that adding more controls or escalating issues can substitute for strategic alignment, but the CISM exam specifically requires candidates to recognize that program objectives must be revised to match business goals before any other action is taken.
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
✓
Revise the program objectives to align with business goals.
The CISM framework emphasizes that an information security program must be directly aligned with the organization's strategic business goals to ensure that security investments support business objectives rather than hinder them. Revising the program objectives to align with business goals (Option B) is the correct course of action because it ensures that security controls, risk appetite, and resource allocation are driven by business needs, not isolated technical requirements. This alignment is a core principle of the Information Security Program domain, as misalignment can lead to wasted resources, reduced executive support, and increased business risk.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Justify the existing objectives to management to demonstrate their value.
Why it's wrong here
Defending existing objectives preserves the misalignment instead of correcting it; the programme's objectives must be revised to support the organisation's strategic goals. It is tempting because demonstrating security value is worthwhile when objectives already align, but justification cannot substitute for realignment here.
- ✓
Revise the program objectives to align with business goals.
Why this is correct
Revising the program objectives directly resolves the misalignment identified in the review, ensuring security strategy supports the organisation's strategic business goals. Governance frameworks such as COBIT require security to cascade from business objectives, so realigning objectives restores that linkage and enables meaningful risk-based decision-making.
- ✗
Implement additional security controls to compensate for the misalignment.
Why it's wrong here
Adding controls treats a symptom while leaving objectives detached from business goals; realignment requires revising the programme's objectives to support them. It is tempting because controls are the security manager's familiar lever, and they would be right if the gap were a missing safeguard rather than strategic misalignment.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the board of directors without changes.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation without a proposed realignment passes the problem upward and leaves the programme unchanged; the manager should first revise objectives to support business goals, then report. It is tempting because board escalation suits unresolvable resourcing disputes, but this is a fixable alignment issue within the manager's remit.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CISM exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Revise the program objectives to align with business goals.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Revising the program objectives directly resolves the misalignment identified in the review, ensuring security strategy supports the organisation's strategic business goals. Governance frameworks such as COBIT require security to cascade from business objectives, so realigning objectives restores that linkage and enables meaningful risk-based decision-making.
✗Justify the existing objectives to management to demonstrate their value.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
This does not address the misalignment; the objectives should be revised to match business goals.
✗Implement additional security controls to compensate for the misalignment.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Adding controls does not fix the strategic misalignment.
✗Escalate the issue to the board of directors without changes.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Escalation is not the first step; the manager should propose a solution.
Analysis generated from the official CISMblueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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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.