CISM Information Security Programme Practice Question
Which of the following is a leading indicator for security performance?
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
✓
Patch compliance percentage
Leading indicators are proactive measures that predict future performance. Patch compliance is a leading indicator because it shows current security posture that influences future incidents.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Patch compliance percentage
Why this is correct
Leading indicator of vulnerability management effectiveness.
- ✗
Mean time to recover (MTTR)
Why it's wrong here
Lagging indicator, measures recovery after incident.
- ✗
Number of data breaches
Why it's wrong here
Lagging indicator, reflects past failures.
- ✗
Mean time to detect (MTTD)
Why it's wrong here
Lagging indicator, measures response time after detection.
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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.