Isaca CISA Practice Test 34
Question 330
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A redundant web cluster shares one DNS resolver and becomes inaccessible when that resolver fails. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Compare discovery scans, inventory records, host ownership and vendor support status.
- Quantify financial and operational consequences of lost transactions over time.
- Review rack placement, power/cooling diagrams, recovery design and fault dependencies.
- Map DNS architecture, cache behavior, alternate paths and outage records.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Map DNS architecture, cache behavior, alternate paths and outage records. The governing principle is: Availability analysis must include upstream shared dependencies, not just redundant hosts.
Incorrect Answers
A: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: Map DNS architecture, cache behavior, alternate paths and outage records. The governing distinction is: Availability analysis must include upstream shared dependencies, not just redundant hosts.
B:Quantify financial and operational consequences of lost transactions over time. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A sales system's backup schedule is chosen before the business determines acceptable data loss. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Map DNS architecture, cache behavior, alternate paths and outage records. The governing distinction is: Availability analysis must include upstream shared dependencies, not just redundant hosts.
C:Review rack placement, power/cooling diagrams, recovery design and fault dependencies. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A database is replicated across two racks but both racks depend on the same cooling circuit. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Map DNS architecture, cache behavior, alternate paths and outage records. The governing distinction is: Availability analysis must include upstream shared dependencies, not just redundant hosts.
Question 331
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: An auditor exports personally identifiable records to an unsecured laptop for analytics testing. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Evidence integrity and independence are weakened when subjects can alter the only record.
- Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness.
- Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference.
- A zero-exception result is unreliable if data completeness and pipeline health are unverified.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness. The corresponding audit procedure is: Check data classification, allowed extraction methods, workstation security and retention rules.
Incorrect Answers
A: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: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness. The governing distinction is: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness.
C:Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference. 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 principle is: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness. The governing distinction is: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness.
D: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: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness. The governing distinction is: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness.
Question 332
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A routine database update causes outages because no dependency assessment included reporting services. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Examine stuck transactions, user acceptance, service monitoring and recovery records.
- Inspect dependency maps, test coverage, change approvals and outage history.
- Reconcile automated discovery, service dependencies and change history.
- Analyze repeated breaches, business impact, root causes and contractual remedies.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Inspect dependency maps, test coverage, change approvals and outage history. The governing principle is: Change control should assess end-to-end service dependencies and rollback feasibility.
Incorrect Answers
A:Examine stuck transactions, user acceptance, service monitoring and recovery records. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Operations declares an incident resolved because a server restarted, although business transactions remain stuck. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect dependency maps, test coverage, change approvals and outage history. The governing distinction is: Change control should assess end-to-end service dependencies and rollback feasibility.
C:Reconcile automated discovery, service dependencies and change history. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A configuration database lists a retired server as the active owner of a production application. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect dependency maps, test coverage, change approvals and outage history. The governing distinction is: Change control should assess end-to-end service dependencies and rollback feasibility.
D:Analyze repeated breaches, business impact, root causes and contractual remedies. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A data processing vendor consistently misses recovery times but management pays service credits without correcting the cause. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect dependency maps, test coverage, change approvals and outage history. The governing distinction is: Change control should assess end-to-end service dependencies and rollback feasibility.
Question 333
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: An endpoint protection console reports agents installed but several laptops have not checked in for months. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- Representative allowed and denied flows match the intended restrictive rules.
- All in-scope devices either report healthy protection or have approved tracked exceptions.
- An unapproved image fails deployment while approved images retain evidence of origin.
