Isaca CISA Practice Test - Questions Answers, Page 20

The completeness of the vulnerability scanning process depends on the accuracy and currency of the organization's systems inventory, which is a list of all the hardware and software assets that are owned or used by the organization. A complete and up-to-date systems inventory can help ensure that all the systems are identified and scanned for vulnerabilities, and that no system is missed or overlooked. Vulnerability scanning results are reported to the CISO is a good practice for ensuring accountability and visibility of the vulnerability management process, but it is not the most important thing to verify when determining the completeness of the vulnerability scanning process, as reporting does not guarantee that all the systems are scanned. The organization is using a cloud-hosted scanning tool for identification of vulnerabilities is a possible option for conducting vulnerability scanning, but it is not the most important thing to verify when determining the completeness of the vulnerability scanning process, as the type of scanning tool does not affect the scope or coverage of the scanning. Access to the vulnerability scanning tool is periodically reviewed is a critical control for ensuring the security and integrity of the vulnerability scanning tool, but it is not the most important thing to verify when determining the completeness of the vulnerability scanning process, as access review does not ensure that all the systems are scanned.

The results of the previous audit are an important source of information for an IS auditor to consider when performing the risk assessment prior to an audit engagement, as they can provide insights into the current state and performance of the auditee, identify any issues or gaps that need to be followed up or addressed, and highlight any areas that require special attention or focus. The design of controls is an important factor to evaluate during an audit engagement, but it is not the most important thing to consider when performing the risk assessment prior to an audit engagement, as it does not reflect the actual implementation or effectiveness of the controls. Industry standards and best practices are useful benchmarks or guidelines for an IS auditor to compare or measure against during an audit engagement, but they are not the most important thing to consider when performing the risk assessment prior to an audit engagement, as they may not be applicable or relevant to the specific context or objectives of the auditee. The amount of time since the previous audit is a relevant criterion to determine the frequency or timing of an audit engagement, but it is not the most important thing to consider when performing the risk assessment prior to an audit engagement, as it does not indicate the level or nature of risk associated with the auditee.

A staging environment is a replica of the production environment that is used to test and verify software before deploying it to production. A staging environment is most likely to have the same software version as production, as it mimics the real-world conditions and configurations that will be encountered in production. A testing environment is a separate environment that is used to perform various types of testing on software, such as functional testing, performance testing, security testing, etc. A testing environment may not have the same software version as production, as it may undergo frequent changes or updates based on testing results or feedback. An integration environment is a separate environment that is used to combine and test software components or modules from different developers or sources, to ensure that they work together as expected. An integration environment may not have the same software version as production, as it may involve different versions or branches of software from different sources. A development environment is a separate environment that is used by developers to create and modify software code. A development environment may not have the same software version as production, as it may contain unfinished or untested code that has not been released yet.

An application's audit trail is a record of all actions or events that occur within or affect an application, such as user activities, system operations, data changes, errors, exceptions, etc. An audit trail can provide evidence and accountability for an application's functionality and performance, and support auditing, monitoring, troubleshooting, and investigation purposes. An IS auditor should ensure that an application's audit trail has adequate security, which means that it is protected from unauthorized access, modification, deletion, or disclosure. Adequate security can help ensure that an audit trail maintains its integrity, reliability, and availability, and prevents tampering or manipulation by attackers or insiders who want to hide their tracks or evidence of their actions. Logs all database records is a possible feature of an application's audit trail, but it is not the most important thing for an IS auditor to ensure, as logging all database records may not be necessary or feasible for some applications, and may generate excessive or irrelevant data that can affect the storage or analysis of the audit trail. Is accessible online is a possible feature of an application's audit trail, but it is not the most important thing for an IS auditor to ensure, as online accessibility may not be required or desirable for some applications, and may introduce security or privacy risks for the audit trail. Does not impact operational efficiency is a desirable outcome of an application's audit trail, but it is not the most important thing for an IS auditor to ensure, as operational efficiency may not be the primary objective or concern of an application's audit trail, and may depend on other factors or trade-offs such as storage capacity, performance speed, or data quality.

