Isaca CISA Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

Isaca CISA Online Questions & Answers

• Question 401:

  An IS auditor is planning to audit an organization's infrastructure for access, patching, and change management. Which of the following is the BEST way to prioritize the systems?

  A. Complexity of the environment
  B. Criticality of the system
  C. System hierarchy within the infrastructure
  D. System retirement plan
  B. Criticality of the system

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  Explanation

• Question 402:

  Which of the following is the MOST important operational aspect for an IS auditor to consider when assessing an assembly line with quality control sensors accessible via wireless techno

  A. Known vulnerabilities
  B. Resource utilization
  C. Device security
  D. Device updates
  C. Device security

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  Explanation

• Question 403:

  An organization has shifted from a bottom-up approach to a top-down approach in the development of IT policies. This should result in:

  A. greater consistency across the organization.
  B. a synthesis of existing operational policies.
  C. a more comprehensive risk assessment plan.
  D. greater adherence to best practices.
  A. greater consistency across the organization.

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  Explanation

  A top-down approach in the development of IT policies means that the policies are derived from the strategic objectives and goals of the organization, and are aligned with the business needs and expectations. This should result in greater consistency across the organization, as the policies will be coherent, integrated and applicable to all levels and functions of the organization. A bottom-up approach, on the other hand, means that the policies are developed by individual units or departments based on their operational needs and preferences, which may lead to inconsistency, duplication or conflict among different policies.

  References: ISACA Frameworks: Blueprints for Success, IT Governance and Process Maturity

• Question 404:

  Which of the following is MOST important to ensure during computer forensics investigations?

  A. The contents of digital evidence are preserved in their original form.
  B. The analysis is performed against the original digital evidence.
  C. Personnel undertaking the investigation process are certified to collect digital evidence.
  D. Effective backup schemes are in place to preserve digital evidence.
  A. The contents of digital evidence are preserved in their original form.

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  Explanation

• Question 405:

  Which of the following is BEST used for detailed testing of a business application's data and configuration files?

  A. Version control software
  B. Audit hooks
  C. Utility software
  D. Audit analytics tool
  D. Audit analytics tool

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  Explanation

  The best tool for detailed testing of a business application's data and configuration files is an audit analytics tool. An audit analytics tool is a software that helps auditors to analyze large sets of data and identify anomalies, trends, and patterns that are relevant to the audit objectives. An audit analytics tool can also provide audit evidence and support the auditor's professional judgment and conclusions. Some of the benefits of using an audit analytics tool are: It can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the audit by reducing the time and effort required to perform manual tests and procedures. It can enhance the quality and reliability of the audit by increasing the coverage and accuracy of the data analysis and testing. It can enable the auditor to perform more complex and sophisticated tests and procedures that may not be possible or feasible with traditional methods. It can help the auditor to discover new insights and risks that may not be apparent or detectable with traditional methods. Some examples of audit analytics tools are: IDEA: A data analysis software that allows auditors to import, analyze, and visualize data from various sources and formats. It also offers features such as sampling, stratification, gap analysis, duplicate detection, Benford's law, and regression analysis.ACL: A data analysis software that helps auditors to access, analyze, and report on data from various sources and formats. It also offers features such as sampling, stratification, gap analysis, duplicate detection, Benford's law, regression analysis, and scripting.2 TeamMate Analytics: A data analysis software that integrates with Microsoft Excel and provides auditors with a range of tools and functions to perform data analysis and testing. It also offers features such as sampling, stratification, gap analysis, duplicate detection, Benford's law, regression analysis, and scripting.

• Question 406:

  Which of the following backup schemes is the BEST option when storage media is limited?

  A. Real-time backup
  B. Virtual backup
  C. Differential backup
  D. Full backup
  C. Differential backup

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  Explanation

  A differential backup scheme is the best option when storage media is limited, as it only backs up the data that has changed since the last full backup. This reduces the amount of storage space required and also simplifies the restoration process, as only the last full backup and the last differential backup are needed. A real-time backup scheme would require continuous replication of data, which would consume a lot of storage space and network bandwidth. A virtual backup scheme would create a snapshot of the data at a point in time, but it would not reduce the storage space required, as it would still need to store the changes made to the data. A full backup scheme would back up all the data every time, which would require the most storage space and also take longer to complete.

