cert
cert-1
cert-2

Pass Isaca CISA Exam in First Attempt Guaranteed!

Get 100% Latest Exam Questions, Accurate & Verified Answers to Pass the Actual Exam!
30 Days Free Updates, Instant Download!

cert-5
cert-6
CISA Exam - Verified By Experts
CISA Premium Bundle
$29.98

CISA Premium Bundle

$79.99
$109.97
  • Premium File 1097 Questions & Answers. Last update: Nov 13, 2026
  • Training Course 74 Video Lectures
  • Study Guide 1141 Pages
 
$109.97
$79.99
accept 70 downloads in last 7 days
block-screenshots
Purchase Isaca CISA Exam Training Products Individually
Isaca CISA Premium File
Premium File 1097 Q&A
$76.99$69.99
Isaca CISA Video Training Course
Training Course 74 Lectures
$21.99 $19.99
Isaca CISA PDF Study Guide
Study Guide 1141 Pages
$21.99 $19.99
Isaca CISA Practice Test 3

Question 20

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: Security logs are forwarded to a central platform but administrators can disable forwarding without generating an alert. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Job automation changes should be authorized, versioned and attributable.
  2. Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements.
  3. Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps.
  4. Asset lifecycle management must control custody and data disposition at retirement.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps. The corresponding audit procedure is: Check logging privileges, forwarding configuration, heartbeat and gap detection.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Job automation changes should be authorized, versioned and attributable. 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 principle is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps. The governing distinction is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps.

B:

Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A financial application retains operational logs for only a week although investigation rules require six months. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps. The governing distinction is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps.

D:

Asset lifecycle management must control custody and data disposition at retirement. 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 principle is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps. The governing distinction is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps.

Question 21

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: An audit director relies on peer sign-offs that were completed by the same person who prepared each working paper. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. Audit oversight receives accurate aging, ownership and retest status for open actions.
  2. Workpapers demonstrate distinct preparer and reviewer approvals and resolved comments.
  3. The workpaper records source, date, collection method and reconciliation to original records.
  4. Engagement scope and limitation disclosures show material risks were not silently omitted.

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Workpapers demonstrate distinct preparer and reviewer approvals and resolved comments. It addresses quality assurance and improvement of audit process. Underlying audit concern: Independent workpaper review is undermined by self-approval.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Audit oversight receives accurate aging, ownership and retest status for open actions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Three departments repeatedly miss remediation dates but audit management reports closure rates without aging analysis. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Workpapers demonstrate distinct preparer and reviewer approvals and resolved comments. The governing distinction is: Independent workpaper review is undermined by self-approval.

C:

The workpaper records source, date, collection method and reconciliation to original records. 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 verification is: Workpapers demonstrate distinct preparer and reviewer approvals and resolved comments. The governing distinction is: Independent workpaper review is undermined by self-approval.

D:

Engagement scope and limitation disclosures show material risks were not silently omitted. 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 verification is: Workpapers demonstrate distinct preparer and reviewer approvals and resolved comments. The governing distinction is: Independent workpaper review is undermined by self-approval.

Question 22

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: An anomaly model ranks high-value payments as suspicious but the auditor cannot explain its scoring or false-positive rate. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Calibrate the detection and corroborate material exceptions before reporting control failure.
  2. Present a concise prioritized executive summary with detailed workpapers available on request.
  3. Escalate persistently overdue material findings and improve risk-weighted follow-up reporting.
  4. Refine duplicate detection with appropriate compound keys and review exceptions manually.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Calibrate the detection and corroborate material exceptions before reporting control failure. The relevant control principle is: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Reported exceptions are reproducible and supported by transaction evidence rather than model scores alone.

Incorrect Answers

B:

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: Calibrate the detection and corroborate material exceptions before reporting control failure. The governing distinction is: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation.

C:

Escalate persistently overdue material findings and improve risk-weighted follow-up reporting. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Three departments repeatedly miss remediation dates but audit management reports closure rates without aging analysis. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Calibrate the detection and corroborate material exceptions before reporting control failure. The governing distinction is: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation.

D:

Refine duplicate detection with appropriate compound keys and review exceptions manually. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An auditor flags duplicated supplier invoices by invoice number alone and ignores vendor identifiers and credit notes. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Calibrate the detection and corroborate material exceptions before reporting control failure. The governing distinction is: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation.

Question 23

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A payroll release passes developer unit tests but has never completed end-to-end statutory deduction testing. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Recommend integrated change control with documented scope and acceptance decisions.
  2. Recommend correcting capacity issues and rerunning realistic performance tests.
  3. Recommend sponsor ownership and documented decision gates for regulatory and security issues.
  4. Recommend business-led end-to-end acceptance and mandatory issue closure or risk approval.

