Isaca CISA Practice Test 71
Question 700
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A spreadsheet with editable formulas calculates regulatory capital but has no validation or change history. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- Unauthorized formula changes are detected and regulatory calculations reconcile.
- Representative warehouse transactions continue correctly after the planned router change.
- Only authorized destinations receive necessary data and workflow use is logged.
- A recovery test completes reconciled business transactions within required limits.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Unauthorized formula changes are detected and regulatory calculations reconcile. It addresses shadow it and end-user computing. Underlying audit concern: Critical end-user computing requires integrity, access and change controls proportionate to risk.
Incorrect Answers
B:Representative warehouse transactions continue correctly after the planned router change. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A network router is upgraded without identifying the legacy protocol needed by an older warehouse controller. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Unauthorized formula changes are detected and regulatory calculations reconcile. The governing distinction is: Critical end-user computing requires integrity, access and change controls proportionate to risk.
C:Only authorized destinations receive necessary data and workflow use is logged. 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 verification is: Unauthorized formula changes are detected and regulatory calculations reconcile. The governing distinction is: Critical end-user computing requires integrity, access and change controls proportionate to risk.
D:A recovery test completes reconciled business transactions within required limits. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A disaster recovery runbook lists server boot order but omits database integrity and application acceptance tests. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Unauthorized formula changes are detected and regulatory calculations reconcile. The governing distinction is: Critical end-user computing requires integrity, access and change controls proportionate to risk.
Question 701
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A continuity plan treats a rarely used test portal and a critical emergency dispatch system as equally urgent. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Interview process owners, quantify disruption impacts and map dependent systems.
- Map payment partners, identity, network, staff and data needed for the service.
- Map live transactions through compute, middleware, database, network and shared dependencies.
- Trace event timestamps, source authority, synchronization paths and mismatched records.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Interview process owners, quantify disruption impacts and map dependent systems. The governing principle is: Business impact analysis should prioritize services using documented impact over time.
Incorrect Answers
B:Map payment partners, identity, network, staff and data needed for the service. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A business owner specifies a one-hour RTO but has never identified which external dependencies must also be restored. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Interview process owners, quantify disruption impacts and map dependent systems. The governing distinction is: Business impact analysis should prioritize services using documented impact over time.
C:Map live transactions through compute, middleware, database, network and shared dependencies. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A payment service uses a load balancer, two application servers and one database but its diagram lists only the web servers as critical. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Interview process owners, quantify disruption impacts and map dependent systems. The governing distinction is: Business impact analysis should prioritize services using documented impact over time.
D:Trace event timestamps, source authority, synchronization paths and mismatched records. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Two systems independently update the same customer address, producing unpredictable last-write results. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Interview process owners, quantify disruption impacts and map dependent systems. The governing distinction is: Business impact analysis should prioritize services using documented impact over time.
Question 702
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A board report includes hundreds of raw test details but fails to distinguish enterprise-critical findings. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- Leadership can identify top risks, accountable owners and decision timelines without losing evidence traceability.
- The sample frame and selection method demonstrably cover the stated transaction population.
- The report accurately distinguishes observed noncompliance from subsequently verified correction.
- The issued report contains an evidence-grounded assessment and documented management response.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Leadership can identify top risks, accountable owners and decision timelines without losing evidence traceability. It addresses reporting and communication techniques. Underlying audit concern: Risk-based communication should prioritize material implications and provide traceable support.
Incorrect Answers
B:The sample frame and selection method demonstrably cover the stated transaction population. 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 verification is: Leadership can identify top risks, accountable owners and decision timelines without losing evidence traceability. The governing distinction is: Risk-based communication should prioritize material implications and provide traceable support.
C:The report accurately distinguishes observed noncompliance from subsequently verified correction. 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 verification is: Leadership can identify top risks, accountable owners and decision timelines without losing evidence traceability. The governing distinction is: Risk-based communication should prioritize material implications and provide traceable support.
D:The issued report contains an evidence-grounded assessment and documented management response. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A chief information officer asks the audit lead to remove a supported high-risk finding before it reaches the audit committee. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Leadership can identify top risks, accountable owners and decision timelines without losing evidence traceability. The governing distinction is: Risk-based communication should prioritize material implications and provide traceable support.
Question 703
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: An auditor exports personally identifiable records to an unsecured laptop for analytics testing. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- The sample frame and selection method demonstrably cover the stated transaction population.
- Assurance evidence spans the review period without unexplained reliance gaps.
- The evidence trail shows authorized access, controlled storage and timely disposal or retention.
- Known test events appear and processing totals reconcile after ingestion recovery.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:The evidence trail shows authorized access, controlled storage and timely disposal or retention. It addresses audit evidence collection techniques. Underlying audit concern: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness.
