Isaca Updated CISA Exam Questions and Answers by justin

The greatest concern for an IS auditor reviewing contracts for licensed software that executes a critical business process is that software escrow was not negotiated. Software escrow is an arrangement where a third-party holds a copy of the source code and documentation of a licensed software in a secure location. The software escrow agreement specifies the conditions under which the licensee can access the escrowed materials, such as in case of bankruptcy, termination, or breach of contract by the licensor. Software escrow is important for ensuring the continuity and availability of a critical business process that depends on a licensed software. Without software escrow, the licensee may face significant risks and challenges in maintaining, modifying, or recovering the software in case of any disruption or dispute with the licensor. References:

CISA Review Manual (Digital Version)

CISA Questions, Answers and Explanations Database

A data warehouse is a centralized repository of data that is collected from various sources and organized for analysis and reporting purposes. A data warehouse can help an organization gain insights into its business performance, trends, and opportunities. However, building a data warehouse requires careful planning, design, and implementation to ensure that it meets the needs of the organization.

One of the best practices that would provide management with the most reasonable assurance that a new data warehouse will meet the needs of the organization is A. Integrating data requirements into the system development life cycle (SDLC). The SDLC is a framework that defines the phases and activities involved in developing a software system, such as planning, analysis, design, testing, deployment, and maintenance1. By integrating data requirements into the SDLC, an organization can ensure that the data warehouse is aligned with the business objectives and expectations, and that it delivers value to the end users.

Some of the benefits of integrating data requirements into the SDLC are:

It helps to identify and prioritize the key business questions and metrics that the data warehouse should support2.

It helps to define and validate the data sources, models, structures, and quality standards that the data warehouse should follow3.

It helps to design and implement the data integration, transformation, and loading processes that the data warehouse should use4.

It helps to test and verify the functionality, performance, and accuracy of the data warehouse before deploying it to production.

It helps to monitor and maintain the data warehouse after deployment and incorporate feedback and changes as needed.

 The most significant risk in virtualizing the server environment without making any other changes to the network or security infrastructure is the inability of the network intrusion detection system (IDS) to monitor virtual server-to-server communications. This can create blind spots for the IDS and allow malicious traffic to bypass detection. A vulnerability in the virtualization platform affecting multiple hosts is a potential risk, but not necessarily more significant than the loss of visibility. Data center environmental controls not aligning with new configuration or system documentation not being updated to reflect changes in the environment are operational issues, not security issues. References: ISACA, CISA Review Manual, 27th Edition, 2018, page 373

The first thing that an IS auditor should do when a follow-up audit reveals some management action plans have not been initiated is to escalate the lack of plan completion to executive management. This is because the failure to implement the agreed management action plans may indicate that the management is not taking the audit findings and recommendations seriously, or that they are accepting too much risk by not addressing the identified issues. Escalating the lack of plan completion to executive management can help to raise awareness and accountability, as well as to seek support and intervention to ensure that the management action plans are executed in a timely and effective manner12.

Confirming whether the identified risks are still valid is not the first thing to do, although it may be a useful step to reassess the current situation and the potential impact of not implementing the management action plans. However,confirming the validity of the risks does not address the root causeof why the management action plans have not been initiated, nor does it provide any assurance or remediation for the unresolved issues34.

Providing a report to the audit committee is not the first thing to do, although it may be a necessary step to communicate and document the results of the follow-up audit. However, providing a report to the audit committee does not guarantee that the management action plans will be initiated, nor does it resolve any conflicts or challenges that may prevent the management from implementing them34.

Requesting an additional action plan review to confirm the findings is not the first thing to do, although it may be a prudent step to verify and validate the accuracy and completeness of the follow-up audit. However, requesting an additional review may delay or defer the implementation of the management action plans, as well as consume more internalaudit resources and time