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Isaca CISA Practice Test 40

Question 390

Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A financial reporting controls audit tests only the cloud provider's availability status but ignores the customer's application controls. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?

  1. Map financial assertions, provider responsibilities and customer-controlled configuration or access processes.
  2. Reconcile HR departures and access history against the access extract's coverage dates.
  3. Inspect the engagement charter, agreed objectives, evidence plan and promised deliverables.
  4. Reconcile the full transaction population by day, channel and risk characteristics.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Map financial assertions, provider responsibilities and customer-controlled configuration or access processes. The governing principle is: An audit must cover the controls relevant to the stated reporting objective across service-provider boundaries.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Reconcile HR departures and access history against the access extract's coverage dates. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A database access audit receives a file containing only current active users although it must assess leavers over the last quarter. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Map financial assertions, provider responsibilities and customer-controlled configuration or access processes. The governing distinction is: An audit must cover the controls relevant to the stated reporting objective across service-provider boundaries.

C:

Inspect the engagement charter, agreed objectives, evidence plan and promised deliverables. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Management calls a readiness workshop a completed audit even though no testing or assurance opinion was planned. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Map financial assertions, provider responsibilities and customer-controlled configuration or access processes. The governing distinction is: An audit must cover the controls relevant to the stated reporting objective across service-provider boundaries.

D:

Reconcile the full transaction population by day, channel and risk characteristics. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An auditor samples only Monday transactions to conclude that weekend payments were controlled effectively. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Map financial assertions, provider responsibilities and customer-controlled configuration or access processes. The governing distinction is: An audit must cover the controls relevant to the stated reporting objective across service-provider boundaries.

Question 391

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: An anomaly model ranks high-value payments as suspicious but the auditor cannot explain its scoring or false-positive rate. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Perceived or actual conflicts undermine the credibility of objective audit judgment.
  2. Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds.
  3. Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation.
  4. Follow-up must evaluate whether remediation controls are effectively implemented, not just promised.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation. The corresponding audit procedure is: Inspect model inputs, thresholds, precision results and representative flagged cases.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Perceived or actual conflicts undermine the credibility of objective audit judgment. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An external contractor offers the auditor a valuable gift while a supplier compliance assessment is being finalized. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation. The governing distinction is: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation.

B:

Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An audit query joins employee and privilege tables but mistakenly duplicates rows for users with multiple roles. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation. The governing distinction is: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation.

D:

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: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation. The governing distinction is: Analytics-assisted findings still require understandable criteria and independent validation.

Question 392

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A revoked supplier certificate remains trusted by an application because revocation checks are disabled. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. PKI monitoring should validate deployed certificates and trust paths, not just job status.
  2. IoT assets require inventory, secure identity and segmentation proportionate to exposure.
  3. Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis.
  4. Certificate trust decisions should account for revocation and current validity requirements.

Explanation

Correct Answer

D:

Certificate trust decisions should account for revocation and current validity requirements. The corresponding audit procedure is: Inspect trust-store settings, CRL/OCSP reachability, cache behavior and certificate status.

Incorrect Answers

A:

PKI monitoring should validate deployed certificates and trust paths, not just job status. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An internal portal outage follows certificate expiration despite an automated renewal job that reported success. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Certificate trust decisions should account for revocation and current validity requirements. The governing distinction is: Certificate trust decisions should account for revocation and current validity requirements.

B:

IoT assets require inventory, secure identity and segmentation proportionate to exposure. 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 principle is: Certificate trust decisions should account for revocation and current validity requirements. The governing distinction is: Certificate trust decisions should account for revocation and current validity requirements.

C:

Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis. 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 principle is: Certificate trust decisions should account for revocation and current validity requirements. The governing distinction is: Certificate trust decisions should account for revocation and current validity requirements.

Question 393

Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: An audit query joins employee and privilege tables but mistakenly duplicates rows for users with multiple roles. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?

  1. Reconcile event volume, source heartbeat, ingestion timestamps and excluded records.
  2. Reconcile unique user IDs, row counts and cardinality before and after joins.
  3. Compare approved charter, new testing requests, risk justification and effort forecast.
  4. Review required technical tests, skill inventory, schedules and critical-path tasks.

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Reconcile unique user IDs, row counts and cardinality before and after joins. The governing principle is: Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Reconcile event volume, source heartbeat, ingestion timestamps and excluded records. 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 audit step is: Reconcile unique user IDs, row counts and cardinality before and after joins. The governing distinction is: Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds.

