Isaca CISA Practice Test 36
Question 350
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: An enterprise calls backups successful because jobs complete, but no recent restoration test has been performed. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- Restoration passes transactional integrity and reconciliation tests.
- An outage simulation shows no unexplained data loss and controlled eventual reconciliation.
- Trained staff complete representative customer calls from the alternate site.
- Restored data is complete, usable and recovered within approved objectives.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Restored data is complete, usable and recovered within approved objectives. It addresses data backup, storage, and restoration. Underlying audit concern: Backup completion does not prove data restorability or usable business recovery.
Incorrect Answers
A:Restoration passes transactional integrity and reconciliation tests. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A company copies database files nightly while transactions remain active, producing inconsistent backups. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Restored data is complete, usable and recovered within approved objectives. The governing distinction is: Backup completion does not prove data restorability or usable business recovery.
B:An outage simulation shows no unexplained data loss and controlled eventual reconciliation. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud event bus drops messages during an outage and consuming systems never replay them. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Restored data is complete, usable and recovered within approved objectives. The governing distinction is: Backup completion does not prove data restorability or usable business recovery.
C:Trained staff complete representative customer calls from the alternate site. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A call center continuity binder lists alternate desks but employees cannot access the customer service application from that location. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Restored data is complete, usable and recovered within approved objectives. The governing distinction is: Backup completion does not prove data restorability or usable business recovery.
Question 351
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A customer service portal allows employees to export unrestricted copies of all customer identity documents. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Inspect export permissions, access volumes, file labels and DLP policy coverage.
- Compare simulation outcomes, repeat behavior, reporting rates and learner groups.
- Reconcile device inventory, agent heartbeat, signature status and unmanaged endpoints.
- Map sensitive data flows, network egress methods and endpoint/browser policy enforcement.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Inspect export permissions, access volumes, file labels and DLP policy coverage. The governing principle is: Data loss controls should be tied to classification, legitimate purpose and authorized exfiltration paths.
Incorrect Answers
B:Compare simulation outcomes, repeat behavior, reporting rates and learner groups. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Annual phishing training records show high completion but employees repeatedly submit credentials to simulated malicious sites. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect export permissions, access volumes, file labels and DLP policy coverage. The governing distinction is: Data loss controls should be tied to classification, legitimate purpose and authorized exfiltration paths.
C:Reconcile device inventory, agent heartbeat, signature status and unmanaged endpoints. 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 audit step is: Inspect export permissions, access volumes, file labels and DLP policy coverage. The governing distinction is: Data loss controls should be tied to classification, legitimate purpose and authorized exfiltration paths.
D:Map sensitive data flows, network egress methods and endpoint/browser policy enforcement. 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 audit step is: Inspect export permissions, access volumes, file labels and DLP policy coverage. The governing distinction is: Data loss controls should be tied to classification, legitimate purpose and authorized exfiltration paths.
Question 352
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: An operator can edit scheduled payroll scripts directly in production without independent approval. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Inspect dependency maps, test coverage, change approvals and outage history.
- Inspect scheduler permissions, script hashes, change tickets and execution history.
- Analyze repeated breaches, business impact, root causes and contractual remedies.
- Inspect job exit codes, dependency configuration, completion records and reconciliation totals.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Inspect scheduler permissions, script hashes, change tickets and execution history. The governing principle is: Job automation changes should be authorized, versioned and attributable.
Incorrect Answers
A:Inspect dependency maps, test coverage, change approvals and outage history. 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 audit step is: Inspect scheduler permissions, script hashes, change tickets and execution history. The governing distinction is: Job automation changes should be authorized, versioned and attributable.
C: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 scheduler permissions, script hashes, change tickets and execution history. The governing distinction is: Job automation changes should be authorized, versioned and attributable.
D:Inspect job exit codes, dependency configuration, completion records and reconciliation totals. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A nightly settlement batch fails halfway but the scheduler marks the entire chain successful. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect scheduler permissions, script hashes, change tickets and execution history. The governing distinction is: Job automation changes should be authorized, versioned and attributable.
Question 353
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: An enterprise applies one numeric risk score to cyber, safety and privacy exposures despite different materiality definitions. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Review policy hierarchy, technical baseline, role ownership and exception approvals.
- Map service roles, competencies, staffing coverage and recovery requirements.
- Inspect exception age, business justification, compensating controls and renewal approval.
