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Isaca CISA Practice Test 29

Question 280

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A sales team stores client contracts in an unapproved personal file-sharing account for convenience. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. Confidential contracts reside only in approved managed repositories with appropriate access.
  2. Each retired device reconciles to approved erasure or destruction evidence and authorized release.
  3. Unauthorized formula changes are detected and regulatory calculations reconcile.
  4. Unauthorized script edits are denied and authorized revisions are traceable.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Confidential contracts reside only in approved managed repositories with appropriate access. It addresses shadow it and end-user computing. Underlying audit concern: Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls.

Incorrect Answers

B:

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: Confidential contracts reside only in approved managed repositories with appropriate access. The governing distinction is: Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls.

C:

Unauthorized formula changes are detected and regulatory calculations reconcile. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A spreadsheet with editable formulas calculates regulatory capital but has no validation or change history. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Confidential contracts reside only in approved managed repositories with appropriate access. The governing distinction is: Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls.

D:

Unauthorized script edits are denied and authorized revisions are traceable. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An operator can edit scheduled payroll scripts directly in production without independent approval. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Confidential contracts reside only in approved managed repositories with appropriate access. The governing distinction is: Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls.

Question 281

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A sample of authorized changes contains failures, yet the auditor extrapolates a zero-percent exception rate. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Present a concise prioritized executive summary with detailed workpapers available on request.
  2. Have the audit director assign an independent reviewer and disclose the conflict to appropriate oversight.
  3. Expand testing or qualify the conclusion according to sampling risk and materiality.
  4. Rebuild the population including historical departures before selecting test items.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Expand testing or qualify the conclusion according to sampling risk and materiality. The relevant control principle is: Sample conclusions must reflect observed deviations and appropriate uncertainty. A meaningful follow-up should establish: The reporting workpaper transparently reconciles exceptions to the supported conclusion.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Present a concise prioritized executive summary with detailed workpapers available on request. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A board report includes hundreds of raw test details but fails to distinguish enterprise-critical findings. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Expand testing or qualify the conclusion according to sampling risk and materiality. The governing distinction is: Sample conclusions must reflect observed deviations and appropriate uncertainty.

B:

Have the audit director assign an independent reviewer and disclose the conflict to appropriate oversight. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An internal auditor helped configure the privileged-access system now scheduled for an assurance review. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Expand testing or qualify the conclusion according to sampling risk and materiality. The governing distinction is: Sample conclusions must reflect observed deviations and appropriate uncertainty.

D:

Rebuild the population including historical departures before selecting test items. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A database access audit receives a file containing only current active users although it must assess leavers over the last quarter. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Expand testing or qualify the conclusion according to sampling risk and materiality. The governing distinction is: Sample conclusions must reflect observed deviations and appropriate uncertainty.

Question 282

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: An auditor flags duplicated supplier invoices by invoice number alone and ignores vendor identifiers and credit notes. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Audit evidence reliability depends on source, integrity, relevance and timing.
  2. A zero-exception result is unreliable if data completeness and pipeline health are unverified.
  3. Analytics rules need valid business keys and exception handling to avoid false conclusions.
  4. Evidence integrity and independence are weakened when subjects can alter the only record.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Analytics rules need valid business keys and exception handling to avoid false conclusions. The corresponding audit procedure is: Inspect data model, supplier identifiers, credit indicators and reconciliation counts.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Audit evidence reliability depends on source, integrity, relevance and timing. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A system owner provides a screenshot of an access list without a timestamp or source-system identification. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Analytics rules need valid business keys and exception handling to avoid false conclusions. The governing distinction is: Analytics rules need valid business keys and exception handling to avoid false conclusions.

B:

A zero-exception result is unreliable if data completeness and pipeline health are unverified. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A continuous monitoring dashboard reports zero failed access attempts because its collection job stopped three days ago. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Analytics rules need valid business keys and exception handling to avoid false conclusions. The governing distinction is: Analytics rules need valid business keys and exception handling to avoid false conclusions.

D:

Evidence integrity and independence are weakened when subjects can alter the only record. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A vendor's audit log is editable by the same administrator whose changes are under investigation. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Analytics rules need valid business keys and exception handling to avoid false conclusions. The governing distinction is: Analytics rules need valid business keys and exception handling to avoid false conclusions.

Question 283

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A sales team stores client contracts in an unapproved personal file-sharing account for convenience. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Recommend protected incident evidence retention and audited deletion rules.
  2. Recommend sanctioned collaboration or compensating controls and managed migration.
  3. Recommend controlled formula protection, independent review and periodic reconciliation.
  4. Recommend independent communications paths or explicit mitigation for shared exposure.

