Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Credential: Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Credentialing Agency: ISACA
Renewal Period: 3 years
The Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is an advanced certification for the individual who designs, builds, and manages an enterprises information security. CISM focuses on information risk management as the basis of information security. It also includes material on broader issues such as how to govern information security as well as on practical issues such as developing and managing an information security program and managing incidents. This certification is targeted toward experienced information security managers and those who have information security management responsibilities. Five or more years of information security work experience, with a minimum of three years of information security management work experience is required.
More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Attainability:
Eligibility Requirements (View Details)
- Credential Prerequisite
- Experience: 5 years
- Education
- Training
- Membership
- Other
- Fee
Note: This credential may have multiple options for a Service member to meet eligibility requirements. Requirements listed here are based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.
Exam Requirements (View Details)
- Exam
- Written Exam
- Oral Exam
- Practical Exam
- Performance Assessment
Exam Administration (View Details)
- In-person exam
- Remote proctored on-line exam
- Third-party test vendor
RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY
Renewal Period: 3 years
AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
ISACA
1700 E. Golf Road
Suite 400
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Phone: 847-660-5505
Fax: (847) 253-1443
Contact Page
Education and/or Experience REQUIREMENTS
Candidates must have a minimum of 5-years of professional information systems auditing, control or security work experience - as described in the CISM job practice areas - is required for certification. The work experience for CISM certification must be gained within the 10-year period preceding the application date for certification. Candidates have 5-years from the passing date to apply for certification.
Substitutions and waivers may be obtained fora maximum of 2-years as follows:
Two Years:
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) in good standing
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) in good standing
- Post-graduate degree in information security or a related field (e.g., business administration, information systems, information assurance)
One Year:
- One full year of information systems management experience
- One full year of general security management experience
- Skill-based security certifications (e.g., SANS Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC), Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), CompTIA Security +, Disaster Recovery Institute Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), ESL IT Security Manager)
The experience substitutions will not satisfy any portion of the 3-year information security management work experience requirement.
Exception: Every 2-years as a full-time university instructor teaching the management of information security can be substituted for every 1-year of information security experience.
Other REQUIREMENTS
The Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) credential has the following other requirements:
- Candidates must adhere to the ISACA Code of Professional Ethics.
Written Exam
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Information Security Governance (24%)
- 1.1 Establish and/or maintain an information security strategy in alignment with organizational goals and objectives to guide the establishment and/or ongoing management of the information security program.
- 1.2 Establish and/or maintain an information security governance framework to guide activities that support the information security strategy.
- 1.3 Integrate information security governance into corporate governance to ensure that organizational goals and objectives are supported by the information security program.
- 1.4 Establish and maintain information security policies to guide the development of standards, procedures and guidelines in alignment with enterprise goals and objectives.
- 1.5 Develop business cases to support investments in information security.
- 1.6 Identify internal and external influences to the organization (e.g., emerging technologies, social media, business environment, risk tolerance, regulatory requirements, third-party considerations, threat landscape) to ensure that these factors are continually addressed by the information security strategy.
- 1.7 Gain ongoing commitment from senior leadership and other stakeholders to support the successful implementation of the information security strategy.
- 1.8 Define, communicate, and monitor information security responsibilities throughout the organization (e.g., data owners, data custodians, end-users, privileged or high-risk users) and lines of authority.
- 1.9 Establish, monitor, evaluate and report key information security metrics to provide management with accurate and meaningful information regarding the effectiveness of the information security strategy.
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Information Risk Management (30%)
- 2.1 Establish and/or maintain a process for information asset classification to ensure that measures taken to protect assets are proportional to their business value.
- 2.2 Identify legal, regulatory, organizational and other applicable requirements to manage the risk of noncompliance to acceptable levels.
- 2.3 Ensure that risk assessments, vulnerability assessments and threat analyses are conducted consistently, at appropriate times, and to identify and assess risk to the organization’s information.
- 3.3 Identify, acquire and manage requirements for internal and external resources to execute the information security program.
- 2.4 Identify, recommend or implement appropriate risk treatment/response options to manage risk to acceptable levels based on organizational risk appetite.
- 2.5 Determine whether information security controls are appropriate and effectively manage risk to an acceptable level.
- 2.6 Facilitate the integration of information risk management into business and IT processes (e.g., systems development, procurement, project management) to enable a consistent and comprehensive information risk management program across the organization.
- 2.7 Monitor for internal and external factors (e.g., key risk indicators [KRIs], threat landscape, geopolitical, regulatory change) that may require reassessment of risk to ensure that changes to existing, or new, risk scenarios are identified and managed appropriately.
- 2.8 Report noncompliance and other changes in information risk to facilitate the risk management decision-making process.
- 2.9 Ensure that information security risk is reported to senior management to support an understanding of potential impact on the organizational goals and objectives.
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Information Security Program Development and Management (27%)
- 3.1 Establish and/or maintain the information security program in alignment with the information security strategy.
- 3.2 Align the information security program with the operational objectives of other business functions (e.g., human resources [HR], accounting, procurement and IT) to ensure that the information security program adds value to and protects the business.
- 3.4 Establish and maintain information security processes and resources (including people and technologies) to execute the information security program in alignment with the organization’s business goals.
- 3.5 Establish, communicate and maintain organizational information security standards, guidelines, procedures and other documentation to guide and enforce compliance with information security policies.
- 3.6 Establish, promote and maintain a program for information security awareness and training to foster an effective security culture.
- 3.7 Integrate information security requirements into organizational processes (e.g., change control, mergers and acquisitions, system development, business continuity, disaster recovery) to maintain the organization’s security strategy.
- 3.8 Integrate information security requirements into contracts and activities of third parties (e.g., joint ventures, outsourced providers, business partners, customers) and monitor adherence to established requirements in order to maintain the organization’s security strategy.
- 3.9 Establish, monitor and analyze program management and operational metrics to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the information security program.
- 3.10 Compile and present reports to key stakeholders on the activities, trends and overall effectiveness of the IS program and the underlying business processes in order to communicate security performance.
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Information Security Incident Management (19%)
- 4.1 Establish and maintain an organizational definition of, and severity hierarchy for, information security incidents to allow accurate classification and categorization of and response to incidents.
- 4.2 Establish and maintain an incident response plan to ensure an effective and timely response to information security incidents.
- 4.3 Develop and implement processes to ensure the timely identification of information security incidents that could impact the business.
- 4.4 Establish and maintain processes to investigate and document information security incidents in order to determine the appropriate response and cause while adhering to legal, regulatory and organizational requirements.
- 4.5 Establish and maintain incident notification and escalation processes to ensure that the appropriate stakeholders are involved in incident response management.
- 4.6 Organize, train and equip incident response teams to respond to information security incidents in an effective and timely manner.
- 4.7 Test, review and revise (as applicable) the incident response plan periodically to ensure an effective response to information security incidents and to improve response capabilities.
- 4.8 Establish and maintain communication plans and processes to manage communication with internal and external entities.
- 4.9 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.
- 4.10 Establish and maintain integration among the incident response plan, business continuity plan and disaster recovery plan.
Exam Preparation Resources
There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) examination:
- Best Sources
- General References
- Related Training
An additional resource is O'Reilly Learning Safari Books Online, a searchable digital library that provides online access to thousands of books, training videos and conference sessions. See the Educational Resources section on the Related Sites page here on COOL to learn how to get free access.
Testing Information
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Exam Administration
Credential exams may be administered in-person at a testing site, proctored on-line remotely, or have options for both. If an exam is administered through a test vendor, the third-party test vendor box will be checked. The following test administration options apply to the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) credential where checked:
- In-person exam
- Remote proctored on-line exam
- Third-party test vendor
For more information on the ISACA testing process, visit the agency website.
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Third-Party Test Vendor Information
Testing for this credential is handled by the following vendor:
PSI
The test centers are located in the U.S.
To find out more, use the following links on the PSI website:
RECERTIFICATION
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Renewal Period: 3 years