Isaca CISA Practice Test 72
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.
Question 711
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A legacy security standard remains mandatory even though new approved cloud services cannot technically meet it. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Third-party governance must extend material controls and data obligations to subcontractors.
- Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements.
- Inconsistent procedures can weaken implementation of a common governance control.
- Standards must be reviewed and changed through formal governance without silently weakening policy.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Standards must be reviewed and changed through formal governance without silently weakening policy. The corresponding audit procedure is: Inspect exception inventory, supported cloud capabilities, risk assessments and approval rights.
Incorrect Answers
A:Third-party governance must extend material controls and data obligations to subcontractors. 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 principle is: Standards must be reviewed and changed through formal governance without silently weakening policy. The governing distinction is: Standards must be reviewed and changed through formal governance without silently weakening policy.
B:Classification should reflect data sensitivity, business purpose and governing requirements. 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 principle is: Standards must be reviewed and changed through formal governance without silently weakening policy. The governing distinction is: Standards must be reviewed and changed through formal governance without silently weakening policy.
C:Inconsistent procedures can weaken implementation of a common governance control. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Regional IT teams follow conflicting change-control procedures even though one enterprise policy applies. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Standards must be reviewed and changed through formal governance without silently weakening policy. The governing distinction is: Standards must be reviewed and changed through formal governance without silently weakening policy.
Question 712
Before reaching an audit conclusion, consider: A bank's compliance register still lists a superseded regulatory reporting deadline after a rule change. Which evidence should the auditor review FIRST to evaluate this risk?
- Compare the current regulator publication, policy inventory and reporting workflow dates.
- Inspect signed contractual terms, legal interpretation, retention rules and purge job output.
- Reconcile discrepancies, lineage, quality metrics and stewardship assignments.
- Review committee charters, delegation matrices and a sample of disputed approvals.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Compare the current regulator publication, policy inventory and reporting workflow dates. The governing principle is: Governance must detect changes in external obligations and translate them into owned controls.
Incorrect Answers
B:Inspect signed contractual terms, legal interpretation, retention rules and purge job output. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: The legal team interprets a contractual data retention clause differently from IT's automatic deletion schedule. In the present case, the most directly relevant audit step is: Compare the current regulator publication, policy inventory and reporting workflow dates. The governing distinction is: Governance must detect changes in external obligations and translate them into owned controls.
C: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: Compare the current regulator publication, policy inventory and reporting workflow dates. The governing distinction is: Governance must detect changes in external obligations and translate them into owned controls.
D: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 the current regulator publication, policy inventory and reporting workflow dates. The governing distinction is: Governance must detect changes in external obligations and translate them into owned controls.
Question 713
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A firewall has a broad any-to-any allow rule placed ahead of new restrictions for a regulated application. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend prioritized alert ownership, response playbooks and independent oversight.
- Recommend routine environmental sensor functional tests with ownership of alerts.
- Recommend removing or narrowing the shadowing rule through approved change control.
- Recommend adaptive authentication, rate controls and account protection monitoring.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Recommend removing or narrowing the shadowing rule through approved change control. The relevant control principle is: Policy order and scope determine the effective network control, not the existence of later rules. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Representative allowed and denied flows match the intended restrictive rules.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend prioritized alert ownership, response playbooks and independent oversight. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A company implements a network intrusion detector but does not assign anyone to triage severe alerts. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend removing or narrowing the shadowing rule through approved change control. The governing distinction is: Policy order and scope determine the effective network control, not the existence of later rules.
B: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 removing or narrowing the shadowing rule through approved change control. The governing distinction is: Policy order and scope determine the effective network control, not the existence of later rules.
D:Recommend adaptive authentication, rate controls and account protection monitoring. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A customer portal suffers repeated credential-stuffing attempts from rotating IP addresses. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend removing or narrowing the shadowing rule through approved change control. The governing distinction is: Policy order and scope determine the effective network control, not the existence of later rules.
