CISM Information Security Program Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are typically included in an information security program budget?
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
✓
Incident response retainer
Options A, B, and C are correct as they are common line items in an information security program budget. Incident response retainers cover external support for security incidents, security awareness training materials are essential for educating employees, and vulnerability assessment tools are used to identify weaknesses. Option D (marketing) is not a security cost, and Option E (employee salaries) is typically part of operational budgets, not the specific security program budget.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Incident response retainer
Why this is correct
External service cost part of program.
- ✓
Security awareness training materials
Why this is correct
Direct program cost.
- ✓
Vulnerability assessment tools
Why this is correct
Technical control costs.
- ✗
Marketing and advertising campaigns
Why it's wrong here
Not part of security program.
- ✗
Employee salaries
Why it's wrong here
Operational expense, not program budget line item.
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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.