CISM Information Security Program Practice Question
Exhibit
CISO Quarterly Report: - Patch Compliance (30-day window): 85% - Critical Vulnerability Remediation (48h): 95% - High-Risk Vulnerability Remediation (60-day): 88% - Risk Acceptance: 3% of findings - Incident Response Plan Test: Annual, last test 14 months ago.
Refer to the exhibit. The dashboard shows the incident response plan test is overdue. What is the MOST immediate risk?
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
✓
Increased likelihood of a successful breach due to untested procedures
An untested incident response plan may have invalidated or outdated procedures, increasing the likelihood that a real incident will succeed due to ineffective response. Option A is wrong: loss of cyber insurance coverage is a potential consequence but not the most immediate risk—testing overdue does not instantly void coverage. Option B is wrong: regulatory fines may follow non-compliance, but the immediate operational risk is higher. Option C is wrong: extended recovery time is a possible outcome, but the primary immediate risk is the increased chance of a successful breach.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Loss of cyber insurance coverage
Why it's wrong here
Insurance impact is possible but typically not immediate.
- ✗
Regulatory fines for non-compliance with testing requirements
Why it's wrong here
Fines are a potential consequence but not the most immediate risk.
- ✗
Extended recovery time during an incident
Why it's wrong here
Extended recovery is a symptom of ineffective response, not the immediate risk.
- ✓
Increased likelihood of a successful breach due to untested procedures
Why this is correct
Without testing, the incident response plan may fail, leading to greater damage.
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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.