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Isaca CISA Practice Test 21

Question 200

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: Auditors receive conflicting statements from administrators about whether an encryption setting was enabled during the test period. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. A revised audit universe and schedule explicitly cover newly material acquisition risks.
  2. Assurance evidence spans the review period without unexplained reliance gaps.
  3. The audit conclusion cites verifiable settings effective during the scope period.
  4. Workpapers trace each material reporting risk to an appropriate control and test result.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

The audit conclusion cites verifiable settings effective during the scope period. It addresses audit evidence collection techniques. Underlying audit concern: Inquiry alone is weaker than independently corroborated technical evidence.

Incorrect Answers

A:

A revised audit universe and schedule explicitly cover newly material acquisition risks. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A merger adds a regulated customer database after the audit plan was approved, but the plan is treated as unchangeable. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The audit conclusion cites verifiable settings effective during the scope period. The governing distinction is: Inquiry alone is weaker than independently corroborated technical evidence.

B:

Assurance evidence spans the review period without unexplained reliance gaps. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A supplier gives the audit team a third-party control report that expired before the review period. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The audit conclusion cites verifiable settings effective during the scope period. The governing distinction is: Inquiry alone is weaker than independently corroborated technical evidence.

D:

Workpapers trace each material reporting risk to an appropriate control and test result. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A financial reporting controls audit tests only the cloud provider's availability status but ignores the customer's application controls. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The audit conclusion cites verifiable settings effective during the scope period. The governing distinction is: Inquiry alone is weaker than independently corroborated technical evidence.

Question 201

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A DevOps team deploys from automated pipelines with no independent approval for sensitive production promotions. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Recommend controlled key migration testing and secure escrow or recovery planning.
  2. Recommend controlled traceability updates and reapproval when significant needs change.
  3. Recommend risk-based release gates and accountable authorization in the pipeline.
  4. Recommend a cross-party program dashboard with escalated critical-path delays.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Recommend risk-based release gates and accountable authorization in the pipeline. The relevant control principle is: Automation should enforce appropriate separation of duties and production-release control. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Unauthorized promotions fail while approved releases retain auditable provenance.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Recommend controlled key migration testing and secure escrow or recovery planning. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud move assumes existing encryption keys will work in the target without import or custody testing. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend risk-based release gates and accountable authorization in the pipeline. The governing distinction is: Automation should enforce appropriate separation of duties and production-release control.

B:

Recommend controlled traceability updates and reapproval when significant needs change. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A waterfall project signs off design once, then production requirements change without design traceability. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend risk-based release gates and accountable authorization in the pipeline. The governing distinction is: Automation should enforce appropriate separation of duties and production-release control.

D:

Recommend a cross-party program dashboard with escalated critical-path delays. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A program steering committee receives status reports from one vendor but has no visibility into independent testing delays. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend risk-based release gates and accountable authorization in the pipeline. The governing distinction is: Automation should enforce appropriate separation of duties and production-release control.

Question 202

Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A mobile-banking project reaches launch without an accountable sponsor for unresolved regulatory requirements. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?

  1. Compare throughput thresholds, test environment parity and unresolved bottlenecks.
  2. Review steering committee minutes, stage-gate decisions and responsibility assignments.
  3. Compare original baseline, requested variations, impact estimates and approval records.
  4. Compare balances, unique IDs, rejects, cutoff times and migration mapping rules.

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Review steering committee minutes, stage-gate decisions and responsibility assignments. The governing principle is: Project governance requires clear business ownership and formal acceptance of material risk.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Compare throughput thresholds, test environment parity and unresolved bottlenecks. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud platform is declared ready despite failed high-load tests and no capacity remediation plan. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Review steering committee minutes, stage-gate decisions and responsibility assignments. The governing distinction is: Project governance requires clear business ownership and formal acceptance of material risk.

C:

Compare original baseline, requested variations, impact estimates and approval records. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A new enterprise resource planning program frequently expands requirements without cost, risk or schedule review. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Review steering committee minutes, stage-gate decisions and responsibility assignments. The governing distinction is: Project governance requires clear business ownership and formal acceptance of material risk.

D:

Compare balances, unique IDs, rejects, cutoff times and migration mapping rules. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A bank converts 20 years of loan records into a new core system and reconciles only total record counts. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Review steering committee minutes, stage-gate decisions and responsibility assignments. The governing distinction is: Project governance requires clear business ownership and formal acceptance of material risk.

