Isaca CISA Practice Test 9
Question 80
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A quarterly access certification is completed by a system administrator who cannot identify the employees' current business responsibilities. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Threat monitoring should assess indicator freshness, context and false-positive effects.
- Privileged access should be individually attributable and constrained by least privilege.
- Provider assurances do not automatically cover customer-operated security responsibilities.
- Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions. The corresponding audit procedure is: Inspect reviewer role, HR roster, role descriptions and sample revocation outcomes.
Incorrect Answers
A:Threat monitoring should assess indicator freshness, context and false-positive effects. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A threat-intelligence feed generates blocks for obsolete indicators without regular relevance review. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions. The governing distinction is: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions.
B: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: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions. The governing distinction is: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions.
C:Provider assurances do not automatically cover customer-operated security responsibilities. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud provider's assurance report covers physical facilities but the customer's tenant encryption and IAM are untested. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions. The governing distinction is: Access reviews require knowledgeable business ownership of authorization decisions.
Question 81
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: Security logs are forwarded to a central platform but administrators can disable forwarding without generating an alert. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend restricted log changes and independent alerts on collection interruption.
- Recommend protected retention and tested retrieval matching the authorized period.
- Recommend tracked handoff and approved sanitization verification before disposal.
- Recommend independent communications paths or explicit mitigation for shared exposure.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Recommend restricted log changes and independent alerts on collection interruption. The relevant control principle is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps. A meaningful follow-up should establish: A controlled forwarding outage triggers timely alerting with identifiable ownership.
Incorrect Answers
B: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 restricted log changes and independent alerts on collection interruption. The governing distinction is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps.
C: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 restricted log changes and independent alerts on collection interruption. The governing distinction is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps.
D:Recommend independent communications paths or explicit mitigation for shared exposure. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: Two data centers have separate buildings but share one telecom carrier and underground duct. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend restricted log changes and independent alerts on collection interruption. The governing distinction is: Logging integrity requires control over collection configuration and visibility into gaps.
Question 82
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A helpdesk repeatedly reopens application errors but closes each ticket without investigating a shared underlying defect. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Problem management seeks root causes and prevention of recurring incidents.
- Infrastructure component changes require compatibility and interface impact assessment.
- Availability analysis must include upstream shared dependencies, not just redundant hosts.
- Severe incidents require priority-based classification and timely escalation paths.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Problem management seeks root causes and prevention of recurring incidents. The corresponding audit procedure is: Group incident trends, known error records and evidence of shared failure conditions.
Incorrect Answers
B:Infrastructure component changes require compatibility and interface impact assessment. 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 principle is: Problem management seeks root causes and prevention of recurring incidents. The governing distinction is: Problem management seeks root causes and prevention of recurring incidents.
C:Availability analysis must include upstream shared dependencies, not just redundant hosts. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A redundant web cluster shares one DNS resolver and becomes inaccessible when that resolver fails. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Problem management seeks root causes and prevention of recurring incidents. The governing distinction is: Problem management seeks root causes and prevention of recurring incidents.
D:Severe incidents require priority-based classification and timely escalation paths. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A major cyber outage is escalated only after normal helpdesk response times expire. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Problem management seeks root causes and prevention of recurring incidents. The governing distinction is: Problem management seeks root causes and prevention of recurring incidents.
Question 83
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A spreadsheet with editable formulas calculates regulatory capital but has no validation or change history. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend durable queuing, replay controls and dead-letter monitoring.
- Recommend controlled formula protection, independent review and periodic reconciliation.
- Recommend sanctioned collaboration or compensating controls and managed migration.
- Recommend representative scenario tests including concurrent demand and decision roles.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Recommend controlled formula protection, independent review and periodic reconciliation. The relevant control principle is: Critical end-user computing requires integrity, access and change controls proportionate to risk. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Unauthorized formula changes are detected and regulatory calculations reconcile.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend durable queuing, replay controls and dead-letter monitoring. 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 recommendation is: Recommend controlled formula protection, independent review and periodic reconciliation. The governing distinction is: Critical end-user computing requires integrity, access and change controls proportionate to risk.
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 controlled formula protection, independent review and periodic reconciliation. The governing distinction is: Critical end-user computing requires integrity, access and change controls proportionate to risk.