C:

Compare approved charter, new testing requests, risk justification and effort forecast. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Fieldwork expands to a new subsidiary without updating the approved engagement scope or communicating budget impact. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Reconcile unique user IDs, row counts and cardinality before and after joins. The governing distinction is: Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds.

D:

Review required technical tests, skill inventory, schedules and critical-path tasks. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A compliance audit is due in four weeks but its only database specialist is assigned to an unrelated engagement. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Reconcile unique user IDs, row counts and cardinality before and after joins. The governing distinction is: Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds.

Question 394

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A database access audit receives a file containing only current active users although it must assess leavers over the last quarter. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. The engagement record shows independent decisions and an appropriately handled ethics disclosure.
  2. Each sampled leaver can be traced from HR termination to historical account status and removal time.
  3. An attempted single-user dual approval is blocked and the two identities appear in audit evidence.
  4. The reporting workpaper transparently reconciles exceptions to the supported conclusion.

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Each sampled leaver can be traced from HR termination to historical account status and removal time. It addresses audit testing and sampling methodology. Underlying audit concern: Sampling from an incomplete population invalidates the intended terminated-user control test.

Incorrect Answers

A:

The engagement record shows independent decisions and an appropriately handled ethics disclosure. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An external contractor offers the auditor a valuable gift while a supplier compliance assessment is being finalized. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Each sampled leaver can be traced from HR termination to historical account status and removal time. The governing distinction is: Sampling from an incomplete population invalidates the intended terminated-user control test.

C:

An attempted single-user dual approval is blocked and the two identities appear in audit evidence. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A new security control requires two operators to approve destructive data deletion, but both approvals can use one shared account. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Each sampled leaver can be traced from HR termination to historical account status and removal time. The governing distinction is: Sampling from an incomplete population invalidates the intended terminated-user control test.

D:

The reporting workpaper transparently reconciles exceptions to the supported conclusion. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A sample of authorized changes contains failures, yet the auditor extrapolates a zero-percent exception rate. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Each sampled leaver can be traced from HR termination to historical account status and removal time. The governing distinction is: Sampling from an incomplete population invalidates the intended terminated-user control test.

Question 395

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: An IT strategy document lists new tools but has no targets for customer availability or service costs. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Risk decisions must consider both likelihood and impact against appetite and tolerance.
  2. A quality management system needs controlled documentation and implementation monitoring.
  3. Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.
  4. Ambiguous governance rights can produce inconsistent and unowned technology decisions.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes. The corresponding audit procedure is: Interview business sponsors and compare strategic priorities with proposed IT measures.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Risk decisions must consider both likelihood and impact against appetite and tolerance. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A department labels a customer outage risk acceptable because its probability is low without evaluating financial impact. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes. The governing distinction is: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.

B:

A quality management system needs controlled documentation and implementation monitoring. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A new corporate service standard is rolled out without training, version control or effectiveness reviews. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes. The governing distinction is: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.

D:

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: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes. The governing distinction is: Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.

Question 396

An IS auditor evaluates this situation: An endpoint protection console reports agents installed but several laptops have not checked in for months. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?

  1. Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.
  2. Assessment conclusions depend on complete and relevant testing coverage.
  3. Forensic collection scope should preserve a complete relevant timeline within lawful boundaries.
  4. Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement.

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks. The corresponding audit procedure is: Reconcile device inventory, agent heartbeat, signature status and unmanaged endpoints.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Assessment conclusions depend on complete and relevant testing coverage. 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 principle is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.

C:

Forensic collection scope should preserve a complete relevant timeline within lawful boundaries. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud incident investigator exports only the latest activity logs, omitting records from the suspected initial compromise. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.

D:

Network segmentation should enforce justified traffic paths and reduce lateral movement. 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 principle is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks. The governing distinction is: Security tool deployment alone is insufficient without health, coverage and response checks.

Question 397

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A cloud analytics environment retains raw regulated data after the approved business retention period. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. IT performance reports demonstrate progress toward business-approved goals.
  2. The risk record identifies an authorized owner, action, due date and monitored residual risk.
  3. Catalog labels, permissions and sample data handling match the approved classification.
  4. Sample expired datasets and derivatives are removed or validly held with traceable evidence.

Explanation

Correct Answer

D:

Sample expired datasets and derivatives are removed or validly held with traceable evidence. It addresses data governance and classification. Underlying audit concern: Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets.

Incorrect Answers

A:

IT performance reports demonstrate progress toward business-approved goals. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An IT strategy document lists new tools but has no targets for customer availability or service costs. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Sample expired datasets and derivatives are removed or validly held with traceable evidence. The governing distinction is: Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets.

B:

The risk record identifies an authorized owner, action, due date and monitored residual risk. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A risk register identifies unpatched critical servers but assigns the mitigation decision to the auditor. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Sample expired datasets and derivatives are removed or validly held with traceable evidence. The governing distinction is: Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets.

C:

Catalog labels, permissions and sample data handling match the approved classification. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A finance spreadsheet contains confidential salary data but is labeled public in the enterprise catalog. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Sample expired datasets and derivatives are removed or validly held with traceable evidence. The governing distinction is: Data lifecycle governance must extend to replicas, backups and derived datasets.

Question 398

Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A red-team exercise reports success based on one simulated phishing click without demonstrating access or business impact. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?

  1. Map significant threats, governing policy, external requirements and checklist control objectives.
  2. Review classification rules, false-positive cases, override frequency and business needs.
  3. Review exercise objectives, attack path evidence, scope rules and observed controls.
  4. Review scanner evidence, actual exposure, exploit preconditions and protective controls.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Review exercise objectives, attack path evidence, scope rules and observed controls. The governing principle is: Testing results should distinguish initial indicators from validated compromise outcomes.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Map significant threats, governing policy, external requirements and checklist control objectives. 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 audit step is: Review exercise objectives, attack path evidence, scope rules and observed controls. The governing distinction is: Testing results should distinguish initial indicators from validated compromise outcomes.

B:

Review classification rules, false-positive cases, override frequency and business needs. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A research team labels every file confidential, generating excessive DLP false positives and routine overrides. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Review exercise objectives, attack path evidence, scope rules and observed controls. The governing distinction is: Testing results should distinguish initial indicators from validated compromise outcomes.

D:

Review scanner evidence, actual exposure, exploit preconditions and protective controls. 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 audit step is: Review exercise objectives, attack path evidence, scope rules and observed controls. The governing distinction is: Testing results should distinguish initial indicators from validated compromise outcomes.

Question 399

Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A supplier gives the audit team a third-party control report that expired before the review period. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?

  1. Each sampled leaver can be traced from HR termination to historical account status and removal time.
  2. The evidence trail shows authorized access, controlled storage and timely disposal or retention.
  3. Assurance evidence spans the review period without unexplained reliance gaps.
  4. A test change cannot bypass approval, and independent exception review still operates.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Assurance evidence spans the review period without unexplained reliance gaps. It addresses audit evidence collection techniques. Underlying audit concern: Service-provider assurance must cover the actual period and relevant control objectives.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Each sampled leaver can be traced from HR termination to historical account status and removal time. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A database access audit receives a file containing only current active users although it must assess leavers over the last quarter. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Assurance evidence spans the review period without unexplained reliance gaps. The governing distinction is: Service-provider assurance must cover the actual period and relevant control objectives.

B:

The evidence trail shows authorized access, controlled storage and timely disposal or retention. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An auditor exports personally identifiable records to an unsecured laptop for analytics testing. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Assurance evidence spans the review period without unexplained reliance gaps. The governing distinction is: Service-provider assurance must cover the actual period and relevant control objectives.

D:

A test change cannot bypass approval, and independent exception review still operates. 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 verification is: Assurance evidence spans the review period without unexplained reliance gaps. The governing distinction is: Service-provider assurance must cover the actual period and relevant control objectives.

Question 400

An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A regional outage exercise reveals that business partners were never included in the communications tree. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?

  1. Recommend proactive log management and capacity alarms without impairing recovery.
  2. Recommend end-to-end alternate-site exercises and remediation of service-access gaps.
  3. Recommend an updated stakeholder communication plan and verification schedule.
  4. Recommend assigning recovery priorities from approved business impact thresholds.

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

Recommend an updated stakeholder communication plan and verification schedule. The relevant control principle is: Continuity communication should address external dependencies and affected stakeholders. A meaningful follow-up should establish: A rerun delivers correct messages through tested channels within response requirements.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Recommend proactive log management and capacity alarms without impairing recovery. 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 recommendation is: Recommend an updated stakeholder communication plan and verification schedule. The governing distinction is: Continuity communication should address external dependencies and affected stakeholders.

B:

Recommend end-to-end alternate-site exercises and remediation of service-access gaps. 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 recommendation is: Recommend an updated stakeholder communication plan and verification schedule. The governing distinction is: Continuity communication should address external dependencies and affected stakeholders.

D:

Recommend assigning recovery priorities from approved business impact thresholds. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A continuity plan treats a rarely used test portal and a critical emergency dispatch system as equally urgent. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend an updated stakeholder communication plan and verification schedule. The governing distinction is: Continuity communication should address external dependencies and affected stakeholders.

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) Practice Tests