[2025] Pass ISACA CISA Exam Updated 1265 Questions [Q386-Q408]

The approach adopted by management in this scenario is risk avoidance. Risk avoidance is the elimination of a risk by discontinuing or not undertaking an activity that poses a threat to the organization3. By moving data center operations to another facility on higher ground, management is avoiding the potential flooding risk that could disrupt or damage the data center. Risk transfer, risk acceptance and risk reduction are other possible approaches for dealing with risks, but they do not apply in this case. References:
* CISA Review Manual, 27th Edition, page 641
* CISA Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Database – 12 Month Subscription

Explanation/Reference:
Explanation:
Backup files containing documents that supposedly have been deleted could be recovered from these files. Access controls may help establish accountability for the issuance of a particular document, but this does not provide evidence of the e-mail. Data classification standards may be in place with regards to what should be communicated via e-mail, but the creation of the policy does not provide the information required for litigation purposes.

The best method to reduce the risk associated with the transition to a new system using technologies that are not compatible with the old system is parallel changeover. Parallel changeover is a method of system conversion that involves running both the old and the new systems simultaneously for a period of time, until the new system is verified to be working correctly and completely. Parallel changeover can help reduce the risk of data loss, errors, or disruptions that may occur due to the incompatibility of the technologies, as well as provide a backup option in case of failure or malfunction of the new system. Parallel changeover can also help users compare and validate the results of both systems, and facilitate their training and adaptation to the new system.
Modular changeover is a method of system conversion that involves replacing one module or component of the old system with a corresponding module or component of the new system at a time, until the entire system is replaced. Modular changeover can help reduce the complexity and scope of the conversion, as well as minimize the impact on the users and operations. However, modular changeover may not be feasible or effective when the technologies of the old and new systems are not compatible, as it may create integration or interoperability issues among the modules.
Phased operation is a method of system conversion that involves implementing the new system in stages or increments, each with a subset of functions or features, until the entire system is operational. Phased operation can help reduce the risk and cost of implementing a large and complex system, as well as allow for testing and feedback at each stage. However, phased operation may not be suitable or efficient when the technologies of the old and new systems are not compatible, as it may require extensive modifications or adaptations to enable partial functionality.
Pilot operation is a method of system conversion that involves implementing the new system in a limited or controlled environment, such as a department or a location, before rolling it out to the entire organization.
Pilot operation can help test and evaluate the performance and usability of the new system, as well as identify and resolve any issues or problems before full-scale implementation. However, pilot operation may not be relevant or reliable when the technologies of the old and new systems are not compatible, as it may not reflect the actual conditions or challenges of operating both systems concurrently.
References:
* TRANSITION TO THE NEW SYSTEM – O’Reilly Media 1
* 10 Challenges To Think About When Upgrading From Legacy Systems – Forbes

A quality plan is an essential element of all projects. It is critical that the contracted supplier be required to produce such a plan. The quality plan for the proposed development contract should
be comprehensive and encompass all phases of the development and include which business functions will be included and when. Acceptance is normally managed by the user area, since they must be satisfied that the new system will meet their requirements. If the system is large, a phased-in approach to implementing the application is a reasonable approach. Prototyping is a valid method of ensuring that the system will meet business requirements.

Fault-tolerant hardware is the only technology that currently supports continuous, uninterrupted service. Load balancing is used to improve the performance of the server by splitting the work between several servers based on workloads. High-availability (HA) computing facilities provide a quick but not continuous recovery, while distributed backups require longer recovery times.

Explanation
The best recommendation by the IS auditor for finding that application servers had inconsistent security settings leading to potential vulnerabilities is to perform a configuration review. A configuration review is an audit procedure that involves examining and verifying the security settings and parameters of application servers against predefined standards or best practices. A configuration review can help to identify and remediate any deviations, inconsistencies, or misconfigurations that may expose the application servers to unauthorized access, exploitation, or compromise6. A configuration review can also help to ensure compliance with security policies and regulations, as well as enhance the performance and availability of application servers. The other options are less effective or incorrect because:
A: Improving the change management process is not the best recommendation by the IS auditor for finding that application servers had inconsistent security settings leading to potential vulnerabilities, as it does not address the root cause of the problem or provide a specific solution. While improving the change management process may help to prevent future inconsistencies or misconfigurations in application server settings, it does not ensure that the existing ones are detected and corrected.
B: Establishing security metrics is not the best recommendation by the IS auditor for finding that application servers had inconsistent security settings leading to potential vulnerabilities, as it does not address the root cause of the problem or provide a specific solution. While establishing security metrics may help to measure and monitor the security performance and posture of application servers, it does not ensure that the existing inconsistencies or misconfigurations in application server settings are detected and corrected.
C: Performing a penetration test is not the best recommendation by the IS auditor for finding that application servers had inconsistent security settings leading to potential vulnerabilities, as it does not address the root cause of the problem or provide a specific solution. While performing a penetration test may help to simulate and evaluate the impact of an attack on application servers, it does not ensure that the existing inconsistencies or misconfigurations in application server settings are detected and corrected. References: Configuring system to use application server security – IBM, Application Security Risk: Assessment and Modeling – ISACA, Five Key Components of an Application Security Program – ISACA, ISACA Practitioner Guidelines for Auditors – SSH, SCADA Cybersecurity Framework – ISACA