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Recommend sanctioned collaboration or compensating controls and managed migration. The relevant control principle is: Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Confidential contracts reside only in approved managed repositories with appropriate access.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Recommend protected incident evidence retention and audited deletion rules. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A service desk deletes incident attachments when tickets are closed, preventing later regulatory review. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend sanctioned collaboration or compensating controls and managed migration. The governing distinction is: Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls.

C:

Recommend controlled formula protection, independent review and periodic reconciliation. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A spreadsheet with editable formulas calculates regulatory capital but has no validation or change history. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend sanctioned collaboration or compensating controls and managed migration. The governing distinction is: Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls.

D:

Recommend independent communications paths or explicit mitigation for shared exposure. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Two data centers have separate buildings but share one telecom carrier and underground duct. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend sanctioned collaboration or compensating controls and managed migration. The governing distinction is: Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls.

Question 284

Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A merger adds a regulated customer database after the audit plan was approved, but the plan is treated as unchangeable. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?

  1. Review the acquisition risk assessment, legal obligations and remaining audit capacity.
  2. Inspect the engagement charter, agreed objectives, evidence plan and promised deliverables.
  3. Examine threat scenarios, regulatory exposure, process dependencies and proposed exclusions.
  4. Obtain the complete critical-service inventory and independent exercise records.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Review the acquisition risk assessment, legal obligations and remaining audit capacity. The governing principle is: Risk-based audit planning is dynamic when business context and material exposures change.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Inspect the engagement charter, agreed objectives, evidence plan and promised deliverables. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Management calls a readiness workshop a completed audit even though no testing or assurance opinion was planned. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Review the acquisition risk assessment, legal obligations and remaining audit capacity. The governing distinction is: Risk-based audit planning is dynamic when business context and material exposures change.

C:

Examine threat scenarios, regulatory exposure, process dependencies and proposed exclusions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A business unit requests that internal audit review only controls selected by its system owner. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Review the acquisition risk assessment, legal obligations and remaining audit capacity. The governing distinction is: Risk-based audit planning is dynamic when business context and material exposures change.

D:

Obtain the complete critical-service inventory and independent exercise records. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Management offers ten handpicked successful failover demonstrations as evidence that every critical service has tested recovery. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Review the acquisition risk assessment, legal obligations and remaining audit capacity. The governing distinction is: Risk-based audit planning is dynamic when business context and material exposures change.

Question 285

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A remote-access gateway accepts a password alone for high-impact production administrators. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Conflicting business permissions create opportunities for unauthorized transactions.
  2. An attack sequence should be assessed using corroborated indicators and business impact.
  3. Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions.
  4. Strong authentication should match privileged remote access risk and enterprise policy.

Explanation

Correct Answer

D:

Strong authentication should match privileged remote access risk and enterprise policy. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review access paths, authentication factors, bypass methods and login activity.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Conflicting business permissions create opportunities for unauthorized transactions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An accounts-payable supervisor can both create vendors and approve their first payments. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Strong authentication should match privileged remote access risk and enterprise policy. The governing distinction is: Strong authentication should match privileged remote access risk and enterprise policy.

B:

An attack sequence should be assessed using corroborated indicators and business impact. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Repeated impossible-travel sign-ins occur before a finance account initiates unusual transfers. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Strong authentication should match privileged remote access risk and enterprise policy. The governing distinction is: Strong authentication should match privileged remote access risk and enterprise policy.

C:

Security test findings require contextual verification and risk assessment before conclusions. 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 principle is: Strong authentication should match privileged remote access risk and enterprise policy. The governing distinction is: Strong authentication should match privileged remote access risk and enterprise policy.

Question 286

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A finance spreadsheet contains confidential salary data but is labeled public in the enterprise catalog. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.
  2. Vendor exit planning is necessary to manage concentration and operational continuity risk.
  3. Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements.
  4. Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review dataset content, applicable classification rules and access decisions.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An IT strategy document lists new tools but has no targets for customer availability or service costs. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements. The governing distinction is: Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements.

B:

Vendor exit planning is necessary to manage concentration and operational continuity risk. 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 principle is: Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements. The governing distinction is: Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements.

D:

Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud analytics environment retains raw regulated data after the approved business retention period. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements. The governing distinction is: Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements.