A business impact analysis (BIA) is a process that identifies and evaluates the potential effects or consequences of disruptions or disasters on an organization's critical business functions or processes. A BIA can help prioritize the recovery of critical functions by assessing their importance and urgency for the organization's operations, objectives, and stakeholders, and determining their recovery time objectives (RTOs), which are the maximum acceptable time for restoring a function after a disruption. A business continuity plan (BCP) testing is a process that verifies and validates the effectiveness and readiness of a BCP, which is a document that outlines the strategies and procedures for ensuring the continuity of critical business functions in the event of a disruption or disaster. A BCP testing does not prioritize the recovery of critical functions, but rather evaluates how well they are recovered according to the BCP. A disaster recovery plan (DRP) testing is a process that verifies and validates the effectiveness and readiness of a DRP, which is a document that outlines the technical and operational steps for restoring the IT systems and infrastructure that support critical business functions in the event of a disruption or disaster. A DRP testing does not prioritize the recovery of critical functions, but rather evaluates how well they are supported by the IT systems and infrastructure according to the DRP. A risk assessment is a process that identifies and analyzes the potential threats and vulnerabilities that could affect an organization's critical business functions or processes. A risk assessment does not prioritize the recovery of critical functions, but rather estimates their likelihood and impact of being disrupted by various risk scenarios.

Capacity management is a process that ensures that the IT resources of an organization are sufficient to meet the current and future demands of the business. Capacity management enables organizations to identify the extent to which components need to be upgraded, by monitoring and analyzing the performance, utilization, and availability of the IT components, such as servers, networks, storage, applications, etc., and identifying any bottlenecks, gaps, or risks that may affect the service level agreements (SLAs) or quality of service (QoS). Capacity management also helps organizations to plan and optimize the use of IT resources, by forecasting the future demand and growth of the business, and aligning the IT capacity with the business needs and objectives. Forecasting technology trends is a possible outcome of capacity management, but it is not its main purpose. Establishing the capacity of network communication links is a part of capacity management, but it is not its main goal. Determining business transaction volumes is an input for capacity management, but it is not its main objective.

A threat actor is an entity or individual that poses a potential harm or danger to an organization's information systems or data. Terminated staff are the threat actors in this scenario, as they are former employees who may still have active privileged accounts that grant them access to sensitive or critical information or resources of the organization. Terminated staff may abuse their access privileges or credentials to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the information systems or data, either intentionally or unintentionally. Unauthorized access is a threat event or action that occurs when an unauthorized entity or individual gains access to an organization's information systems or data without permission or authorization. Unauthorized access is not a threat actor, but rather a result of a threat actor's activity. Deleted log data is a threat consequence or impact that occurs when log data, which are records of events or activities that occur on an information system or network, are erased or corrupted by a threat actor. Deleted log data can affect the auditability, accountability, and visibility of the information system or network, and prevent detection or investigation of security incidents. Deleted log data is not a threat actor, but rather a result of a threat actor's activity. Hacktivists are threat actors who use hacking techniques to promote a political or social cause or agenda. Hacktivists are not the threat actors in this scenario, as there is no indication that they are involved in this case.

The first thing that the audit manager should do when faced with a situation where only 60% of the audit has been completed and the due date is approaching is to determine where delays have occurred. This can help the audit manager to identify and analyze the root causes of the delays, such as unexpected issues, scope changes, resource constraints, communication problems, etc., and evaluate their impact on the audit objectives, scope, quality, and timeline. Based on this analysis, the audit manager can then decide on the best course of action to address the delays and complete the audit successfully. Assigning additional resources to supplement the audit is a possible option for resolving delays in an audit project, but it is not the first thing that the audit manager should do, as it may not be feasible or effective depending on the availability, cost, and suitability of the additional resources. Escalating to the audit committee is a possible option for communicating delays in an audit project and seeking guidance or support from senior management, but it is not the first thing that the audit manager should do, as it may not be necessary or appropriate depending on the severity and urgency of the delays. Extending the audit deadline is a possible option for accommodating delays in an audit project and ensuring sufficient time for completing the audit tasks and activities, but it is not the first thing that the audit manager should do, as it may not be possible or desirable depending on the contractual obligations, stakeholder expectations, and regulatory requirements.

The best way to determine whether programmers have permission to alter data in the production environment is by reviewing the access rights that have been granted. Access rights are permissions or privileges that define what actions or operations a user can perform on an information system or resource. By reviewing the access rights that have been granted to programmers, an IS auditor can verify whether they have been authorized to modify data in the production environment, which is where live data and applications are stored and executed. The access control system's log settings are parameters that define what events or activities are recorded by the access control system, which is a system that enforces the access rights and policies of an information system or resource. The access control system's log settings are not the best way to determine whether programmers have permission to alter data in the production environment, as they do not indicate what permissions or privileges have been granted to programmers. How the latest system changes were implemented is a process that describes how software updates or modifications are deployed to the production environment. How the latest system changes were implemented is not the best way to determine whether programmers have permission to alter data in the production environment, as it does not indicate what permissions or privileges have been granted to programmers. The access control system's configuration is a set of rules or parameters that define how the access control system operates and functions. The access control system's configuration is not the best way to determine whether programmers have permission to alter data in the production environment, as it does not indicate what permissions or privileges have been granted to programmers.