Pass the Isaca Cybersecurity Audit Cybersecurity-Audit-Certificate Questions and answers with CertsForce

 The principle of least privilege is a security concept that restricts users’ access rights to only what is strictly necessary for their job functions. This control is the most effective in preventing unauthorized data access because it minimizes the chances of users, either intentionally or unintentionally, accessing data they are not authorized to view. It ensures that users are granted the minimum levels of access – or permissions – needed to perform their work. This reduces the risk of accidental or deliberate access to sensitive information.

References: The concept of least privilege is widely recognized as a fundamental security measure and is discussed in various ISACA resources. It is a key component of access control frameworks and is designed to limit the risk of unauthorized access to data, as outlined in ISACA’s guidelines1234. The principle is also part of the Identity and Access Management Audit Program provided by ISACA, which includes specific testing and evaluation criteria to assess the adequacy of safeguards in place to mitigate risks associated with unauthorized data access5.

The MOST important thing for an IS auditor to consider in an assessment of the potential risk factors when a cloud service provider has not adequately secured its application programming interface (API) is the impact on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the cloud service. An API is a set of rules and protocols that allows communication and interaction between different software components or systems. An API is often used by cloud service providers to enable customers to access and manage their cloud resources and services. However, if an API is not adequately secured, it can expose the cloud service provider and its customers to various threats,such as unauthorized access, data breaches, tampering, denial-of-service attacks, or malicious code injection.

The EASIEST thing for a malicious attacker to detect is the susceptibility to reverse engineering. Reverse engineering is the process of analyzing the code or functionality of an application to understand its structure, logic, or design. Reverse engineering can be used by attackers to discover vulnerabilities, bypass security mechanisms, or modify the application’s behavior. Mobile applications are often susceptible to reverse engineering because they are distributed in binary form and can be easily decompiled or disassembled.

Risk assessment is a fundamental part of the cybersecurity framework and is used to identify, estimate, and prioritize risks to organizational operations, assets, individuals, other organizations, and the Nation, resulting from the operation and use of information systems. A risk assessment helps in understanding the potential impact of different security threats and the effectiveness of the controls in place, thereby guiding the selection of appropriate controls to reduce risk to an acceptable level.

References: The ISACA Cybersecurity Audit resources emphasize the importance of risk assessment in determining the most suitable controls for an organization’s specific security needs. This aligns with the guidance provided by ISACA, which suggests that risk assessments are crucial for identifying the right controls to mitigate cybersecurity risks123.

The control mechanism that is used to detect the unauthorized modification of key configuration settings is file integrity. File integrity is the property of ensuring that files are not altered or corrupted by unauthorized users or processes. File integrity can be monitored by using tools that compare the current state of files with a baseline or checksum and alert on any changes.

Change management processes are designed to ensure that changes are introduced in a controlled and coordinated manner. The main objective is to minimize the impact of changes on the business and its operations. This involves careful planning, testing, communication, and implementation to ensure that business processes continue to operate smoothly during and after the transition.

References: The importance of minimizing disruptions in a change management process is highlighted in various resources, including those from Harvard Business School Online and Bloomfire. They emphasize the need for preparing the organization for change, planning, implementation, embedding the change, and review & analysis to ensure a smooth transition12.

The MOST cost-effective technique for implementing network security for human resources (HR) desktops and internal laptop users in an organization is using a virtual local area network (VLAN). A VLAN is a logical grouping of network devices that share the same broadcast domain regardless of their physical location or connection. A VLAN can enhance network security by isolating different types of traffic or users from each other and applying different security policies or rules based on the VLAN membership. For example, an organization can create a VLAN for HR desktops and internal laptop users that restricts their access to only HR-related systems or resources. A VLAN can also reduce network costs by saving bandwidth, improving performance, and simplifying management.

The BEST method of maintaining the confidentiality of digital information is using access controls, file permissions, and encryption. This is because these techniques help to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, or modification of digital information, by restricting who can access the information, what they can do with it, and how they can access it. The other options are not as effective as using access controls, file permissions, and encryption, because they either relate to protecting availability (B), integrity C, or awareness (D).

Tracing the access and origin of an intrusion is crucial for performing a root cause analysis. This process involves identifying the underlying factors that led to the security breach. By understanding how the intrusion happened, organizations can better address the specific vulnerabilities that were exploited and implement more effective security measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

References: ISACA’s resources on cybersecurity audit emphasize the importance of root cause analysis in the event of an intrusion. It is a key step in the cybersecurity audit process to understand the weaknesses that led to the incident and to improve the overall security posture of the organization1.

An attack is the actual occurrence of a threat, which is a potential activity that could harm an asset. An attack is the result of a threat actor exploiting a vulnerability in a system or network to achieve a malicious objective. For example, a denial-of-service attack is the occurrence of a threat that aims to disrupt the availability of a service.