Section: Information System Operations, Maintenance and Support

Explanation/Reference:
The word INCORRECTLY was the keyword used in the question. You need to find out the incorrectly described PBX feature from given options. The Tenanting feature is incorrectly described.
Tenanting limits system user access to only those users who belong to the same tenant group – useful when one company leases out part of its building to other companies and tenants share an attendant, trunk lines,etc For your exam you should know below mentioned PBX features and Risks:
System Features
Description
Risk
Automatic Call distribution
Allows a PBX to be configured so that incoming calls are distributed to the next available agent or placed on-hold until one become available Tapping and control of traffic Call forwarding Allow specifying an alternate number to which calls will be forwarded based on certain condition User tracking Account codes Used to:
Track calls made by certain people or for certain projects for appropriate billing Dial-In system access (user dials from outside and gain access to normal feature of the PBX) Changing the user class of service so a user can access a different set of features (i.e. the override feature) Fraud, user tracking, non authorized features Access Codes Key for access to specific feature from the part of users with simple instruments, i.e. traditional analog phones.
Non-authorized features
Silent Monitoring
Silently monitors other calls
Eavesdropping
Conferencing
Allows for conversation among several users
Eavesdropping, by adding unwanted/unknown parties to a conference
override(intrude)
Provides for the possibility to break into a busy line to inform another user an important message Eavesdropping Auto-answer Allows an instrument to automatically go when called usually gives an auditor or visible warning which can easily turned off Gaining information not normally available, for various purpose Tenanting Limits system user access to only those users who belong to the same tenant group – useful when one company leases out part of its building to other companies and tenants share an attendant, trunk lines,etc Illegal usage, fraud, eavesdropping Voice mail Stores messages centrally and – by using a password – allows for retrieval from inside or outside lines.
Disclosure or destruction of all messages of a user when that user’s password in known or discovered by an intruder, disabling of the voice mail system and even the entire switch by lengthy messages or embedded codes, illegal access to external lines.
Privacy release
Supports shared extensions among several devices, ensuring that only one device at a time can use an extension. Privacy release disables the security by allowing devices to connect to an extension already in use.
Eavesdropping
No busy extension
Allows calls to an in-use extension to be added to a conference when that extension is on conference and already off-hook Eavesdropping a conference in progress Diagnostics Allows for bypassing normal call restriction procedures. This kind of diagnostic is sometimes available from any connected device. It is a separate feature, in addition to the normal maintenance terminal or attendant diagnostics Fraud and illegal usage Camp-on or call waiting When activated, sends a visual audible warning to an off-hook instrument that is receiving another call.
Another option of this feature is to conference with the camped-on or call waiting Making the called individual a party to a conference without knowing it.
Dedicated connections
Connections made through the PBX without using the normal dialing sequences. It can be used to create hot-lines between devices i.e. one rings when the other goes off-hook. It is also used for data connections between devices and the central processing facility Eavesdropping on a line The following were incorrect answers:
The other options presented correctly describes PBX features thus not the right choice.
The following reference(s) were/was used to create this question:
CISA review manual 2014 Page number358

The auditor’s best course of action after discovering instances where employees shared license keys to critical pieces of business software is to verify whether the licensing agreement allows shared use. A licensing agreement is a contract between the software provider and the user that defines the terms and conditions of using the software, including the number, type, and scope of licenses granted. Some licensing agreements may allow shared use of license keys among multiple users or devices, while others may prohibit or restrict such use. By verifying the licensing agreement, the auditor can determine whether the employees violated the contract or not, and whether there are any legal or financial risks or implications for the organization.
The other options are not as appropriate as option D, as they may not address the root cause of the issue or provide a comprehensive solution. Recommending the utilization of software licensing monitoring tools may help prevent or detect future instances of license key sharing, but it does not resolve the current situation or ensure compliance with the licensing agreement. Recommending the purchase of additional software license keys may be unnecessary or wasteful if the licensing agreement already allows shared use or if there are unused licenses available. Validating user need for shared software licenses may help identify the reasons or motivations behind license key sharing, but it does not justify or excuse such behavior if it violates the licensing agreement.
References:
* 9: Best License Management Software 2023 | Capterra
* 10: Best 10 Software License Management Tools in 2023 | Zluri
* 11: Top 10 Software License Tracking Tools | Zluri
* 12: Top 5 Software License Tracking Solutions in 2023 – DNSstuff