D:Recommend representative scenario tests including concurrent demand and decision roles. 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 recommendation is: Recommend controlled formula protection, independent review and periodic reconciliation. The governing distinction is: Critical end-user computing requires integrity, access and change controls proportionate to risk.
Question 84
Management reports that this issue has been corrected: An audit query joins employee and privilege tables but mistakenly duplicates rows for users with multiple roles. Which result would provide the STRONGEST assurance that the issue is corrected?
- Relevant events match across trusted sources and retention controls prevent undetected alteration.
- Each finding links to reviewed evidence and all material open review notes are resolved.
- Reported exceptions are reproducible and supported by transaction evidence rather than model scores alone.
- Aggregate user counts and sampled privilege mappings agree with the source systems.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Aggregate user counts and sampled privilege mappings agree with the source systems. It addresses audit data analytics. Underlying audit concern: Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds.
Incorrect Answers
A:Relevant events match across trusted sources and retention controls prevent undetected alteration. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A vendor's audit log is editable by the same administrator whose changes are under investigation. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Aggregate user counts and sampled privilege mappings agree with the source systems. The governing distinction is: Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds.
B: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: Aggregate user counts and sampled privilege mappings agree with the source systems. The governing distinction is: Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds.
C:Reported exceptions are reproducible and supported by transaction evidence rather than model scores alone. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An anomaly model ranks high-value payments as suspicious but the auditor cannot explain its scoring or false-positive rate. In the present case, the most directly relevant verification is: Aggregate user counts and sampled privilege mappings agree with the source systems. The governing distinction is: Join multiplicity can distort counts and audit conclusions even when query syntax succeeds.
Question 85
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A planned analytics launch relies on one database specialist who has no trained backup. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Resource governance should use accurate inventory and allocation evidence before investment.
- Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed.
- Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes.
- Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning. The corresponding audit procedure is: Map service roles, competencies, staffing coverage and recovery requirements.
Incorrect Answers
A:Resource governance should use accurate inventory and allocation evidence before investment. 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 principle is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning. The governing distinction is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
B:Quality measures can be gamed if closure accuracy and user outcomes are not assessed. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A shared IT helpdesk closes incidents quickly by marking unresolved requests as user error. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning. The governing distinction is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
C:Technology strategy should translate enterprise value objectives into measurable performance outcomes. 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 principle is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning. The governing distinction is: Critical skill dependencies should be addressed in resource and continuity planning.
Question 86
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A lost employee phone still accesses confidential mail because device compliance and remote wipe were never enabled. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost.
- Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone.
- IoT assets require inventory, secure identity and segmentation proportionate to exposure.
- Monitoring reliability requires completeness, heartbeat and sensor-health validation.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review MDM coverage, token expiry, remote-wipe procedures and mailbox sessions.
Incorrect Answers
B:Security program maturity requires operational evidence rather than documentation counts alone. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A compliance dashboard reports all policies published but does not measure whether their security controls operate. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost. The governing distinction is: Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost.
C: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: Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost. The governing distinction is: Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost.
D:Monitoring reliability requires completeness, heartbeat and sensor-health validation. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: An endpoint dashboard displays every system as healthy even though remote devices have stopped forwarding telemetry. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost. The governing distinction is: Mobile management should enforce enrollment, encryption and revocation when devices are lost.
Question 87
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A risk register identifies unpatched critical servers but assigns the mitigation decision to the auditor. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Management owns risk treatment; the auditor evaluates its governance and effectiveness.
- Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators.
- Risk aggregation requires consistent criteria and clear reporting of noncomparable dimensions.
- Ambiguous governance rights can produce inconsistent and unowned technology decisions.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Management owns risk treatment; the auditor evaluates its governance and effectiveness. The corresponding audit procedure is: Check enterprise risk roles, server exposure, risk ratings and assigned accountable owners.
Incorrect Answers
B:Governance measures should combine schedule, benefit, quality and risk indicators. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A change program reports all projects green by budget but ignores delayed security deliverables. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Management owns risk treatment; the auditor evaluates its governance and effectiveness. The governing distinction is: Management owns risk treatment; the auditor evaluates its governance and effectiveness.
C:Risk aggregation requires consistent criteria and clear reporting of noncomparable dimensions. 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 principle is: Management owns risk treatment; the auditor evaluates its governance and effectiveness. The governing distinction is: Management owns risk treatment; the auditor evaluates its governance and effectiveness.
