ISO-IEC-27001-LEAD-IMPLEMENTER practice question 8 of 35

Scenario 2: Beauty is a cosmetics company that has recently switched to an e-commerce model, leaving the traditional retail. The top management has…

Domain Implementing an ISMS based on ISO/IEC 27001

Scenario 2: Beauty is a cosmetics company that has recently switched to an e-commerce model, leaving the traditional retail. The top management has decided to build their own custom platform in-house and outsource the payment process to an external provider operating online payments systems that support online money transfers. Due to this transformation of the business model, a number of security controls were implemented based on the identified threats and vulnerabilities associated to critical assets. To protect customers' information. Beauty's employees had to sign a confidentiality agreement. In addition, the company reviewed all user access rights so that only authorized personnel can have access to sensitive files and drafted a new segregation of duties chart. However, the transition was difficult for the IT team, who had to deal with a security incident not long after transitioning to the e commerce model. After investigating the incident, the team concluded that due to the out-of-date anti-malware software, an attacker gamed access to their files and exposed customers' information, including their names and home addresses. The IT team decided to stop using the old anti-malware software and install a new one which would automatically remove malicious code in case of similar incidents. The new software was installed in every workstation within the company. After installing the new software, the team updated it with the latest malware definitions and enabled the automatic update feature to keep it up to date at all times. Additionally, they established an authentication process that requires a user identification and password when accessing sensitive information. In addition, Beauty conducted a number of information security awareness sessions for the IT team and other employees that have access to confidential information in order to raise awareness on the importance of system and network security. Which statement below suggests that Beauty has implemented a managerial control that helps avoid the occurrence of incidents? Refer to scenario 2.

Answer options

A: Beauty's employees signed a confidentiality agreement

B: Beauty conducted a number of information security awareness sessions for the IT team and other employees that have access to confidential information Correct answer

C: Beauty updated the segregation of duties chart

Correct Answer:

B. Beauty conducted a number of information security awareness sessions for the IT team and other employees that have access to confidential information

Explanation

Information security awareness sessions are a fundamental managerial (or administrative) control. Their primary purpose is to educate employees about their information security responsibilities and the threats the organization faces. By increasing awareness, organizations can modify employee behavior to be more security-conscious, directly helping to prevent a wide range of security incidents caused by human error, such as falling for phishing attacks, mishandling sensitive data, or failing to follow security procedures. This control is proactive and aims to stop incidents before they can occur by strengthening the "human firewall."

Why Incorrect

A. Beauty's employees signed a confidentiality agreement This is a managerial control, but its primary function is to act as a legal deterrent against the intentional or unintentional disclosure of confidential information by employees.
C. Beauty updated the segregation of duties chart This is a key managerial control designed specifically to prevent fraud, sabotage, and errors by ensuring that no single individual has end-to-end control over a critical process.

References

1. ISO/IEC 27001:2022 - Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection — Information security management systems — Requirements.

Reference: Annex A, Control A.6.3 (formerly A.7.2.2 in the 2013 version). This control, "Information security awareness, education and training," is classified as a preventive control aimed at ensuring personnel are aware of their role in the ISMS and its importance.

2. ISO/IEC 27002:2022 - Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection — Information security controls.

Reference: Section 6.3, "Information security awareness, education and training." The guidance states the purpose is "to ensure that relevant personnel are aware of and fulfill their information security responsibilities." Fulfilling these responsibilities is a direct mechanism for preventing incidents.

3. PECB. (2022). ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer Training Course Material.

Reference: Module 4: Implementation of an ISMS. The course material categorizes controls into types (e.g., managerial, technical) and functions (e.g., preventive, detective, corrective). Security awareness training is consistently presented as a primary example of a preventive managerial control essential for mitigating risks associated with human factors.

4. Humphreys, E. (2016). Implementing the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 ISMS Standard. Artech House.

Reference: Chapter 7, "Human Resource Security." This chapter explains that awareness training (Clause A.7.2.2) is a fundamental preventive measure. It notes, "The objective here is to ensure that employees... are aware of information security threats and concerns... and are equipped to support the organizational security policy in their work." This directly supports the idea of avoiding incidents.

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