Explanation

Correct Answer

D:

Recommend business-led end-to-end acceptance and mandatory issue closure or risk approval. The relevant control principle is: Production readiness needs business acceptance and control testing beyond unit coverage. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Representative payroll runs calculate and post deductions correctly before deployment.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Recommend integrated change control with documented scope and acceptance decisions. 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 recommendation is: Recommend business-led end-to-end acceptance and mandatory issue closure or risk approval. The governing distinction is: Production readiness needs business acceptance and control testing beyond unit coverage.

B:

Recommend correcting capacity issues and rerunning realistic performance tests. 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 recommendation is: Recommend business-led end-to-end acceptance and mandatory issue closure or risk approval. The governing distinction is: Production readiness needs business acceptance and control testing beyond unit coverage.

C:

Recommend sponsor ownership and documented decision gates for regulatory and security issues. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A mobile-banking project reaches launch without an accountable sponsor for unresolved regulatory requirements. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend business-led end-to-end acceptance and mandatory issue closure or risk approval. The governing distinction is: Production readiness needs business acceptance and control testing beyond unit coverage.

Question 24

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: Repeated impossible-travel sign-ins occur before a finance account initiates unusual transfers. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Recommend risk-appropriate multifactor authentication with secure recovery methods.
  2. Recommend adaptive authentication, rate controls and account protection monitoring.
  3. Recommend coverage and ingestion-gap alarms alongside threat detections.
  4. Recommend prompt risk-based incident escalation and containment consideration.

Explanation

Correct Answer

D:

Recommend prompt risk-based incident escalation and containment consideration. The relevant control principle is: An attack sequence should be assessed using corroborated indicators and business impact. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Investigation records distinguish confirmed compromise from benign travel anomalies.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Recommend risk-appropriate multifactor authentication with secure recovery methods. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A remote-access gateway accepts a password alone for high-impact production administrators. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend prompt risk-based incident escalation and containment consideration. The governing distinction is: An attack sequence should be assessed using corroborated indicators and business impact.

B:

Recommend adaptive authentication, rate controls and account protection monitoring. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A customer portal suffers repeated credential-stuffing attempts from rotating IP addresses. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend prompt risk-based incident escalation and containment consideration. The governing distinction is: An attack sequence should be assessed using corroborated indicators and business impact.

C:

Recommend coverage and ingestion-gap alarms alongside threat detections. 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 recommendation is: Recommend prompt risk-based incident escalation and containment consideration. The governing distinction is: An attack sequence should be assessed using corroborated indicators and business impact.

Question 25

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: An application uses TLS for client sessions but disables certificate validation when connecting to its payment processor. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Recommend proper server identity validation and controlled certificate lifecycle management.
  2. Recommend protected key custody with restricted access and recoverable separation.
  3. Recommend protected original preservation and analysis on validated working copies.
  4. Recommend governed indicator lifecycle and context-based tuning.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Recommend proper server identity validation and controlled certificate lifecycle management. The relevant control principle is: Encryption without authenticating the peer can permit interception or impersonation. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Connections to an untrusted endpoint fail while approved processor sessions work.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Recommend protected key custody with restricted access and recoverable separation. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A team stores database encryption keys in the same unrestricted repository as encrypted backups. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend proper server identity validation and controlled certificate lifecycle management. The governing distinction is: Encryption without authenticating the peer can permit interception or impersonation.

C:

Recommend protected original preservation and analysis on validated working copies. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Security staff begin forensic analysis directly on a live original log file and overwrite timestamps. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend proper server identity validation and controlled certificate lifecycle management. The governing distinction is: Encryption without authenticating the peer can permit interception or impersonation.

D:

Recommend governed indicator lifecycle and context-based tuning. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A threat-intelligence feed generates blocks for obsolete indicators without regular relevance review. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend proper server identity validation and controlled certificate lifecycle management. The governing distinction is: Encryption without authenticating the peer can permit interception or impersonation.

Question 26

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: Contractor onboarding omits data-handling training although contractors access classified research files. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. Secret commits are blocked or promptly flagged and repeat incidents decline.
  2. Authentication source changes are within the scanned and independently reviewed scope.
  3. Users cannot obtain sensitive access until required training is recorded.
  4. Controlled threshold simulations generate timely alerts and documented response.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Users cannot obtain sensitive access until required training is recorded. It addresses security awareness training and programs. Underlying audit concern: Awareness programs must reach all relevant roles before sensitive access is granted.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Secret commits are blocked or promptly flagged and repeat incidents decline. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Developers complete general security videos but continue committing cloud keys into source repositories. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Users cannot obtain sensitive access until required training is recorded. The governing distinction is: Awareness programs must reach all relevant roles before sensitive access is granted.

B:

Authentication source changes are within the scanned and independently reviewed scope. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A code review tool shows no vulnerabilities after analysts exclude the main authentication module from scanning. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Users cannot obtain sensitive access until required training is recorded. The governing distinction is: Awareness programs must reach all relevant roles before sensitive access is granted.

D:

Controlled threshold simulations generate timely alerts and documented response. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A fire-suppression system passes annual inspections but a rack's temperature sensors have never alarmed under test. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Users cannot obtain sensitive access until required training is recorded. The governing distinction is: Awareness programs must reach all relevant roles before sensitive access is granted.