Question 714
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A cloud incident investigator exports only the latest activity logs, omitting records from the suspected initial compromise. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend consistent risk-based DLP controls across authorized transfer channels.
- Recommend credential replacement and isolated authorized device communication.
- Recommend protected original preservation and analysis on validated working copies.
- Recommend promptly preserving appropriately scoped logs and cloud snapshots with custody records.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Recommend promptly preserving appropriately scoped logs and cloud snapshots with custody records. The relevant control principle is: Forensic collection scope should preserve a complete relevant timeline within lawful boundaries. A meaningful follow-up should establish: The reconstructed sequence includes initial access, activity and response without unexplained gaps.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend consistent risk-based DLP controls across authorized transfer channels. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A DLP tool blocks confidential document attachments but ignores similar files uploaded through approved web browsers. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend promptly preserving appropriately scoped logs and cloud snapshots with custody records. The governing distinction is: Forensic collection scope should preserve a complete relevant timeline within lawful boundaries.
B:Recommend credential replacement and isolated authorized device communication. 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 recommendation is: Recommend promptly preserving appropriately scoped logs and cloud snapshots with custody records. The governing distinction is: Forensic collection scope should preserve a complete relevant timeline within lawful boundaries.
C:Recommend protected original preservation and analysis on validated working copies. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Security staff begin forensic analysis directly on a live original log file and overwrite timestamps. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend promptly preserving appropriately scoped logs and cloud snapshots with custody records. The governing distinction is: Forensic collection scope should preserve a complete relevant timeline within lawful boundaries.
Question 715
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A new corporate service standard is rolled out without training, version control or effectiveness reviews. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend risk-weighted supplier evaluation with documented approval of material exceptions.
- Recommend an accountable portfolio review that documents strategic rationale and benefit measures.
- Recommend causal improvement actions and independent validation of high-risk releases.
- Recommend a documented deployment and review cycle for the revised standard.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Recommend a documented deployment and review cycle for the revised standard. The relevant control principle is: A quality management system needs controlled documentation and implementation monitoring. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Sample teams operate the current version and report measurable adherence.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend risk-weighted supplier evaluation with documented approval of material exceptions. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Procurement selects the lowest-cost cloud vendor while ignoring prior security incidents and regulatory audit rights. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend a documented deployment and review cycle for the revised standard. The governing distinction is: A quality management system needs controlled documentation and implementation monitoring.
B:Recommend an accountable portfolio review that documents strategic rationale and benefit measures. 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 recommendation is: Recommend a documented deployment and review cycle for the revised standard. The governing distinction is: A quality management system needs controlled documentation and implementation monitoring.
C: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 a documented deployment and review cycle for the revised standard. The governing distinction is: A quality management system needs controlled documentation and implementation monitoring.
Question 716
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: The annual audit plan gives equal effort to a low-risk intranet and a newly acquired payment processing platform. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Sampling from an incomplete population invalidates the intended terminated-user control test.
- Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities.
- Audit project plans must match specialist resources to scope, dependencies and deadlines.
- Absence of reported incidents is not proof of low inherent or residual risk.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities. The corresponding audit procedure is: Compare transaction value, exposure, change velocity, recent incidents and prior assurance coverage.
Incorrect Answers
A:Sampling from an incomplete population invalidates the intended terminated-user control test. 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 principle is: Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities. The governing distinction is: Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities.
C:Audit project plans must match specialist resources to scope, dependencies and deadlines. 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 principle is: Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities. The governing distinction is: Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities.
D:Absence of reported incidents is not proof of low inherent or residual risk. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An auditor cannot decide whether to review a high-impact legacy billing interface because no recent incidents are recorded. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities. The governing distinction is: Audit resources should be allocated according to assessed risk and organizational priorities.
Question 717
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: Warehouse sensors retain factory passwords and are reachable from the corporate office LAN. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend restoring critical module coverage and validating findings with manual review.