Question 203

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A code review tool shows no vulnerabilities after analysts exclude the main authentication module from scanning. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. Authentication source changes are within the scanned and independently reviewed scope.
  2. Unauthorized public reads fail and approved access remains auditable.
  3. Approved staff retrieve only necessary records and excessive exports are flagged or blocked.
  4. Verified findings and compensating controls support the documented residual risk.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Authentication source changes are within the scanned and independently reviewed scope. It addresses security testing tools and techniques. Underlying audit concern: Assessment conclusions depend on complete and relevant testing coverage.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Unauthorized public reads fail and approved access remains auditable. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud storage bucket used for personnel data becomes publicly readable after a template change. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Authentication source changes are within the scanned and independently reviewed scope. The governing distinction is: Assessment conclusions depend on complete and relevant testing coverage.

C:

Approved staff retrieve only necessary records and excessive exports are flagged or blocked. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A customer service portal allows employees to export unrestricted copies of all customer identity documents. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Authentication source changes are within the scanned and independently reviewed scope. The governing distinction is: Assessment conclusions depend on complete and relevant testing coverage.

D:

Verified findings and compensating controls support the documented residual risk. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A vulnerability scanner reports a critical web flaw but the service is behind a compensating control and no validation occurs. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Authentication source changes are within the scanned and independently reviewed scope. The governing distinction is: Assessment conclusions depend on complete and relevant testing coverage.

Question 204

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: An organization discovers a reportable personal-data breach but no one knows who can authorize external notification. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Incident governance should define regulatory communication and accountable legal decisions.
  2. Forensic collection scope should preserve a complete relevant timeline within lawful boundaries.
  3. Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls.
  4. Overbroad classification can undermine effective enforcement and incident response.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Incident governance should define regulatory communication and accountable legal decisions. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review notification obligations, escalation matrix, incident classification and response records.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Forensic collection scope should preserve a complete relevant timeline within lawful boundaries. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud incident investigator exports only the latest activity logs, omitting records from the suspected initial compromise. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Incident governance should define regulatory communication and accountable legal decisions. The governing distinction is: Incident governance should define regulatory communication and accountable legal decisions.

C:

Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: After a malware outbreak is closed, identical infections recur because no root-cause or control improvement work is assigned. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Incident governance should define regulatory communication and accountable legal decisions. The governing distinction is: Incident governance should define regulatory communication and accountable legal decisions.

D:

Overbroad classification can undermine effective enforcement and incident response. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A research team labels every file confidential, generating excessive DLP false positives and routine overrides. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Incident governance should define regulatory communication and accountable legal decisions. The governing distinction is: Incident governance should define regulatory communication and accountable legal decisions.

Question 205

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A change program reports all projects green by budget but ignores delayed security deliverables. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Recommend independent service-level validation and dispute or corrective-action processes.
  2. Recommend a jurisdiction-specific obligation register and tested control mapping for the service.
  3. Recommend balanced KPI and KRI reporting with explicit unresolved risk.
  4. Recommend risk-weighted supplier evaluation with documented approval of material exceptions.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Recommend balanced KPI and KRI reporting with explicit unresolved risk. The relevant control principle is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Executive dashboards disclose late security gates alongside spending status.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Recommend independent service-level validation and dispute or corrective-action processes. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Management accepts monthly vendor summaries without independently checking service-level breaches. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend balanced KPI and KRI reporting with explicit unresolved risk. The governing distinction is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators.

B:

Recommend a jurisdiction-specific obligation register and tested control mapping for the service. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A multinational cloud project assumes a control compliant in one country automatically satisfies every jurisdiction in which data is processed. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend balanced KPI and KRI reporting with explicit unresolved risk. The governing distinction is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators.

D:

Recommend risk-weighted supplier evaluation with documented approval of material exceptions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Procurement selects the lowest-cost cloud vendor while ignoring prior security incidents and regulatory audit rights. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend balanced KPI and KRI reporting with explicit unresolved risk. The governing distinction is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators.

Question 206

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A vulnerability scanner reports a critical web flaw but the service is behind a compensating control and no validation occurs. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Monitoring reliability requires completeness, heartbeat and sensor-health validation.
  2. Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
  3. Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions.
  4. Testing results should distinguish initial indicators from validated compromise outcomes.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review scanner evidence, actual exposure, exploit preconditions and protective controls.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Monitoring reliability requires completeness, heartbeat and sensor-health validation. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An endpoint dashboard displays every system as healthy even though remote devices have stopped forwarding telemetry. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions. The governing distinction is: Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions.

B:

Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A compliance dashboard reports all policies published but does not measure whether their security controls operate. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions. The governing distinction is: Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions.

D:

Testing results should distinguish initial indicators from validated compromise outcomes. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A red-team exercise reports success based on one simulated phishing click without demonstrating access or business impact. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions. The governing distinction is: Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions.

Question 207

Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: An IT strategy document lists new tools but has no targets for customer availability or service costs. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?

  1. Review loss scenarios, duration estimates and board-approved risk limits.
  2. Interview business sponsors and compare strategic priorities with proposed IT measures.
  3. Inspect portability clauses, data format, transition timing and alternative service readiness.
  4. Review risk committee charters, decision rights and reporting relationships.

