Isaca CISA Practice Test 38
Question 370
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A SOC receives repeated login alerts but does not correlate them with high-value account privilege changes. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Threat monitoring should assess indicator freshness, context and false-positive effects.
- Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls.
- Security testing must have approved scope, safe methods and accountable rules of engagement.
- Security monitoring should correlate relevant signals into actionable risk scenarios.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Security monitoring should correlate relevant signals into actionable risk scenarios. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review identity telemetry, privilege events, alert correlation and analyst disposition.
Incorrect Answers
A:Threat monitoring should assess indicator freshness, context and false-positive effects. 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 principle is: Security monitoring should correlate relevant signals into actionable risk scenarios. The governing distinction is: Security monitoring should correlate relevant signals into actionable risk scenarios.
B:Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: After a malware outbreak is closed, identical infections recur because no root-cause or control improvement work is assigned. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Security monitoring should correlate relevant signals into actionable risk scenarios. The governing distinction is: Security monitoring should correlate relevant signals into actionable risk scenarios.
C:Security testing must have approved scope, safe methods and accountable rules of engagement. 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 principle is: Security monitoring should correlate relevant signals into actionable risk scenarios. The governing distinction is: Security monitoring should correlate relevant signals into actionable risk scenarios.
Question 371
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A departed finance employee's account remains enabled in a payroll application after HR termination. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend automated joiner-mover-leaver triggers and independent exception review.
- Recommend a risk-based design review and genuinely independent critical power paths.
- Recommend evidence-based outcome grading and remediation of tested control gaps.
- Recommend restricted emergency access with independent after-use review and periodic exercises.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Recommend automated joiner-mover-leaver triggers and independent exception review. The relevant control principle is: Identity lifecycle controls should promptly revoke access when authorization ends. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Sample departures lose relevant access within policy limits and retain auditable evidence.
Incorrect Answers
B:Recommend a risk-based design review and genuinely independent critical power paths. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A data center's redundant power feeds terminate at the same upstream distribution panel. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend automated joiner-mover-leaver triggers and independent exception review. The governing distinction is: Identity lifecycle controls should promptly revoke access when authorization ends.
C:Recommend evidence-based outcome grading and remediation of tested control gaps. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A red-team exercise reports success based on one simulated phishing click without demonstrating access or business impact. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend automated joiner-mover-leaver triggers and independent exception review. The governing distinction is: Identity lifecycle controls should promptly revoke access when authorization ends.
D:Recommend restricted emergency access with independent after-use review and periodic exercises. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Emergency administrator accounts are exempt from monitoring and are never tested until an outage. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend automated joiner-mover-leaver triggers and independent exception review. The governing distinction is: Identity lifecycle controls should promptly revoke access when authorization ends.
Question 372
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A cloud analytics environment retains raw regulated data after the approved business retention period. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Review data maps, request handling records, search completeness and response time obligations.
- Map processing copies, retention rules, purge jobs and legal hold exceptions.
- Review capacity utilization, workload isolation requirements and asset ownership.
- Reconcile discrepancies, lineage, quality metrics and stewardship assignments.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Map processing copies, retention rules, purge jobs and legal hold exceptions. The governing principle is: Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets.
Incorrect Answers
A:Review data maps, request handling records, search completeness and response time obligations. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An organization receives data subject requests but cannot locate personal records spread across cloud and on-premise systems. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Map processing copies, retention rules, purge jobs and legal hold exceptions. The governing distinction is: Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets.
C: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: Map processing copies, retention rules, purge jobs and legal hold exceptions. The governing distinction is: Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets.
D:Reconcile discrepancies, lineage, quality metrics and stewardship assignments. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Multiple business units publish different values for the same customer account status without a nominated data steward. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Map processing copies, retention rules, purge jobs and legal hold exceptions. The governing distinction is: Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets.
Question 373
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A branch wireless network uses a shared password disclosed to vendors and former employees. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- A safe combined test creates a prioritized alert with adequate investigation context.
- Former vendor identities cannot reconnect while authorized staff retain service.
- Secret commits are blocked or promptly flagged and repeat incidents decline.
- A lost-device simulation prevents continued corporate access without authorization.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Former vendor identities cannot reconnect while authorized staff retain service. It addresses mobile, wireless, and internet-of-things devices. Underlying audit concern: Shared wireless credentials weaken accountability and reliable offboarding.
Incorrect Answers
A:A safe combined test creates a prioritized alert with adequate investigation context. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A SOC receives repeated login alerts but does not correlate them with high-value account privilege changes. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Former vendor identities cannot reconnect while authorized staff retain service. The governing distinction is: Shared wireless credentials weaken accountability and reliable offboarding.