Question 27

Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: Software licenses are renewed using last year's device counts despite major decommissioning. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?

  1. Compare the current regulator publication, policy inventory and reporting workflow dates.
  2. Review capacity utilization, workload isolation requirements and asset ownership.
  3. Compare vendor entitlements, deployments, retirements and usage evidence.
  4. Inspect target architecture, proposed exception scope and affected trust boundaries.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Compare vendor entitlements, deployments, retirements and usage evidence. The governing principle is: License governance should reconcile entitlement, actual use and lifecycle changes.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Compare the current regulator publication, policy inventory and reporting workflow dates. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A bank's compliance register still lists a superseded regulatory reporting deadline after a rule change. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Compare vendor entitlements, deployments, retirements and usage evidence. The governing distinction is: License governance should reconcile entitlement, actual use and lifecycle changes.

B:

Review capacity utilization, workload isolation requirements and asset ownership. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An infrastructure team buys additional servers while idle compatible capacity remains unallocated in another business unit. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Compare vendor entitlements, deployments, retirements and usage evidence. The governing distinction is: License governance should reconcile entitlement, actual use and lifecycle changes.

D:

Inspect target architecture, proposed exception scope and affected trust boundaries. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud architecture exception bypasses the organization's target zero-trust network segmentation without review. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Compare vendor entitlements, deployments, retirements and usage evidence. The governing distinction is: License governance should reconcile entitlement, actual use and lifecycle changes.

Question 28

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A research team labels every file confidential, generating excessive DLP false positives and routine overrides. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Recommend governed indicator lifecycle and context-based tuning.
  2. Recommend removing or narrowing the shadowing rule through approved change control.
  3. Recommend consistent risk-based DLP controls across authorized transfer channels.
  4. Recommend accurate content classification and accountable exception tuning.

Explanation

Correct Answer

D:

Recommend accurate content classification and accountable exception tuning. The relevant control principle is: Overbroad classification can undermine effective enforcement and incident response. A meaningful follow-up should establish: DLP alerts retain useful coverage while confirmed legitimate workflows have fewer unjustified blocks.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Recommend governed indicator lifecycle and context-based tuning. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A threat-intelligence feed generates blocks for obsolete indicators without regular relevance review. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend accurate content classification and accountable exception tuning. The governing distinction is: Overbroad classification can undermine effective enforcement and incident response.

B:

Recommend removing or narrowing the shadowing rule through approved change control. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A firewall has a broad any-to-any allow rule placed ahead of new restrictions for a regulated application. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend accurate content classification and accountable exception tuning. The governing distinction is: Overbroad classification can undermine effective enforcement and incident response.

C:

Recommend consistent risk-based DLP controls across authorized transfer channels. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A DLP tool blocks confidential document attachments but ignores similar files uploaded through approved web browsers. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend accurate content classification and accountable exception tuning. The governing distinction is: Overbroad classification can undermine effective enforcement and incident response.

Question 29

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A payment service uses a load balancer, two application servers and one database but its diagram lists only the web servers as critical. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. End-to-end service availability depends on all critical infrastructure and application components.
  2. Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies.
  3. Infrastructure component changes require compatibility and interface impact assessment.
  4. Reliable log correlation depends on consistent time and original event provenance.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

End-to-end service availability depends on all critical infrastructure and application components. The corresponding audit procedure is: Map live transactions through compute, middleware, database, network and shared dependencies.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A recovery site has servers but no validated link to the payment network after a facility loss. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: End-to-end service availability depends on all critical infrastructure and application components. The governing distinction is: End-to-end service availability depends on all critical infrastructure and application components.

C:

Infrastructure component changes require compatibility and interface impact assessment. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A network router is upgraded without identifying the legacy protocol needed by an older warehouse controller. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: End-to-end service availability depends on all critical infrastructure and application components. The governing distinction is: End-to-end service availability depends on all critical infrastructure and application components.

D:

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: End-to-end service availability depends on all critical infrastructure and application components. The governing distinction is: End-to-end service availability depends on all critical infrastructure and application components.

Question 30

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A nightly settlement batch fails halfway but the scheduler marks the entire chain successful. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Severe incidents require priority-based classification and timely escalation paths.
  2. Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing.
  3. Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements.
  4. Job automation changes should be authorized, versioned and attributable.

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing. The corresponding audit procedure is: Inspect job exit codes, dependency configuration, completion records and reconciliation totals.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Severe incidents require priority-based classification and timely escalation paths. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A major cyber outage is escalated only after normal helpdesk response times expire. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing. The governing distinction is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing.

C:

Log retention should align with business, legal, incident and privacy requirements. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A financial application retains operational logs for only a week although investigation rules require six months. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing. The governing distinction is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing.

D:

Job automation changes should be authorized, versioned and attributable. 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 principle is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing. The governing distinction is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing.

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) Practice Tests