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Interview business sponsors and compare strategic priorities with proposed IT measures. The governing principle is: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Review loss scenarios, duration estimates and board-approved risk limits. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A department labels a customer outage risk acceptable because its probability is low without evaluating financial impact. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Interview business sponsors and compare strategic priorities with proposed IT measures. The governing distinction is: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.

C:

Inspect portability clauses, data format, transition timing and alternative service readiness. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A critical provider exits the market and the customer has no usable data export or transition rights. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Interview business sponsors and compare strategic priorities with proposed IT measures. The governing distinction is: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.

D:

Review risk committee charters, decision rights and reporting relationships. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A chief technology officer both accepts enterprise cyber risk and certifies the independence of the risk oversight function. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Interview business sponsors and compare strategic priorities with proposed IT measures. The governing distinction is: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.

Question 208

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A call center continuity binder lists alternate desks but employees cannot access the customer service application from that location. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. Trained staff complete representative customer calls from the alternate site.
  2. Subsequent database changes preserve required reporting functionality or roll back safely.
  3. Each retired device reconciles to approved erasure or destruction evidence and authorized release.
  4. A rerun delivers correct messages through tested channels within response requirements.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Trained staff complete representative customer calls from the alternate site. It addresses business continuity plan. Underlying audit concern: Continuity plans must integrate people, facilities, technology and business processes.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Subsequent database changes preserve required reporting functionality or roll back safely. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A routine database update causes outages because no dependency assessment included reporting services. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Trained staff complete representative customer calls from the alternate site. The governing distinction is: Continuity plans must integrate people, facilities, technology and business processes.

C:

Each retired device reconciles to approved erasure or destruction evidence and authorized release. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A retail chain replaces laptops but leaves decommissioned drives untracked with a disposal contractor. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Trained staff complete representative customer calls from the alternate site. The governing distinction is: Continuity plans must integrate people, facilities, technology and business processes.

D:

A rerun delivers correct messages through tested channels within response requirements. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A regional outage exercise reveals that business partners were never included in the communications tree. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Trained staff complete representative customer calls from the alternate site. The governing distinction is: Continuity plans must integrate people, facilities, technology and business processes.

Question 209

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A SaaS provider promises 99.9% uptime in a brochure but the signed agreement contains no measurable recovery commitment. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. Signed obligations and monitoring evidence cover the organization's critical service needs.
  2. Data samples reflect the approved retention decision without unapproved loss or overretention.
  3. Risk treatment decisions remain within approved appetite or receive documented authorized escalation.
  4. A rehearsal demonstrates recoverable data and an operationally feasible provider transition.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Signed obligations and monitoring evidence cover the organization's critical service needs. It addresses it vendor management. Underlying audit concern: Vendor risk must be evaluated against enforceable contractual terms and business requirements.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Data samples reflect the approved retention decision without unapproved loss or overretention. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: The legal team interprets a contractual data retention clause differently from IT's automatic deletion schedule. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Signed obligations and monitoring evidence cover the organization's critical service needs. The governing distinction is: Vendor risk must be evaluated against enforceable contractual terms and business requirements.

C:

Risk treatment decisions remain within approved appetite or receive documented authorized escalation. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A department labels a customer outage risk acceptable because its probability is low without evaluating financial impact. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Signed obligations and monitoring evidence cover the organization's critical service needs. The governing distinction is: Vendor risk must be evaluated against enforceable contractual terms and business requirements.

D:

A rehearsal demonstrates recoverable data and an operationally feasible provider transition. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A critical provider exits the market and the customer has no usable data export or transition rights. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Signed obligations and monitoring evidence cover the organization's critical service needs. The governing distinction is: Vendor risk must be evaluated against enforceable contractual terms and business requirements.

Question 210

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A business unit requests that internal audit review only controls selected by its system owner. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Inquiry alone is weaker than independently corroborated technical evidence.
  2. Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference.
  3. Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities.
  4. Sample conclusions must reflect observed deviations and appropriate uncertainty.

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference. The corresponding audit procedure is: Examine threat scenarios, regulatory exposure, process dependencies and proposed exclusions.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Inquiry alone is weaker than independently corroborated technical evidence. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Auditors receive conflicting statements from administrators about whether an encryption setting was enabled during the test period. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference. The governing distinction is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference.

C:

Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: The annual audit plan gives equal effort to a low-risk intranet and a newly acquired payment processing platform. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference. The governing distinction is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference.

D:

Sample conclusions must reflect observed deviations and appropriate uncertainty. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A sample of authorized changes contains failures, yet the auditor extrapolates a zero-percent exception rate. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference. The governing distinction is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference.

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