- Recommend monitored and secured emergency access consistent with life-safety requirements.
- Recommend credential replacement and isolated authorized device communication.
- Recommend individually attributable enterprise authentication and segregated guest access.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Recommend credential replacement and isolated authorized device communication. The relevant control principle is: IoT assets require inventory, secure identity and segmentation proportionate to exposure. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Untrusted office endpoints cannot administer sensors and default passwords no longer work.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend restoring critical module coverage and validating findings with manual review. 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 recommendation is: Recommend credential replacement and isolated authorized device communication. The governing distinction is: IoT assets require inventory, secure identity and segmentation proportionate to exposure.
B:Recommend monitored and secured emergency access consistent with life-safety requirements. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A server room uses badge access but an unattended emergency door allows unrecorded entry. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend credential replacement and isolated authorized device communication. The governing distinction is: IoT assets require inventory, secure identity and segmentation proportionate to exposure.
D:Recommend individually attributable enterprise authentication and segregated guest access. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A branch wireless network uses a shared password disclosed to vendors and former employees. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend credential replacement and isolated authorized device communication. The governing distinction is: IoT assets require inventory, secure identity and segmentation proportionate to exposure.
Question 718
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: An investigator copies a suspect laptop disk without recording who handled it or whether the image changed. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Role-specific training and technical controls should address actual high-risk behaviors.
- Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis.
- Assessment conclusions depend on complete and relevant testing coverage.
- Preserving original evidence is essential for reliable investigation and potential legal use.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review acquisition authorization, image hashes, timestamps and custody transfers.
Incorrect Answers
A:Role-specific training and technical controls should address actual high-risk behaviors. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Developers complete general security videos but continue committing cloud keys into source repositories. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis. The governing distinction is: Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis.
C: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: Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis. The governing distinction is: Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis.
D:Preserving original evidence is essential for reliable investigation and potential legal use. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Security staff begin forensic analysis directly on a live original log file and overwrite timestamps. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis. The governing distinction is: Forensic evidence requires documented custody and integrity from acquisition through analysis.
Question 719
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A configuration database lists a retired server as the active owner of a production application. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management.
- Reliable integration requires durable delivery, recovery and monitoring of unprocessed events.
- Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
- Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes. The corresponding audit procedure is: Reconcile automated discovery, service dependencies and change history.
Incorrect Answers
A:Patch governance requires risk-based prioritization, deployment tracking and exception management. 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 principle is: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes. The governing distinction is: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
B:Reliable integration requires durable delivery, recovery and monitoring of unprocessed events. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud event bus drops messages during an outage and consuming systems never replay them. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes. The governing distinction is: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
D:Unsanctioned services can bypass enterprise security, retention and legal controls. 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 principle is: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes. The governing distinction is: Configuration accuracy is necessary for impact analysis and controlled service changes.
Question 720
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: A DBA changes production schema directly, causing an analytics extract to return wrong totals. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- An anticipated high-load period does not exhaust storage and restore capability remains intact.
- Business totals reconcile before and after authorized schema changes.
- A measured peak-like exercise meets agreed recovery times and identifies capacity shortfalls.
- A recovery test completes reconciled business transactions within required limits.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Business totals reconcile before and after authorized schema changes. It addresses database management. Underlying audit concern: Database changes require controlled migration, versioning and dependent-query testing.
Incorrect Answers
A:An anticipated high-load period does not exhaust storage and restore capability remains intact. 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 verification is: Business totals reconcile before and after authorized schema changes. The governing distinction is: Database changes require controlled migration, versioning and dependent-query testing.
C:A measured peak-like exercise meets agreed recovery times and identifies capacity shortfalls. 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 verification is: Business totals reconcile before and after authorized schema changes. The governing distinction is: Database changes require controlled migration, versioning and dependent-query testing.
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: Business totals reconcile before and after authorized schema changes. The governing distinction is: Database changes require controlled migration, versioning and dependent-query testing.