Question 287

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A payment API relies on user-supplied transaction values without server-side validation. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Recommend preventive entitlement checks and independent monitoring in design acceptance criteria.
  2. Recommend controlled traceability updates and reapproval when significant needs change.
  3. Recommend independent server-side business validation and abuse testing before release.
  4. Recommend removing unnecessary launch privileges and recording any approved residual risk.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Recommend independent server-side business validation and abuse testing before release. The relevant control principle is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Invalid or manipulated requests are blocked and legitimate transactions remain correct.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Recommend preventive entitlement checks and independent monitoring in design acceptance criteria. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A new web checkout design addresses user experience but fails to define controls for unauthorized refund changes. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend independent server-side business validation and abuse testing before release. The governing distinction is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules.

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 independent server-side business validation and abuse testing before release. The governing distinction is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules.

D:

Recommend removing unnecessary launch privileges and recording any approved residual risk. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: After a new billing platform launches, unresolved temporary broad administrator permissions are treated as permanent. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend independent server-side business validation and abuse testing before release. The governing distinction is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules.

Question 288

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A financial application retains operational logs for only a week although investigation rules require six months. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Continuity communication should address external dependencies and affected stakeholders.
  2. Availability analysis must include upstream shared dependencies, not just redundant hosts.
  3. Reliable log correlation depends on consistent time and original event provenance.
  4. Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements.

Explanation

Correct Answer

D:

Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review approved retention rules, system purge settings, storage capacity and sampled history.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Continuity communication should address external dependencies and affected stakeholders. 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 principle is: Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements. The governing distinction is: Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements.

B:

Availability analysis must include upstream shared dependencies, not just redundant hosts. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A redundant web cluster shares one DNS resolver and becomes inaccessible when that resolver fails. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements. The governing distinction is: Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements.

C:

Reliable log correlation depends on consistent time and original event provenance. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Multiple servers use unsynchronized clocks so a transaction appears to complete before it begins. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements. The governing distinction is: Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements.

Question 289

Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A completed software project is archived without documenting incidents and change causes from the first operating month. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?

  1. Examine backlog prioritization, definition of done, security tests and sprint acceptance.
  2. Compare deployment manifests, access logs, runtime configuration and approvals.
  3. Examine initial incidents, defect trends, handover documents and user support readiness.
  4. Compare approved business case, operational metrics, costs and observed user experience.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Examine initial incidents, defect trends, handover documents and user support readiness. The governing principle is: Lessons learned and operational handoff should feed governance and future improvements.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Examine backlog prioritization, definition of done, security tests and sprint acceptance. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An agile team delivers features every sprint but security stories are never included in the product backlog. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Examine initial incidents, defect trends, handover documents and user support readiness. The governing distinction is: Lessons learned and operational handoff should feed governance and future improvements.

B:

Compare deployment manifests, access logs, runtime configuration and approvals. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A production release changes database permissions manually after the reviewed deployment package was approved. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Examine initial incidents, defect trends, handover documents and user support readiness. The governing distinction is: Lessons learned and operational handoff should feed governance and future improvements.

D:

Compare approved business case, operational metrics, costs and observed user experience. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A new HR system meets its technical go-live date but fails the promised reduction in onboarding time. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Examine initial incidents, defect trends, handover documents and user support readiness. The governing distinction is: Lessons learned and operational handoff should feed governance and future improvements.

Question 290

Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A sales system's backup schedule is chosen before the business determines acceptable data loss. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?

  1. Quantify financial and operational consequences of lost transactions over time.
  2. Interview process owners, quantify disruption impacts and map dependent systems.
  3. Map DNS architecture, cache behavior, alternate paths and outage records.
  4. Compare discovery scans, inventory records, host ownership and vendor support status.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Quantify financial and operational consequences of lost transactions over time. It is more reliable than assuming the claimed control state from discussion alone. The governing principle is: RPO should be derived from business impact and transactional tolerance, not backup convenience.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Interview process owners, quantify disruption impacts and map dependent systems. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A continuity plan treats a rarely used test portal and a critical emergency dispatch system as equally urgent. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Quantify financial and operational consequences of lost transactions over time. The governing distinction is: RPO should be derived from business impact and transactional tolerance, not backup convenience.

C:

Map DNS architecture, cache behavior, alternate paths and outage records. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A redundant web cluster shares one DNS resolver and becomes inaccessible when that resolver fails. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Quantify financial and operational consequences of lost transactions over time. The governing distinction is: RPO should be derived from business impact and transactional tolerance, not backup convenience.

D:

Compare discovery scans, inventory records, host ownership and vendor support status. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An IT inventory lists hundreds of production servers without owners or support end dates. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Quantify financial and operational consequences of lost transactions over time. The governing distinction is: RPO should be derived from business impact and transactional tolerance, not backup convenience.

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) Practice Tests