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: Management owns risk treatment; the auditor evaluates its governance and effectiveness. The governing distinction is: Management owns risk treatment; the auditor evaluates its governance and effectiveness.
Question 88
An IS auditor evaluates this situation: A new inventory system's disaster-recovery test is deferred because normal transaction testing passes. Which audit principle MOST directly applies to this situation?
- Project governance requires clear business ownership and formal acceptance of material risk.
- Functional success does not demonstrate recoverability or continuity readiness.
- Configuration changes must remain controlled, traceable and aligned with approved baselines.
- Readiness gates should include measured nonfunctional acceptance under representative demand.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Functional success does not demonstrate recoverability or continuity readiness. The corresponding audit procedure is: Review criticality, recovery objectives, failover plans and missing test evidence.
Incorrect Answers
A:Project governance requires clear business ownership and formal acceptance of material risk. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A mobile-banking project reaches launch without an accountable sponsor for unresolved regulatory requirements. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Functional success does not demonstrate recoverability or continuity readiness. The governing distinction is: Functional success does not demonstrate recoverability or continuity readiness.
C:Configuration changes must remain controlled, traceable and aligned with approved baselines. 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 principle is: Functional success does not demonstrate recoverability or continuity readiness. The governing distinction is: Functional success does not demonstrate recoverability or continuity readiness.
D:Readiness gates should include measured nonfunctional acceptance under representative demand. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud platform is declared ready despite failed high-load tests and no capacity remediation plan. In the present case, the most directly relevant principle is: Functional success does not demonstrate recoverability or continuity readiness. The governing distinction is: Functional success does not demonstrate recoverability or continuity readiness.
Question 89
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: Regional IT teams follow conflicting change-control procedures even though one enterprise policy applies. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend correcting its label and enforcing corresponding access and handling requirements.
- Harmonize procedures or formally approve justified exceptions with assigned owners.
- Report missing management ownership and recommend formal risk treatment assignment.
- Recommend a formally assessed update or compensating control with time-bound approval.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Harmonize procedures or formally approve justified exceptions with assigned owners. The relevant control principle is: Inconsistent procedures can weaken implementation of a common governance control. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Sample changes in each region follow the same mandatory authorization and evidence rules.
Incorrect Answers
A:Recommend correcting its label and enforcing corresponding access and handling 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 recommendation is: Harmonize procedures or formally approve justified exceptions with assigned owners. The governing distinction is: Inconsistent procedures can weaken implementation of a common governance control.
C:Report missing management ownership and recommend formal risk treatment assignment. 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 recommendation is: Harmonize procedures or formally approve justified exceptions with assigned owners. The governing distinction is: Inconsistent procedures can weaken implementation of a common governance control.
D:Recommend a formally assessed update or compensating control with time-bound approval. 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 recommendation is: Harmonize procedures or formally approve justified exceptions with assigned owners. The governing distinction is: Inconsistent procedures can weaken implementation of a common governance control.
Question 90
An IS auditor is preparing recommendations after reviewing this situation: A chief technology officer both accepts enterprise cyber risk and certifies the independence of the risk oversight function. Which recommendation would BEST address the identified weakness?
- Recommend clear separation of risk acceptance from independent oversight and assurance.
- Recommend an accountable data steward and controlled master-data quality process.
- Recommend an accountable portfolio review that documents strategic rationale and benefit measures.
- Recommend lifecycle deletion and exception enforcement across all controlled storage locations.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Recommend clear separation of risk acceptance from independent oversight and assurance. The relevant control principle is: Governance should define risk ownership and objective challenge across accountable roles. A meaningful follow-up should establish: Approvals show authorized risk owners and recorded independent challenge for material exposures.
Incorrect Answers
B:Recommend an accountable data steward and controlled master-data quality process. 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 recommendation is: Recommend clear separation of risk acceptance from independent oversight and assurance. The governing distinction is: Governance should define risk ownership and objective challenge across accountable roles.
C: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 clear separation of risk acceptance from independent oversight and assurance. The governing distinction is: Governance should define risk ownership and objective challenge across accountable roles.
D:Recommend lifecycle deletion and exception enforcement across all controlled storage locations. This would be relevant to a different issue such as: A cloud analytics environment retains raw regulated data after the approved business retention period. In the present case, the most directly relevant recommendation is: Recommend clear separation of risk acceptance from independent oversight and assurance. The governing distinction is: Governance should define risk ownership and objective challenge across accountable roles.