Explanation/Reference:
Explanation:
Deadman doors use a pair of doors. For the second door to operate, the first entry door must close and lock with only one person permitted in the holding area. This effectively reduces the risk of piggybacking.
An individual’s unique body features such as voice, retina, fingerprint or signature activate biometric door locks; however, they do not prevent or reduce the risk of piggybacking. Combination door locks, also known as cipher locks, use a numeric key pad or dial to gain entry. They do not prevent or reduce the risk of piggybacking since unauthorized individuals may still gain access to the processing center. Bolting door locks require the traditional metal key to gain entry. Unauthorized individuals could still gain access to the processing center along with an authorized individual.

The greatest concern for an IS auditor reviewing an online security awareness program is that metrics have not been established to assess training results. Without metrics, it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of the program and identify areas for improvement. The other findings are also issues that need to be addressed, but they are not as significant as the lack of metrics. References: CISA Review Manual (Digital Version), Chapter
5, Section 5.3.11

Section: Information System Operations, Maintenance and Support

Section: Protection of Information Assets
Explanation:
Functional acknowledgements are standard EDI transactions that tell trading partners that their electronic documents were received. Different types of functional acknowledgments provide various levels of detail and, therefore, can act as an audit trail for EDI transactions. The other choices are not relevant to the description of functional acknowledgements.

Section: Information System Operations, Maintenance and Support
Explanation:
The word NOT is the keyword used in the question. You need to find out a functionality which is not performed by application layer of a TCP/IP model.
End-to-end connection is the Transport layer functionality in TCP/IP model.
For your exam you should know below information about TCP/IP model:
Network Models

Layer 4. Application Layer
Application layer is the top most layer of four layer TCP/IP model. Application layer is present on the top of the Transport layer. Application layer defines TCP/IP application protocols and how host programs interface with Transport layer services to use the network.
Application layer includes all the higher-level protocols like DNS (Domain Naming System), HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), Telnet, SSH, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol), SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) , DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), X Windows, RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) etc.
Layer 3. Transport Layer
Transport Layer is the third layer of the four layer TCP/IP model. The position of the Transport layer is between Application layer and Internet layer. The purpose of Transport layer is to permit devices on the source and destination hosts to carry on a conversation. Transport layer defines the level of service and status of the connection used when transporting data.
The main protocols included at Transport layer are TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol).
Layer 2. Internet Layer
Internet Layer is the second layer of the four layer TCP/IP model. The position of Internet layer is between Network Access Layer and Transport layer. Internet layer pack data into data packets known as IP datagram’s, which contain source and destination address (logical address or IP address) information that is used to forward the datagram’s between hosts and across networks. The Internet layer is also responsible for routing of IP datagram’s.
Packet switching network depends upon a connectionless internetwork layer. This layer is known as Internet layer. Its job is to allow hosts to insert packets into any network and have them to deliver independently to the destination. At the destination side data packets may appear in a different order than they were sent. It is the job of the higher layers to rearrange them in order to deliver them to proper network applications operating at the Application layer.
The main protocols included at Internet layer are IP (Internet Protocol), ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol), ARP (Address Resolution Protocol), RARP (Reverse Address Resolution Protocol) and IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol).
Layer 1. Network Access Layer
Network Access Layer is the first layer of the four layer TCP/IP model. Network Access Layer defines details of how data is physically sent through the network, including how bits are electrically or optically signaled by hardware devices that interface directly with a network medium, such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, or twisted pair copper wire.
The protocols included in Network Access Layer are Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, X.25, Frame Relay etc.
The most popular LAN architecture among those listed above is Ethernet. Ethernet uses an Access Method called CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection) to access the media, when Ethernet operates in a shared media. An Access Method determines how a host will place data on the medium.
IN CSMA/CD Access Method, every host has equal access to the medium and can place data on the wire when the wire is free from network traffic. When a host wants to place data on the wire, it will check the wire to find whether another host is already using the medium. If there is traffic already in the medium, the host will wait and if there is no traffic, it will place the data in the medium. But, if two systems place data on the medium at the same instance, they will collide with each other, destroying the data. If the data is destroyed during transmission, the data will need to be retransmitted. After collision, each host will wait for a small interval of time and again the data will be retransmitted.
Protocol Data Unit (PDU):

The following answers are incorrect:
The other functionalities described in the options are performed by application layer in TCP/IP model.
Reference:
CISA review manual 2014 page number 272

Explanation/Reference:
Explanation:
A cold site is often an acceptable solution for preparing for recovery of noncritical systems and data.