ISACA Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

Course Outline

Lesson 1: Information Security Governance

Establish and maintain an information security strategy in alignment with organizational goals and objectives to guide the establishment and ongoing management of the information security program
Establish and maintain an information security governance framework to guide activities that support the information security strategy
Integrate information security governance into corporate governance to ensure that organizational goals and objectives are supported by the information security program
Establish and maintain information security policies to communicate management’s directives and guide the development of standards, procedures and guidelines
Develop business cases to support investments in information security
Identify internal and external influences to the organization (for example, technology, business environment, risk tolerance, geographic location, legal and regulatory requirements) to ensure that these factors are addressed by the information security strategy
Obtain commitment from senior management and support from other stakeholders to maximize the probability of successful implementation of the information security strategy
Define and communicate the roles and responsibilities of information security throughout the organization to establish clear accountabilities and lines of authority
Establish, monitor, evaluate and report metrics (key goal indicators [KGIs], key performance indicators [KPIs], key risk indicators [KRIs]) to provide management with accurate information regarding the effectiveness of the information security strategy.

Lesson 2: Information Risk Management and Compliance

Establish and maintain a process for information asset classification to ensure that measures taken to protect assets are proportional to their business value
Identify legal, regulatory, organizational and other applicable requirements to manage the risk of noncompliance to acceptable levels
Ensure that risk assessments, vulnerability assessments and threat analyses are conducted periodically and consistently to identify risk to the organization’s information
Determine appropriate risk treatment options to manage risk to acceptable levels
Evaluate information security controls to determine whether they are appropriate and effectively mitigate risk to an acceptable level
Identify the gap between current and desired risk levels to manage risk to an acceptable level
Integrate information risk management into business and IT processes (for example, development, procurement, project management, mergers and acquisitions) to promote a consistent and comprehensive information risk management process across the organization
Monitor existing risk to ensure that changes are identified and managed appropriately
Report noncompliance and other changes in information risk to appropriate management to assist in the risk management decision-making process.

Lesson 3: Information Security Program Development and Management

Establish and maintain the information security program in alignment with the information security strategy
Ensure alignment between the information security program and other business functions (for example, human resources [HR], accounting, procurement and IT) to support integration with business processes
Identify, acquire, manage and define requirements for internal and external resources to execute the information security program
Establish and maintain information security architectures (people, process, technology) to execute the information security program
Establish, communicate and maintain organizational information security standards, procedures, guidelines and other documentation to support and guide compliance with information security policies
Establish and maintain a program for information security awareness and training to promote a secure environment and an effective security culture
Integrate information security requirements into organizational processes (for example, change control, mergers and acquisitions, development, business continuity, disaster recovery) to maintain the organization’s security baseline
Integrate information security requirements into contracts and activities of third parties (for example, joint ventures, outsourced providers, business partners, customers) to maintain the organization’s security baseline
Establish, monitor and periodically report program management and operational metrics to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the information security program.

Lesson 4: Information Security Incident Management

Establish and maintain an organizational definition of, and severity hierarchy for, information security incidents to allow accurate identification of and response to incidents
Establish and maintain an incident response plan to ensure an effective and timely response to information security incidents
Develop and implement processes to ensure the timely identification of information security incidents
Establish and maintain processes to investigate and document information security incidents to be able to respond appropriately and determine their causes while adhering to legal, regulatory and organizational requirements
Establish and maintain incident escalation and notification processes to ensure that the appropriate stakeholders are involved in incident response management
Organize, train and equip teams to effectively respond to information security incidents in a timely manner
Test and review the incident response plan periodically to ensure an effective response to information security incidents and to improve response capabilities
Establish and maintain communication plans and processes to manage communication with internal and external entities
Conduct post-incident reviews to determine the root cause of information security incidents, develop corrective actions, reassess risk, evaluate response effectiveness and take appropriate remedial actions
Establish and maintain integration among the incident response plan, disaster recovery plan and business continuity plan.