Incorrect Answers
A:The sample frame and selection method demonstrably cover the stated transaction population. 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 verification is: The evidence trail shows authorized access, controlled storage and timely disposal or retention. The governing distinction is: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness.
B:Assurance evidence spans the review period without unexplained reliance gaps. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A supplier gives the audit team a third-party control report that expired before the review period. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The evidence trail shows authorized access, controlled storage and timely disposal or retention. The governing distinction is: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness.
D:Known test events appear and processing totals reconcile after ingestion recovery. 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 verification is: The evidence trail shows authorized access, controlled storage and timely disposal or retention. The governing distinction is: Audit evidence collection must preserve confidentiality and authorized custody as well as usefulness.
Question 704
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A shared IT helpdesk closes incidents quickly by marking unresolved requests as user error. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Governance should define risk ownership and objective challenge across accountable roles.
- Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed.
- Data governance requires clear ownership, quality rules and authorized source definitions.
- A quality management system needs controlled documentation and implementation monitoring.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed. The corresponding audit procedure is: Sample closed tickets, reopened cases, user confirmations and resolver notes.
Incorrect Answers
A:Governance should define risk ownership and objective challenge across accountable roles. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A chief technology officer both accepts enterprise cyber risk and certifies the independence of the risk oversight function. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed. The governing distinction is: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed.
C:Data governance requires clear ownership, quality rules and authorized source definitions. 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 principle is: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed. The governing distinction is: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed.
D: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: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed. The governing distinction is: Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed.
Question 705
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: An audit team changes sampling procedures each quarter without documenting why results are no longer comparable. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Inspect review notes, exception disposition, supervisor sign-offs and unresolved procedures.
- Compare commitment dates, risk rankings, actual implementation and repeat deferrals.
- Inspect data model, supplier identifiers, credit indicators and reconciliation counts.
- Compare past and current sampling standards, review findings and documentation quality.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Compare past and current sampling standards, review findings and documentation quality. The governing principle is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement.
Incorrect Answers
A:Inspect review notes, exception disposition, supervisor sign-offs and unresolved procedures. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An audit manager signs the report although a junior tester's exceptions have not received independent review. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Compare past and current sampling standards, review findings and documentation quality. The governing distinction is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement.
B:Compare commitment dates, risk rankings, actual implementation and repeat deferrals. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Three departments repeatedly miss remediation dates but audit management reports closure rates without aging analysis. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Compare past and current sampling standards, review findings and documentation quality. The governing distinction is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement.
C:Inspect data model, supplier identifiers, credit indicators and reconciliation counts. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An auditor flags duplicated supplier invoices by invoice number alone and ignores vendor identifiers and credit notes. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Compare past and current sampling standards, review findings and documentation quality. The governing distinction is: Audit quality programs should evaluate consistency, methodology and continuous improvement.
Question 706
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A software delivery group claims quality because unit tests pass, but repeated severe production incidents persist. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Compare escaped defects, acceptance tests, release evidence and root-cause trends.
- Review committee charters, delegation matrices and a sample of disputed approvals.
- Review rollout approvals, staff training, process owners and version adoption.
- Trace project approvals to business strategies, benefit owners and funding criteria.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Compare escaped defects, acceptance tests, release evidence and root-cause trends. The governing principle is: Quality management should evaluate defects, process capability and business outcomes across the lifecycle.
Incorrect Answers
B:Review committee charters, delegation matrices and a sample of disputed approvals. 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 audit step is: Compare escaped defects, acceptance tests, release evidence and root-cause trends. The governing distinction is: Quality management should evaluate defects, process capability and business outcomes across the lifecycle.
C:Review rollout approvals, staff training, process owners and version adoption. 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 audit step is: Compare escaped defects, acceptance tests, release evidence and root-cause trends. The governing distinction is: Quality management should evaluate defects, process capability and business outcomes across the lifecycle.
D:Trace project approvals to business strategies, benefit owners and funding criteria. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A technology steering group approves projects without showing how they support the organization's strategic priorities. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Compare escaped defects, acceptance tests, release evidence and root-cause trends. The governing distinction is: Quality management should evaluate defects, process capability and business outcomes across the lifecycle.
Question 707
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A vendor incident triggers a temporary exception but the residual risk is never reconsidered after six months. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Inspect exception age, business justification, compensating controls and renewal approval.
- Inspect category methodologies, thresholds and reporting assumptions.
- Assess the processor's actual need, contractual safeguards and available masking methods.
- Compare contract clauses, business impact analysis, vendor performance history and service credits.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Inspect exception age, business justification, compensating controls and renewal approval. The governing principle is: Risk exceptions require periodic review against changing exposure and acceptance authority.