- Image hashes match and each custody transfer is attributable and time-stamped.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:All in-scope devices either report healthy protection or have approved tracked exceptions. It addresses network and end-point security. Underlying audit concern: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
Incorrect Answers
A:Representative allowed and denied flows match the intended restrictive rules. 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 verification is: All in-scope devices either report healthy protection or have approved tracked exceptions. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
C:An unapproved image fails deployment while approved images retain evidence of origin. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A container orchestration platform admits unverified public images into a payment workload namespace. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: All in-scope devices either report healthy protection or have approved tracked exceptions. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
D:Image hashes match and each custody transfer is attributable and time-stamped. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An investigator copies a suspect laptop disk without recording who handled it or whether the image changed. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: All in-scope devices either report healthy protection or have approved tracked exceptions. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
Question 334
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A change program reports all projects green by budget but ignores delayed security deliverables. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators.
- Governance should define risk ownership and objective challenge across accountable roles.
- Risk aggregation requires consistent criteria and clear reporting of noncomparable dimensions.
- IT performance measures must reflect business-service outcomes and relevant dependencies.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review delivery milestones, outstanding controls and revised forecast costs.
Incorrect Answers
B:Governance should define risk ownership and objective challenge across accountable roles. 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 principle is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators. The governing distinction is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators.
C:Risk aggregation requires consistent criteria and clear reporting of noncomparable dimensions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An enterprise applies one numeric risk score to cyber, safety and privacy exposures despite different materiality definitions. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators. The governing distinction is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators.
D:IT performance measures must reflect business-service outcomes and relevant dependencies. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: The IT dashboard shows 100 percent server uptime while customers report failed checkout transactions. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators. The governing distinction is: Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators.
Question 335
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A production network permits unrestricted traffic from user workstations to a sensitive payment database. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement.
- Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost.
- CA private keys require strong custody and accountable access due to their trust impact.
- Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement. The corresponding audit procedure is: Trace approved application flows, firewall rules and actual connection logs.
Incorrect Answers
B:Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A lost employee phone still accesses confidential mail because device compliance and remote wipe were never enabled. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement. The governing distinction is: Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement.
C:CA private keys require strong custody and accountable access due to their trust impact. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A certificate authority's signing key is available to several administrators without dual control. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement. The governing distinction is: Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement.
D:Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An endpoint protection console reports agents installed but several laptops have not checked in for months. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement. The governing distinction is: Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement.
Question 336
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A security patch is applied on test servers but production remains vulnerable for months without risk approval. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
- BCP governance requires delegation and clear command arrangements under disruption.
- Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management.
- Resilience requires identifying physical common-cause failures beyond logical redundancy.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review vulnerability severity, exposed assets, patch schedules and documented deferrals.
Incorrect Answers
A:Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A configuration database lists a retired server as the active owner of a production application. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management. The governing distinction is: Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management.
B:BCP governance requires delegation and clear command arrangements under disruption. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A continuity plan lists the chief executive as the only emergency decision authority with no alternate. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management. The governing distinction is: Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management.
D:Resilience requires identifying physical common-cause failures beyond logical redundancy. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A database is replicated across two racks but both racks depend on the same cooling circuit. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management. The governing distinction is: Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management.
Question 337
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A configuration database lists a retired server as the active owner of a production application. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- A restore exercise measures actual data currency against the approved loss limit.
- A site-loss simulation processes representative payments through the recovery location.
- Every emergency deployment links to an accountable approver and completed review.
- The configuration database identifies the actual application host and dependencies.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:The configuration database identifies the actual application host and dependencies. It addresses it change, configuration, and patch management. Underlying audit concern: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
Incorrect Answers
A:A restore exercise measures actual data currency against the approved loss limit. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A sales system's backup schedule is chosen before the business determines acceptable data loss. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The configuration database identifies the actual application host and dependencies. The governing distinction is: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
B:A site-loss simulation processes representative payments through the recovery location. 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 verification is: The configuration database identifies the actual application host and dependencies. The governing distinction is: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
C:Every emergency deployment links to an accountable approver and completed review. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An urgent firewall change is deployed without a ticket and later cannot be attributed to an approver. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The configuration database identifies the actual application host and dependencies. The governing distinction is: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
Question 338
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A business owner specifies a one-hour RTO but has never identified which external dependencies must also be restored. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- Unowned and unsupported assets are identified and assigned timely disposition.