- Inspect category methodologies, thresholds and reporting assumptions.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Inspect category methodologies, thresholds and reporting assumptions. The governing principle is: Risk aggregation requires consistent criteria and clear reporting of noncomparable dimensions.
Incorrect Answers
A:Review policy hierarchy, technical baseline, role ownership and exception approvals. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cyber policy states that access must be secure but provides no enforceable standard for privileged identities. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect category methodologies, thresholds and reporting assumptions. The governing distinction is: Risk aggregation requires consistent criteria and clear reporting of noncomparable dimensions.
B:Map service roles, competencies, staffing coverage and recovery requirements. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A planned analytics launch relies on one database specialist who has no trained backup. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect category methodologies, thresholds and reporting assumptions. The governing distinction is: Risk aggregation requires consistent criteria and clear reporting of noncomparable dimensions.
C:Inspect exception age, business justification, compensating controls and renewal approval. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A vendor incident triggers a temporary exception but the residual risk is never reconsidered after six months. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect category methodologies, thresholds and reporting assumptions. The governing distinction is: Risk aggregation requires consistent criteria and clear reporting of noncomparable dimensions.
Question 354
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: Privileged database administrators routinely use shared root credentials without individual attribution. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Inspect device inventory, default credentials, reachability and patch support.
- Inspect privileged session logs, account ownership, vault configuration and duties.
- Inspect signed authorization, timing constraints, target list and emergency stop procedures.
- Inspect reviewer role, HR roster, role descriptions and sample revocation outcomes.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Inspect privileged session logs, account ownership, vault configuration and duties. The governing principle is: Privileged access should be individually attributable and constrained by least privilege.
Incorrect Answers
A:Inspect device inventory, default credentials, reachability and patch support. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Warehouse sensors retain factory passwords and are reachable from the corporate office LAN. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect privileged session logs, account ownership, vault configuration and duties. The governing distinction is: Privileged access should be individually attributable and constrained by least privilege.
C:Inspect signed authorization, timing constraints, target list and emergency stop procedures. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A penetration test exercises production authentication without authorization or a recovery plan. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect privileged session logs, account ownership, vault configuration and duties. The governing distinction is: Privileged access should be individually attributable and constrained by least privilege.
D:Inspect reviewer role, HR roster, role descriptions and sample revocation outcomes. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A quarterly access certification is completed by a system administrator who cannot identify the employees' current business responsibilities. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect privileged session logs, account ownership, vault configuration and duties. The governing distinction is: Privileged access should be individually attributable and constrained by least privilege.
Question 355
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A compliance dashboard reports all policies published but does not measure whether their security controls operate. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- Verified findings and compensating controls support the documented residual risk.
- An unauthorized password-only login to privileged remote access is rejected.
- Dashboards distinguish policy existence from verified control performance.
- Material risks link to approved controls and measurable evidence of effective operation.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Dashboards distinguish policy existence from verified control performance. It addresses information asset security frameworks, standards, and guidelines. Underlying audit concern: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
Incorrect Answers
A: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: Dashboards distinguish policy existence from verified control performance. The governing distinction is: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
B:An unauthorized password-only login to privileged remote access is rejected. 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 verification is: Dashboards distinguish policy existence from verified control performance. The governing distinction is: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
D:Material risks link to approved controls and measurable evidence of effective operation. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A technology subsidiary adopts a security checklist that cannot be traced to its enterprise risk appetite or legal obligations. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Dashboards distinguish policy existence from verified control performance. The governing distinction is: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
Question 356
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A compliance dashboard reports all policies published but does not measure whether their security controls operate. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Security governance frameworks should be tailored to organizational risks, obligations and measurable controls.
- Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
- Role-specific training and technical controls should address actual high-risk behaviors.
- An attack sequence should be assessed using corroborated indicators and business impact.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone. The corresponding audit procedure is: Compare stated policies with access, vulnerability, incident and exception records.
Incorrect Answers
A:Security governance frameworks should be tailored to organizational risks, obligations and measurable controls. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A technology subsidiary adopts a security checklist that cannot be traced to its enterprise risk appetite or legal obligations. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone. The governing distinction is: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
C:Role-specific training and technical controls should address actual high-risk behaviors. 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 principle is: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone. The governing distinction is: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
D: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: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone. The governing distinction is: Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
Question 357
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A bank converts 20 years of loan records into a new core system and reconciles only total record counts. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Configuration changes must remain controlled, traceable and aligned with approved baselines.