  References: ISACA, CISA Review Manual, 27th Edition, 2018, page 405

• Question 407:

  An IS auditor finds that a new network connection allows communication between the Internet and the internal enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Which of the following is the PRIMARY business impact to include when presenting this observation to management?

  A. An increase to the threat landscape
  B. A decrease in data quality in the ERP system
  C. A decrease in network performance
  D. An increase in potential fines from regulators
  A. An increase to the threat landscape

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  Explanation

• Question 408:

  During an IT general controls audit of a high-risk area where both internal and external audit teams are reviewing the same approach to optimize resources?

  A. Leverage the work performed by external audit for the internal audit testing.
  B. Ensure both the internal and external auditors perform the work simultaneously.
  C. Request that the external audit team leverage the internal audit work.
  D. Roll forward the general controls audit to the subsequent audit year.
  A. Leverage the work performed by external audit for the internal audit testing.

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  Explanation

  The best approach to optimize resources when both internal and external audit teams are reviewing the same IT general controls area is to leverage the work performed by external audit for the internal audit testing. This can avoid duplication of efforts, reduce audit costs and enhance coordination between the audit teams. The internal audit team should evaluate the quality and reliability of the external audit work before relying on it. Ensuring both the internal and external auditors perform the work simultaneously is not an efficient use of resources, as it would create redundancy and possible interference. Requesting that the external audit team leverage the internal audit work may not be feasible or acceptable, as the external audit team may have different objectives, standards and independence requirements. Rolling forward the general controls audit to the subsequent audit year is not a good practice, as it would delay the identification and remediation of any control weaknesses in a high-risk area.

  References: ISACA, CISA Review Manual, 27th Edition, 2018, page 247

• Question 409:

  Which of the following presents the GREATEST risk of data leakage in the cloud environment?

  A. Lack of data retention policy
  B. Multi-tenancy within the same database
  C. Lack of role-based access
  D. Expiration of security certificate
  B. Multi-tenancy within the same database

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  Explanation

  Multi-tenancy within the same database (B) presents the greatest risk of data leakage in the cloud environment, because it means that multiple customers share the same physical database and resources. This can lead to data isolation and security issues, such as unauthorized access, cross-tenant attacks, or data leakage due to misconfiguration or human error. To prevent data leakage in a multi-tenant database, cloud providers need to implement strict access control policies, encryption, isolation mechanisms, and auditing tools.

  Lack of data retention policy (A) is not the greatest risk of data leakage in the cloud environment, because it mainly affects the availability and compliance of data, not its confidentiality or integrity. Data retention policy defines how long data should be stored and when it should be deleted or archived. Without a data retention policy, cloud customers may face legal or regulatory issues, storage costs, or performance degradation. Lack of role-based access ?is not the greatest risk of data leakage in the cloud environment, because it can be mitigated by implementing proper authentication and authorization mechanisms. Role-based access control (RBAC) is a security model that assigns permissions and privileges to users based on their roles and responsibilities. Without RBAC, cloud customers may face unauthorized access, privilege escalation, or data misuse. Expiration of security certificate (D) is not the greatest risk of data leakage in the cloud environment, because it can be easily detected and renewed. A security certificate is a digital document that verifies the identity and authenticity of a website or service. It also enables secure communication using encryption. If a security certificate expires, it may cause trust issues, warning messages, or connection errors, but not necessarily data leakage.

  References: 7 Ways to Prevent Data Leaks in the Cloud | OTAVA?An analysis of data leakage and prevention techniques in cloud environment

• Question 410:

  Which of the following is the BEST source of information tor an IS auditor to use when determining whether an organization's information security policy is adequate?

  A. Information security program plans
  B. Penetration test results
  C. Risk assessment results
  D. Industry benchmarks
  C. Risk assessment results

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  Explanation

  The best source of information for an IS auditor to use when determining whether an organization's information security policy is adequate is the risk assessment results. The risk assessment results provide the auditor with an overview of the organization's risk profile, including the identification, analysis, and evaluation of the risks that affect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information assets. The auditor can use the risk assessment results to compare the organization's information security policy with the risk appetite, risk tolerance, and risk treatment strategies of the organization. The auditor can also use the risk assessment results to evaluate if the information security policy is aligned with the organization's objectives, requirements, and regulations. Some of the web sources that support this answer are: Performance Measurement Guide for Information Security ISO 27001 Annex A.5 - Information Security Policies [CISA Certified Information Systems Auditor ?Question0551]