nerdexam
Isaca

CISM · Question #506

The PRIMARY objective of an organized phishing simulation is to test the:

The correct answer is C. security awareness of the user base. Phishing simulations are a security awareness training tool. Their primary objective is to measure how well users recognize and respond to social engineering attempts - the human element of the security posture. While a simulation may incidentally reveal gaps in email filtering…

Submitted by thandi_sa· Apr 18, 2026Information Security Program Development and Management

Question

The PRIMARY objective of an organized phishing simulation is to test the:

Options

  • Aincident escalation process.
  • Beffectiveness of the email filter.
  • Csecurity awareness of the user base.
  • Deffectiveness of the information security policy

How the community answered

(29 responses)
  • A
    7% (2)
  • C
    90% (26)
  • D
    3% (1)

Explanation

Phishing simulations are a security awareness training tool. Their primary objective is to measure how well users recognize and respond to social engineering attempts - the human element of the security posture. While a simulation may incidentally reveal gaps in email filtering (B), technical controls are not the target. Incident escalation (A) and policy effectiveness (D) are separate concerns. The simulation is designed to test and improve human behavior, not technical defenses.

Topics

#Phishing simulation#Security awareness#User training#Program effectiveness

Community Discussion

No community discussion yet for this question.

Full CISM Practice