- Project change governance should assess baseline implications before approving scope changes.
- Migration accuracy requires field-level validity, completeness and financial reconciliation.
- Cutover controls must manage transactional boundaries and avoid unintended dual processing.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Migration accuracy requires field-level validity, completeness and financial reconciliation. The corresponding audit procedure is: Compare balances, unique IDs, rejects, cutoff times and migration mapping rules.
Incorrect Answers
A:Configuration changes must remain controlled, traceable and aligned with approved baselines. 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 principle is: Migration accuracy requires field-level validity, completeness and financial reconciliation. The governing distinction is: Migration accuracy requires field-level validity, completeness and financial reconciliation.
B:Project change governance should assess baseline implications before approving scope changes. 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 principle is: Migration accuracy requires field-level validity, completeness and financial reconciliation. The governing distinction is: Migration accuracy requires field-level validity, completeness and financial reconciliation.
D:Cutover controls must manage transactional boundaries and avoid unintended dual processing. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An ERP cutover leaves the old interface running and duplicates orders in both systems. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Migration accuracy requires field-level validity, completeness and financial reconciliation. The governing distinction is: Migration accuracy requires field-level validity, completeness and financial reconciliation.
Question 358
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A payment API relies on user-supplied transaction values without server-side validation. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules.
- Lessons learned and operational handoff should feed governance and future improvements.
- Control requirements should be identified from business risk during system design.
- Feasibility conclusions require representative conditions and identified implementation constraints.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules. The corresponding audit procedure is: Inspect threat model, data contracts, validation placement and rejected-case handling.
Incorrect Answers
B:Lessons learned and operational handoff should feed governance and future improvements. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A completed software project is archived without documenting incidents and change causes from the first operating month. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules. The governing distinction is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules.
C:Control requirements should be identified from business risk during system design. 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 principle is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules. The governing distinction is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules.
D:Feasibility conclusions require representative conditions and identified implementation constraints. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A vendor's product demonstration uses sanitized sample data while the production workload needs complex legacy mappings. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules. The governing distinction is: Application control design must validate untrusted inputs against authorized business rules.
Question 359
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: An endpoint protection console reports agents installed but several laptops have not checked in for months. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend removing or narrowing the shadowing rule through approved change control.
- Recommend proper server identity validation and controlled certificate lifecycle management.
- Recommend coverage monitoring and controlled response to stale or missing agents.
- Recommend monitored and secured emergency access consistent with life-safety requirements.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Recommend coverage monitoring and controlled response to stale or missing agents. The relevant control principle is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks. A meaningful follow-up should establish: All in-scope devices either report healthy protection or have approved tracked exceptions.
Incorrect Answers
A: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 coverage monitoring and controlled response to stale or missing agents. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
B:Recommend proper server identity validation and controlled certificate lifecycle management. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An application uses TLS for client sessions but disables certificate validation when connecting to its payment processor. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend coverage monitoring and controlled response to stale or missing agents. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
D:Recommend monitored and secured emergency access consistent with life-safety requirements. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A server room uses badge access but an unattended emergency door allows unrecorded entry. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend coverage monitoring and controlled response to stale or missing agents. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
Question 360
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A shared IT helpdesk closes incidents quickly by marking unresolved requests as user error. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend a jurisdiction-specific obligation register and tested control mapping for the service.
- Recommend causal improvement actions and independent validation of high-risk releases.
- Recommend contractual service, notification, assurance and exit requirements before acceptance.
- Recommend closure quality controls and independent customer outcome metrics.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Recommend closure quality controls and independent customer outcome metrics. The relevant control principle is: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Reopened incident and false-closure rates are tracked and reduced.
Incorrect Answers
A: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 closure quality controls and independent customer outcome metrics. The governing distinction is: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed.
B:Recommend causal improvement actions and independent validation of high-risk releases. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A software delivery group claims quality because unit tests pass, but repeated severe production incidents persist. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend closure quality controls and independent customer outcome metrics. The governing distinction is: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed.
C:Recommend contractual service, notification, assurance and exit requirements before acceptance. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A SaaS provider promises 99.9% uptime in a brochure but the signed agreement contains no measurable recovery commitment. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend closure quality controls and independent customer outcome metrics. The governing distinction is: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed.