Isaca CISA Practice Test 66
Question 650
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A recovery site has servers but no validated link to the payment network after a facility loss. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies.
- Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
- Business impact analysis should prioritize services using documented impact over time.
- DR readiness should be tested under credible operational demand and resource constraints.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review network routes, partner links, certificates and recovery site failover plans.
Incorrect Answers
B: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: Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies. The governing distinction is: Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies.
C:Business impact analysis should prioritize services using documented impact over time. 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 principle is: Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies. The governing distinction is: Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies.
D:DR readiness should be tested under credible operational demand and resource constraints. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A company rehearses DR annually on a clean weekend but its live recovery window overlaps payroll peaks and storage contention. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies. The governing distinction is: Disaster recovery design must cover external connectivity and noncompute dependencies.
Question 651
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A planned analytics launch relies on one database specialist who has no trained backup. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- A qualified alternate performs a representative critical task without the primary specialist.
- Licensed deployment and procurement quantities reconcile to verified demand.
- Downstream consumers use a documented authoritative source with measured consistency.
- Affected cloud deployments follow a documented approved standard or valid exception.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:A qualified alternate performs a representative critical task without the primary specialist. It addresses it resource management. Underlying audit concern: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
Incorrect Answers
B:Licensed deployment and procurement quantities reconcile to verified demand. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Software licenses are renewed using last year's device counts despite major decommissioning. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: A qualified alternate performs a representative critical task without the primary specialist. The governing distinction is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
C:Downstream consumers use a documented authoritative source with measured consistency. 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 verification is: A qualified alternate performs a representative critical task without the primary specialist. The governing distinction is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
D:Affected cloud deployments follow a documented approved standard or valid exception. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A legacy security standard remains mandatory even though new approved cloud services cannot technically meet it. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: A qualified alternate performs a representative critical task without the primary specialist. The governing distinction is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
Question 652
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A planned analytics launch relies on one database specialist who has no trained backup. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Compare vendor entitlements, deployments, retirements and usage evidence.
- Reconcile discrepancies, lineage, quality metrics and stewardship assignments.
- Map service roles, competencies, staffing coverage and recovery requirements.
- Trace collection notices, consent or other lawful basis, data recipients and retention rules.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Map service roles, competencies, staffing coverage and recovery requirements. The governing principle is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
Incorrect Answers
A:Compare vendor entitlements, deployments, retirements and usage evidence. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Software licenses are renewed using last year's device counts despite major decommissioning. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Map service roles, competencies, staffing coverage and recovery requirements. The governing distinction is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
B: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 service roles, competencies, staffing coverage and recovery requirements. The governing distinction is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
D:Trace collection notices, consent or other lawful basis, data recipients and retention rules. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A marketing platform collects customer location data without a documented lawful purpose or retention period. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Map service roles, competencies, staffing coverage and recovery requirements. The governing distinction is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
Question 653
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A team uses the same deployment credentials for development, test and production systems. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- Production permissions match reviewed baselines and exceptions have documented approval.
- Production access samples match steady-state roles and exception closure is evidenced.
- Pilot data flows reconcile successfully against real-world mapping and exception requirements.
- A development credential cannot alter production while authorized releases succeed.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:A development credential cannot alter production while authorized releases succeed. It addresses implementation configuration and release management. Underlying audit concern: Environment segregation supports authorization and limits unauthorized promotion risk.
Incorrect Answers
A:Production permissions match reviewed baselines and exceptions have documented approval. 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 verification is: A development credential cannot alter production while authorized releases succeed. The governing distinction is: Environment segregation supports authorization and limits unauthorized promotion risk.
B:Production access samples match steady-state roles and exception closure is evidenced. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: After a new billing platform launches, unresolved temporary broad administrator permissions are treated as permanent. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: A development credential cannot alter production while authorized releases succeed. The governing distinction is: Environment segregation supports authorization and limits unauthorized promotion risk.
C:Pilot data flows reconcile successfully against real-world mapping and exception requirements. 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 verification is: A development credential cannot alter production while authorized releases succeed. The governing distinction is: Environment segregation supports authorization and limits unauthorized promotion risk.
Question 654
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A cloud storage bucket used for personnel data becomes publicly readable after a template change. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend routine environmental sensor functional tests with ownership of alerts.
- Recommend least-privilege template controls and automated exposure monitoring.
- Recommend incident handling and detection improvements for the observed attack chain.
- Recommend approved signed-image pipelines and enforced workload admission policy.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Recommend least-privilege template controls and automated exposure monitoring. The relevant control principle is: Cloud shared responsibility includes customer configuration and continuous misconfiguration detection. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Unauthorized public reads fail and approved access remains auditable.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend routine environmental sensor functional tests with ownership of alerts. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A fire-suppression system passes annual inspections but a rack's temperature sensors have never alarmed under test. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend least-privilege template controls and automated exposure monitoring. The governing distinction is: Cloud shared responsibility includes customer configuration and continuous misconfiguration detection.
C:Recommend incident handling and detection improvements for the observed attack chain. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A malicious attachment launches a child process and connects to an unfamiliar command server. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend least-privilege template controls and automated exposure monitoring. The governing distinction is: Cloud shared responsibility includes customer configuration and continuous misconfiguration detection.
D:Recommend approved signed-image pipelines and enforced workload admission policy. 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 recommendation is: Recommend least-privilege template controls and automated exposure monitoring. The governing distinction is: Cloud shared responsibility includes customer configuration and continuous misconfiguration detection.
Question 655
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: After a malware outbreak is closed, identical infections recur because no root-cause or control improvement work is assigned. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Privileged access should be individually attributable and constrained by least privilege.
- Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls.
- Cloud-native workloads require source integrity, runtime policy and supply-chain governance.
- Incident response must coordinate containment, eradication, restoration and business decision-making.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls. The corresponding audit procedure is: Compare incident reports, repeated vulnerabilities, eradication evidence and lessons logs.
Incorrect Answers
A:Privileged access should be individually attributable and constrained by least privilege. 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 principle is: Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls. The governing distinction is: Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls.
C:Cloud-native workloads require source integrity, runtime policy and supply-chain governance. 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 principle is: Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls. The governing distinction is: Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls.
D:Incident response must coordinate containment, eradication, restoration and business decision-making. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A ransomware incident plan focuses on restoring files but omits containment of compromised privileged identities. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls. The governing distinction is: Incident lessons learned should improve preventive, detective and response controls.
Question 656
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: An emergency patch goes live without a rollback plan or verification of required interfaces. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend a proportionate emergency gate with tested rollback and follow-up review.
- Recommend removing unnecessary launch privileges and recording any approved residual risk.
- Recommend distinct least-privileged release identities and controlled promotion rights.
- Recommend business-led end-to-end acceptance and mandatory issue closure or risk approval.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Recommend a proportionate emergency gate with tested rollback and follow-up review. The relevant control principle is: Expedited release processes still require risk checks, fallback and post-change validation. A meaningful follow-up should establish: The patch is traceable, interfaces pass smoke tests and rollback can be executed safely.
Incorrect Answers
B:Recommend removing unnecessary launch privileges and recording any approved residual risk. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: After a new billing platform launches, unresolved temporary broad administrator permissions are treated as permanent. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend a proportionate emergency gate with tested rollback and follow-up review. The governing distinction is: Expedited release processes still require risk checks, fallback and post-change validation.
C:Recommend distinct least-privileged release identities and controlled promotion rights. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A team uses the same deployment credentials for development, test and production systems. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend a proportionate emergency gate with tested rollback and follow-up review. The governing distinction is: Expedited release processes still require risk checks, fallback and post-change validation.
D:Recommend business-led end-to-end acceptance and mandatory issue closure or risk approval. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A payroll release passes developer unit tests but has never completed end-to-end statutory deduction testing. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend a proportionate emergency gate with tested rollback and follow-up review. The governing distinction is: Expedited release processes still require risk checks, fallback and post-change validation.
Question 657
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: Software licenses are renewed using last year's device counts despite major decommissioning. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend governed capacity reallocation or documented justification for new procurement.
- Recommend current entitlement reconciliation before renewal commitments.
- Escalate the unauthorized processing and require approved subprocessor controls or remediation.
- Recommend causal improvement actions and independent validation of high-risk releases.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Recommend current entitlement reconciliation before renewal commitments. The relevant control principle is: License governance should reconcile entitlement, actual use and lifecycle changes. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Licensed deployment and procurement quantities reconcile to verified demand.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend governed capacity reallocation or documented justification for new procurement. 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 recommendation is: Recommend current entitlement reconciliation before renewal commitments. The governing distinction is: License governance should reconcile entitlement, actual use and lifecycle changes.
C:Escalate the unauthorized processing and require approved subprocessor controls or remediation. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A subcontractor stores confidential records in a region excluded by the prime provider's contract. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend current entitlement reconciliation before renewal commitments. The governing distinction is: License governance should reconcile entitlement, actual use and lifecycle changes.
D: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 current entitlement reconciliation before renewal commitments. The governing distinction is: License governance should reconcile entitlement, actual use and lifecycle changes.
Question 658
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A report calls a firewall exception critical but provides no business impact, cause or responsible owner. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- The final report enables leadership to understand exposure and track a measurable remediation.
- Engagement scope and limitation disclosures show material risks were not silently omitted.
- Records show timely escalation without sacrificing evidence integrity or independence.
- The evidence trail shows authorized access, controlled storage and timely disposal or retention.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:The final report enables leadership to understand exposure and track a measurable remediation. It addresses reporting and communication techniques. Underlying audit concern: Actionable audit findings link condition, criteria, cause, effect and corrective ownership.
Incorrect Answers
B:Engagement scope and limitation disclosures show material risks were not silently omitted. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A business unit requests that internal audit review only controls selected by its system owner. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The final report enables leadership to understand exposure and track a measurable remediation. The governing distinction is: Actionable audit findings link condition, criteria, cause, effect and corrective ownership.
C:Records show timely escalation without sacrificing evidence integrity or independence. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An auditor discovers an urgent uncontained data disclosure but plans to mention it only in the quarterly report. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The final report enables leadership to understand exposure and track a measurable remediation. The governing distinction is: Actionable audit findings link condition, criteria, cause, effect and corrective ownership.
D: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: The final report enables leadership to understand exposure and track a measurable remediation. The governing distinction is: Actionable audit findings link condition, criteria, cause, effect and corrective ownership.
Question 659
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A nightly settlement batch fails halfway but the scheduler marks the entire chain successful. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend tracked handoff and approved sanitization verification before disposal.
- Recommend restricted promotion and controlled approved script deployment.
- Recommend accountable patch SLAs, validated deployment and approved time-limited exceptions.
- Recommend failure-aware scheduling, controlled restart and exception escalation.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Recommend failure-aware scheduling, controlled restart and exception escalation. The relevant control principle is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing. A meaningful follow-up should establish: An injected failure prevents false success and all unsettled transactions are accounted for.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend tracked handoff and approved sanitization verification before disposal. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A retail chain replaces laptops but leaves decommissioned drives untracked with a disposal contractor. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend failure-aware scheduling, controlled restart and exception escalation. The governing distinction is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing.
B:Recommend restricted promotion and controlled approved script deployment. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An operator can edit scheduled payroll scripts directly in production without independent approval. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend failure-aware scheduling, controlled restart and exception escalation. The governing distinction is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing.
C:Recommend accountable patch SLAs, validated deployment and approved time-limited exceptions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A security patch is applied on test servers but production remains vulnerable for months without risk approval. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend failure-aware scheduling, controlled restart and exception escalation. The governing distinction is: Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing.
Question 660
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: Continuity leadership bases recovery priorities on annual revenue only and ignores safety-critical low-volume services. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend business-approved RPO and matching protection technology.
- Recommend a reconciled inventory with ownership and lifecycle attributes.
- Recommend integrated DR connectivity testing and remediation of broken dependencies.
- Recommend a multidimensional BIA with authorized recovery priorities.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Recommend a multidimensional BIA with authorized recovery priorities. The relevant control principle is: Business impact includes legal, safety, customer and operational harm beyond revenue. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Safety-critical services receive priority proportionate to validated harm.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend business-approved RPO and matching protection technology. 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 recommendation is: Recommend a multidimensional BIA with authorized recovery priorities. The governing distinction is: Business impact includes legal, safety, customer and operational harm beyond revenue.
B:Recommend a reconciled inventory with ownership and lifecycle attributes. 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 recommendation is: Recommend a multidimensional BIA with authorized recovery priorities. The governing distinction is: Business impact includes legal, safety, customer and operational harm beyond revenue.
C:Recommend integrated DR connectivity testing and remediation of broken dependencies. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A recovery site has servers but no validated link to the payment network after a facility loss. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend a multidimensional BIA with authorized recovery priorities. The governing distinction is: Business impact includes legal, safety, customer and operational harm beyond revenue.