Flooding the site with an excessive number of packets is an attack technique that will succeed because of an inherent security weakness in an Internet firewall. This type of attack is also known as a denial-of-service (DoS) attack or a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack if it involves multiple sources. The aim of this attack is to overwhelm the network bandwidth or the processing capacity of the firewall or the target system, rendering it unable to respond to legitimate requests or perform its normal functions. An Internet firewall is a device or software that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined rules. A firewall can block or allow traffic based on various criteria, such as source address, destination address, port number, protocol type, application type, etc. However, a firewall cannot prevent traffic from reaching its interface or distinguish between legitimate and malicious traffic based on its content or behavior.
Therefore, a firewall is vulnerable to flooding attacks that exploit its limited resources. Phishing is an attack technique that involves sending fraudulent emails or messages that appear to come from legitimate sources, such as banks, government agencies, online services, etc., in order to trick recipients into revealing their personal or financial information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, bank account details, etc., or into clicking on malicious links or attachments that can infect their systems with malware or ransomware.
Phishing does not exploit an inherent security weakness in an Internet firewall, but rather exploits human psychology and social engineering techniques. A firewall cannot prevent phishing emails or messages from reaching their intended targets, unless they contain some identifiable features that can be filtered out by the firewall rules. However, a firewall cannot detect or prevent users from responding to phishing emails or messages or from opening malicious links or attachments. Using a dictionary attack of encrypted passwords is an attack technique that involves trying to guess or crack passwords by using a list of common or likely passwords or by using a brute-force method that tries all possible combinations of characters. This type of attack does not exploit an inherent security weakness in an Internet firewall, but rather exploits weak or poorly chosen passwords or weak encryption algorithms. A firewall cannot prevent a dictionary attack of encrypted passwords, unless it has some mechanisms to detect and block repeated or suspicious login attempts or to enforce strong password policies. However, a firewall cannot protect passwords from being stolen or intercepted by other means, such as phishing, malware, keylogging, etc. Intercepting packets and viewing passwords is an attack technique that involves capturing and analyzing network traffic that contains sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, bank account details, etc., in order to use them for malicious purposes. This type of attack does not exploit an inherent security weakness in an Internet firewall, but rather exploits insecure or unencrypted network communication protocols or channels. A firewall cannot prevent packets from being intercepted and viewed by unauthorized parties, unless it has some mechanisms to encrypt or obfuscate the network traffic or to authenticate the source and destination of the traffic. However, a firewall cannot protect packets from being modified or tampered with by other means, such as man-in-the-middle attacks, replay attacks, etc. References: ISACA CISA Review Manual 27th Edition, page 300

Change management is the process of planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating changes to an organization's information systems and related components. Change management aims to ensure that changes are aligned with the business objectives, minimize risks and disruptions, and maximize benefits and value.
One of the key aspects of change management is measuring its effectiveness, which means assessing whether the changes have achieved the desired outcomes and met the expectations of the stakeholders. There are various indicators that can be used to measure change management effectiveness, such as time, cost, quality, scope, satisfaction, and performance.
Among the four options given, the most appropriate indicator of change management effectiveness is the number of incidents resulting from changes. An incident is an unplanned event or interruption that affects the normal operation or service delivery of an information system. Incidents can be caused by various factors, such as errors, defects, failures, malfunctions, or malicious attacks. Incidents can have negative impacts on the organization, such as loss of data, productivity, reputation, or revenue.
The number of incidents resulting from changes is a direct measure of how well the changes have been planned, implemented, monitored, and evaluated. A high number of incidents indicates that the changes have not been properly tested, verified, communicated, or controlled. A low number of incidents indicates that the changes have been executed smoothly and successfully. Therefore, the number of incidents resulting from changes reflects the quality and effectiveness of the change management process.
The other three options are not as appropriate indicators of change management effectiveness as the number of incidents resulting from changes. The time lag between changes to the configuration and the update of records is a measure of how timely and accurate the configuration management process is. Configuration management is a subset of change management that focuses on identifying, documenting, and controlling the configuration items (CIs) that make up an information system. The time lag between changes and updates of documentation materials is a measure of how well the documentation process is aligned with the change management process. Documentation is an important aspect of change management that provides information and guidance to the stakeholders involved in or affected by the changes. The number of system software changes is a measure of how frequently and extensively the system software is modified or updated. System software changes are a type of change that affects the operating system, middleware, or utilities that support an information system.
While these three indicators are relevant and useful for measuring certain aspects of change management, they do not directly measure the outcomes or impacts of the changes on the organization. They are more related to the inputs or activities of change management than to its outputs or results. Therefore, they are not as appropriate indicators of change management effectiveness as the number of incidents resulting from changes.
References:
* Metrics for Measuring Change Management - Prosci
* How to Measure Change Management Effectiveness: Metrics, Tools & Processes
* Metrics for Measuring Change Management 2023 - Zendesk

An acceptable use policy (AUP) is a document that defines the rules and guidelines for using an organization' s IT resources, such as networks, devices, and software. It aims to protect the organization's assets, security, and productivity. An AUP should be formally acknowledged by users to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities and obligations when using the IT resources. Without formal acknowledgment, users may not be held accountable for violating the AUP or may claim ignorance of the policy. This can expose the organization to legal, regulatory, reputational, or operational risks. Lack of data for measuring compliance, violation of industry standards, and noncompliance with documentation requirements are also possible risks from not having users acknowledge the AUP, but they are less significant than lack of user accountability.
References: Workable: Acceptable use policy template, Wikipedia: Acceptable use policy

The executive management concern that could be addressed by the implementation of a security metrics dashboard is the effectiveness of the security program. A security metrics dashboard is a tool that provides a visual representation of key performance indicators (KPIs) and key risk indicators (KRIs) related to the organization's information security objectives and activities. A security metrics dashboard can help executive management monitor and evaluate the performance and value delivery of the security program, identify strengths and weaknesses, assess compliance with policies and standards, and support decision making and improvement initiatives. Security incidents vs. industry benchmarks, total number of hours budgeted to security, and total number of false positives are not executive management concerns that could be addressed by the implementation of a security metrics dashboard. These are more operational or technical aspects of information security that could be measured and reported by other means, such as incident reports, budget reports, or log analysis. References: [ISACA CISA Review Manual 27th Edition], page 302