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CISM Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are recommended…
Which TWO of the following are recommended practices when conducting a post-incident review? (Select TWO)
⚠ Common exam trap
The CISM exam often tests the distinction between immediate remediation steps (like reimaging systems) and the analytical, process-improvement focus of a post-incident review, leading candidates to mistakenly select technical actions instead of documentation and root cause analysis.
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
✓
Document lessons learned and improvement actions
Option A is correct because a post-incident review must produce documented lessons learned and concrete improvement actions so that the organization captures knowledge and feeds it back into its security program. Option D is correct because identifying the root cause of the incident is a core objective of the review, enabling the team to address the underlying weakness rather than only its symptoms. Option B is not recommended as an immediate step, since plan updates should follow from the documented lessons and be managed through change control rather than rushed during the review. Option C is wrong because post-incident reviews are blameless, focusing on process and systemic failures rather than punishing individuals. Option E is not a review practice; reimaging systems is a containment/recovery action that should be based on the findings, not a default review activity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Document lessons learned and improvement actions
Why this is correct
A post-incident review exists to convert findings into corrective action, so recording lessons learned and assigning improvement actions satisfies the stem's recommended-practise requirement. Without documented actions, the review produces no measurable risk reduction and the same incident recurs.
- ✗
Update the incident response plan immediately
Why it's wrong here
Updating the plan immediately, before lessons are captured and validated, risks encoding unverified changes into the response process. It is tempting because remediation feels urgent, but plan revision is a later output of the review, once findings and corrective actions are agreed.
- ✗
Assign blame to responsible individuals
Why it's wrong here
Blaming individuals suppresses honest reporting, so root-cause detail is lost and the same weakness recurs. It is tempting because accountability matters in security culture, but post-incident reviews are blameless; accountability is addressed through governance and HR processes, not the review itself.
- ✓
Identify the root cause of the incident
Why this is correct
Establishing why the incident occurred, rather than only what happened, lets the organisation correct the underlying control failure. Without root cause analysis, remediation addresses symptoms, and the same weakness will likely be exploited again during a subsequent attack.
- ✗
Reimage all affected systems
Why it's wrong here
Reimaging destroys volatile evidence such as memory, logs and malware artefacts needed to determine root cause, so it belongs to recovery, not review. It is tempting because eradication and restoration do occur after containment, but that happens before the review, which analyses evidence rather than wiping systems.
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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.