C: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: Former vendor identities cannot reconnect while authorized staff retain service. The governing distinction is: Shared wireless credentials weaken accountability and reliable offboarding.
D:A lost-device simulation prevents continued corporate access without authorization. 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 verification is: Former vendor identities cannot reconnect while authorized staff retain service. The governing distinction is: Shared wireless credentials weaken accountability and reliable offboarding.
Question 374
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A major cyber outage is escalated only after normal helpdesk response times expire. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend formal root-cause analysis and a tracked permanent corrective action.
- Recommend limiting the integration to approved read permissions with reviewed exceptions.
- Recommend an EUC registry, approved connectors and security review before production use.
- Recommend severity-triggered rapid escalation and tested incident playbooks.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Recommend severity-triggered rapid escalation and tested incident playbooks. The relevant control principle is: Severe incidents require priority-based classification and timely escalation paths. A meaningful follow-up should establish: A simulated severe incident reaches designated decision-makers within defined thresholds.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend formal root-cause analysis and a tracked permanent corrective action. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A helpdesk repeatedly reopens application errors but closes each ticket without investigating a shared underlying defect. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend severity-triggered rapid escalation and tested incident playbooks. The governing distinction is: Severe incidents require priority-based classification and timely escalation paths.
B:Recommend limiting the integration to approved read permissions with reviewed exceptions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A production database account has unrestricted privileges for a read-only reporting integration. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend severity-triggered rapid escalation and tested incident playbooks. The governing distinction is: Severe incidents require priority-based classification and timely escalation paths.
C:Recommend an EUC registry, approved connectors and security review before production use. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A department builds a low-code workflow that sends customer data to an unknown external connector. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend severity-triggered rapid escalation and tested incident playbooks. The governing distinction is: Severe incidents require priority-based classification and timely escalation paths.
Question 375
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A highly available application uses only one privileged administrator who is unavailable during a holiday. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Resilience planning must include external and supporting infrastructure dependencies.
- Continuity plans must integrate people, facilities, technology and business processes.
- Resilience depends on trained personnel and procedures as well as redundant technology.
- Reliable log correlation depends on consistent time and original event provenance.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Resilience depends on trained personnel and procedures as well as redundant technology. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review staffing coverage, privileged break-glass processes and knowledge transfer.
Incorrect Answers
A:Resilience planning must include external and supporting infrastructure dependencies. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A supplier dependency map omits a critical cloud DNS service used by every customer-facing application. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Resilience depends on trained personnel and procedures as well as redundant technology. The governing distinction is: Resilience depends on trained personnel and procedures as well as redundant technology.
B:Continuity plans must integrate people, facilities, technology and business processes. 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 principle is: Resilience depends on trained personnel and procedures as well as redundant technology. The governing distinction is: Resilience depends on trained personnel and procedures as well as redundant technology.
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: Resilience depends on trained personnel and procedures as well as redundant technology. The governing distinction is: Resilience depends on trained personnel and procedures as well as redundant technology.
Question 376
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A multinational cloud project assumes a control compliant in one country automatically satisfies every jurisdiction in which data is processed. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Ambiguous governance rights can produce inconsistent and unowned technology decisions.
- Compliance obligations vary by location, data activity, contract and regulatory scope.
- Governance must detect changes in external obligations and translate them into owned controls.
- Privacy response effectiveness depends on a reliable data inventory and ownership.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Compliance obligations vary by location, data activity, contract and regulatory scope. The corresponding audit procedure is: Map storage, access, processing locations and applicable legal or contractual requirements.
Incorrect Answers
A:Ambiguous governance rights can produce inconsistent and unowned technology decisions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Two subsidiaries have overlapping IT decision boards with conflicting authority to approve enterprise architecture exceptions. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Compliance obligations vary by location, data activity, contract and regulatory scope. The governing distinction is: Compliance obligations vary by location, data activity, contract and regulatory scope.
C:Governance must detect changes in external obligations and translate them into owned controls. 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 principle is: Compliance obligations vary by location, data activity, contract and regulatory scope. The governing distinction is: Compliance obligations vary by location, data activity, contract and regulatory scope.
D:Privacy response effectiveness depends on a reliable data inventory and ownership. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An organization receives data subject requests but cannot locate personal records spread across cloud and on-premise systems. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Compliance obligations vary by location, data activity, contract and regulatory scope. The governing distinction is: Compliance obligations vary by location, data activity, contract and regulatory scope.
