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CISM · Question #222

Which of the following is the MOST cost-effective method for assessing an organization's incident response capabilities?

The correct answer is B. Tabletop exercise. Tabletop exercises are the most cost-effective way to assess incident response capabilities because they involve walking key stakeholders through a simulated scenario using discussion only - no special infrastructure, disruption to operations, or expensive external consultants re

Submitted by yuriko_h· Apr 18, 2026Information Security Incident Management

Question

Which of the following is the MOST cost-effective method for assessing an organization's incident response capabilities?

Options

  • APenetration testing
  • BTabletop exercise
  • CThird-party assessment
  • DSenior management interview

How the community answered

(36 responses)
  • A
    3% (1)
  • B
    94% (34)
  • C
    3% (1)

Explanation

Tabletop exercises are the most cost-effective way to assess incident response capabilities because they involve walking key stakeholders through a simulated scenario using discussion only - no special infrastructure, disruption to operations, or expensive external consultants required.

  • Penetration testing (A) is costly, requires skilled testers, and focuses on finding vulnerabilities rather than evaluating how the team responds to incidents.
  • Third-party assessments (C) provide valuable outside perspective but carry significant consulting fees, making them far less cost-effective.
  • Senior management interviews (D) give insight into awareness and policy-level understanding, but don't actually test the team's hands-on response capability.

Memory tip: Think "tabletop = talk it out around a table" - it's low-cost, low-risk, and high-value for stress-testing your incident response plan without touching production systems.

Topics

#Incident Response Testing#Tabletop Exercises#Cost-Effectiveness#Incident Response Assessment

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