Incorrect Answers
B:Inspect category methodologies, thresholds and reporting assumptions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An enterprise applies one numeric risk score to cyber, safety and privacy exposures despite different materiality definitions. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect exception age, business justification, compensating controls and renewal approval. The governing distinction is: Risk exceptions require periodic review against changing exposure and acceptance authority.
C:Assess the processor's actual need, contractual safeguards and available masking methods. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A service provider requests full identity documents when a masked identifier would satisfy a support task. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Inspect exception age, business justification, compensating controls and renewal approval. The governing distinction is: Risk exceptions require periodic review against changing exposure and acceptance authority.
D:Compare contract clauses, business impact analysis, vendor performance history and service credits. 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 audit step is: Inspect exception age, business justification, compensating controls and renewal approval. The governing distinction is: Risk exceptions require periodic review against changing exposure and acceptance authority.
Question 708
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A financial transfer job can be rerun after timeout and processes the same payment twice. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing.
- Automated restart must avoid duplicate or incomplete business transactions.
- Backup completion does not prove data restorability or usable business recovery.
- Citizen-developed systems remain subject to data governance and integration security.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Automated restart must avoid duplicate or incomplete business transactions. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review retry logic, transaction identifiers, recovery points and duplicate detection.
Incorrect Answers
A:Automated jobs require dependency, exception and completion controls for reliable processing. 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 principle is: Automated restart must avoid duplicate or incomplete business transactions. The governing distinction is: Automated restart must avoid duplicate or incomplete business transactions.
C:Backup completion does not prove data restorability or usable business recovery. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An enterprise calls backups successful because jobs complete, but no recent restoration test has been performed. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Automated restart must avoid duplicate or incomplete business transactions. The governing distinction is: Automated restart must avoid duplicate or incomplete business transactions.
D:Citizen-developed systems remain subject to data governance and integration security. 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 principle is: Automated restart must avoid duplicate or incomplete business transactions. The governing distinction is: Automated restart must avoid duplicate or incomplete business transactions.
Question 709
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: Multiple servers use unsynchronized clocks so a transaction appears to complete before it begins. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend input validation, exception handling and end-to-end reconciliation.
- Recommend monitored time synchronization and documented analysis normalization.
- Recommend sanctioned collaboration or compensating controls and managed migration.
- Recommend protected retention and tested retrieval matching the authorized period.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Recommend monitored time synchronization and documented analysis normalization. The relevant control principle is: Reliable log correlation depends on consistent time and original event provenance. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Controlled cross-system events correlate in a coherent chronology without modifying originals.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend input validation, exception handling and end-to-end reconciliation. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An inventory API responds successfully while silently truncating long product descriptions during integration. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend monitored time synchronization and documented analysis normalization. The governing distinction is: Reliable log correlation depends on consistent time and original event provenance.
C:Recommend sanctioned collaboration or compensating controls and managed migration. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A sales team stores client contracts in an unapproved personal file-sharing account for convenience. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend monitored time synchronization and documented analysis normalization. The governing distinction is: Reliable log correlation depends on consistent time and original event provenance.
D:Recommend protected retention and tested retrieval matching the authorized period. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A financial application retains operational logs for only a week although investigation rules require six months. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend monitored time synchronization and documented analysis normalization. The governing distinction is: Reliable log correlation depends on consistent time and original event provenance.
Question 710
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: Fieldwork expands to a new subsidiary without updating the approved engagement scope or communicating budget impact. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- The revised charter, staffing and completion criteria agree with actual work performed.
- The final communication accurately distinguishes advice from an independently supported assurance opinion.
- The workpaper records source, date, collection method and reconciliation to original records.
- Each finding links to reviewed evidence and all material open review notes are resolved.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:The revised charter, staffing and completion criteria agree with actual work performed. It addresses audit project management. Underlying audit concern: Material scope changes require controlled approval, resource assessment and stakeholder communication.
Incorrect Answers
B:The final communication accurately distinguishes advice from an independently supported assurance opinion. 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 verification is: The revised charter, staffing and completion criteria agree with actual work performed. The governing distinction is: Material scope changes require controlled approval, resource assessment and stakeholder communication.
C:The workpaper records source, date, collection method and reconciliation to original records. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A system owner provides a screenshot of an access list without a timestamp or source-system identification. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The revised charter, staffing and completion criteria agree with actual work performed. The governing distinction is: Material scope changes require controlled approval, resource assessment and stakeholder communication.
D:Each finding links to reviewed evidence and all material open review notes are resolved. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An audit manager signs the report although a junior tester's exceptions have not received independent review. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: The revised charter, staffing and completion criteria agree with actual work performed. The governing distinction is: Material scope changes require controlled approval, resource assessment and stakeholder communication.