Which of the following is NOT a typical KPI for a security program's effectiveness?

• A. Incident frequency
• B. Response time
• C. User satisfaction score
• D. Compliance

Answer: (C)

Security program effectiveness is best judged by metrics that directly reflect protection, detection, and governance. Incident frequency shows how often security events occur, revealing threat exposure and control gaps. Response time gauges how quickly the team detects and contains incidents, indicating operational efficiency. Compliance tracks adherence to security policies and regulatory requirements, signaling governance and risk management.

User satisfaction score, while valuable for overall service quality and user experience, doesn’t directly measure how well security controls perform or how effectively threats are managed. It can be influenced by usability, policy friction, and unrelated service issues, which means it won’t reliably reflect the security program’s success. That’s why it isn’t a typical KPI for assessing security effectiveness.