- An anticipated high-load period does not exhaust storage and restore capability remains intact.
- A recovery rehearsal restores the complete service within the approved RTO.
- A restore exercise measures actual data currency against the approved loss limit.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:A recovery rehearsal restores the complete service within the approved RTO. It addresses business impact analysis. Underlying audit concern: Recovery objectives must include process dependencies and end-to-end recovery viability.
Incorrect Answers
A:Unowned and unsupported assets are identified and assigned timely disposition. 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 verification is: A recovery rehearsal restores the complete service within the approved RTO. The governing distinction is: Recovery objectives must include process dependencies and end-to-end recovery viability.
B:An anticipated high-load period does not exhaust storage and restore capability remains intact. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Database transaction logs fill the only disk volume and cause a payment service outage. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: A recovery rehearsal restores the complete service within the approved RTO. The governing distinction is: Recovery objectives must include process dependencies and end-to-end recovery viability.
D:A restore exercise measures actual data currency against the approved loss limit. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A sales system's backup schedule is chosen before the business determines acceptable data loss. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: A recovery rehearsal restores the complete service within the approved RTO. The governing distinction is: Recovery objectives must include process dependencies and end-to-end recovery viability.
Question 339
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: An auditor samples only Monday transactions to conclude that weekend payments were controlled effectively. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Have the audit director assign an independent reviewer and disclose the conflict to appropriate oversight.
- Select a defensible sample across relevant processing periods and investigate exceptions.
- Expand the risk-based audit scope to include relevant customer controls and complementary provider assurances.
- Choose an auditor-controlled sample that includes untested, recently changed and high-impact services.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Select a defensible sample across relevant processing periods and investigate exceptions. The relevant control principle is: A nonrepresentative selection can lead to unsupported conclusions about the entire population. A meaningful follow-up should establish: The sample frame and selection method demonstrably cover the stated transaction population.
Incorrect Answers
A: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: Select a defensible sample across relevant processing periods and investigate exceptions. The governing distinction is: A nonrepresentative selection can lead to unsupported conclusions about the entire population.
C:Expand the risk-based audit scope to include relevant customer controls and complementary provider assurances. 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 recommendation is: Select a defensible sample across relevant processing periods and investigate exceptions. The governing distinction is: A nonrepresentative selection can lead to unsupported conclusions about the entire population.
D:Choose an auditor-controlled sample that includes untested, recently changed and high-impact services. 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 recommendation is: Select a defensible sample across relevant processing periods and investigate exceptions. The governing distinction is: A nonrepresentative selection can lead to unsupported conclusions about the entire population.
Question 340
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A business unit requests that internal audit review only controls selected by its system owner. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Expand the risk-based audit scope to include relevant customer controls and complementary provider assurances.
- Reprioritize the plan toward the higher-risk system and record the risk rationale.
- Recommend an appropriately authorized preventive change control with detective review as a complementary layer.
- Set defensible risk-based objectives and seek audit leadership approval for any scope restriction.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Set defensible risk-based objectives and seek audit leadership approval for any scope restriction. The relevant control principle is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Engagement scope and limitation disclosures show material risks were not silently omitted.
Incorrect Answers
A:Expand the risk-based audit scope to include relevant customer controls and complementary provider assurances. 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 recommendation is: Set defensible risk-based objectives and seek audit leadership approval for any scope restriction. The governing distinction is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference.
B:Reprioritize the plan toward the higher-risk system and record the risk rationale. 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 recommendation is: Set defensible risk-based objectives and seek audit leadership approval for any scope restriction. The governing distinction is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference.
C:Recommend an appropriately authorized preventive change control with detective review as a complementary layer. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A payroll system uses post-payment anomaly reports but has no approval requirement for changing bank accounts. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Set defensible risk-based objectives and seek audit leadership approval for any scope restriction. The governing distinction is: Audit scope must be based on independent assessment of relevant risk rather than auditee preference.