Question 377
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A marketing platform collects customer location data without a documented lawful purpose or retention period. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed.
- Privacy governance should enforce purpose limitation, data minimization and accountable use.
- Privacy response effectiveness depends on a reliable data inventory and ownership.
- Architectural deviations require formal risk evaluation and ownership.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Privacy governance should enforce purpose limitation, data minimization and accountable use. The corresponding audit procedure is: Trace collection notices, consent or other lawful basis, data recipients and retention rules.
Incorrect Answers
A:Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A shared IT helpdesk closes incidents quickly by marking unresolved requests as user error. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Privacy governance should enforce purpose limitation, data minimization and accountable use. The governing distinction is: Privacy governance should enforce purpose limitation, data minimization and accountable use.
C:Privacy response effectiveness depends on a reliable data inventory and ownership. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An organization receives data subject requests but cannot locate personal records spread across cloud and on-premise systems. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Privacy governance should enforce purpose limitation, data minimization and accountable use. The governing distinction is: Privacy governance should enforce purpose limitation, data minimization and accountable use.
D:Architectural deviations require formal risk evaluation and ownership. 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 principle is: Privacy governance should enforce purpose limitation, data minimization and accountable use. The governing distinction is: Privacy governance should enforce purpose limitation, data minimization and accountable use.
Question 378
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A quarterly access certification is completed by a system administrator who cannot identify the employees' current business responsibilities. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Inspect key storage, privileges, rotation controls and backup access paths.
- Trace approved application flows, firewall rules and actual connection logs.
- Inspect reviewer role, HR roster, role descriptions and sample revocation outcomes.
- Inspect privileged session logs, account ownership, vault configuration and duties.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Inspect reviewer role, HR roster, role descriptions and sample revocation outcomes. The governing principle is: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions.
Incorrect Answers
A:Inspect key storage, privileges, rotation controls and backup access paths. 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 audit step is: Inspect reviewer role, HR roster, role descriptions and sample revocation outcomes. The governing distinction is: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions.
B:Trace approved application flows, firewall rules and actual connection logs. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A production network permits unrestricted traffic from user workstations to a sensitive payment database. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect reviewer role, HR roster, role descriptions and sample revocation outcomes. The governing distinction is: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions.
D:Inspect privileged session logs, account ownership, vault configuration and duties. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Privileged database administrators routinely use shared root credentials without individual attribution. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect reviewer role, HR roster, role descriptions and sample revocation outcomes. The governing distinction is: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions.
Question 379
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: An endpoint protection console reports agents installed but several laptops have not checked in for months. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Inspect device inventory, default credentials, reachability and patch support.
- Inspect actual rule-hit logs, order, matching conditions and business justifications.
- Inspect trust-store settings, CRL/OCSP reachability, cache behavior and certificate status.
- Reconcile device inventory, agent heartbeat, signature status and unmanaged endpoints.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Reconcile device inventory, agent heartbeat, signature status and unmanaged endpoints. The governing principle is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
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: Reconcile device inventory, agent heartbeat, signature status and unmanaged endpoints. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
B:Inspect actual rule-hit logs, order, matching conditions and business justifications. 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 audit step is: Reconcile device inventory, agent heartbeat, signature status and unmanaged endpoints. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
C:Inspect trust-store settings, CRL/OCSP reachability, cache behavior and certificate status. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A revoked supplier certificate remains trusted by an application because revocation checks are disabled. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Reconcile device inventory, agent heartbeat, signature status and unmanaged endpoints. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
Question 380
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: An audit team changes sampling procedures each quarter without documenting why results are no longer comparable. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement.
- Auditor objectivity is impaired by assessing one's own recent design work.
- Follow-up must evaluate whether remediation controls are effectively implemented, not just promised.
- Remediation after the audit period does not retroactively prove the control operated during that period.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement. The corresponding audit procedure is: Compare past and current sampling standards, review findings and documentation quality.
Incorrect Answers
B:Auditor objectivity is impaired by assessing one's own recent design work. 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 principle is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement. The governing distinction is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement.
C:Follow-up must evaluate whether remediation controls are effectively implemented, not just promised. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Post-audit follow-up marks a critical password weakness closed solely because management sent a completion email. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement. The governing distinction is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement.
D:Remediation after the audit period does not retroactively prove the control operated during that period. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An auditee disputes an audit exception by supplying a later control fix, then asks to erase the historical finding. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement. The governing distinction is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement.