Free Isaca Cybersecurity-Audit-Certificate Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 2

The MOST important consideration when choosing between different types of cloud services is the overall risk and benefits. This is because choosing between different types of cloud services involves weighing the trade-offs between the risk and benefits of each type of cloud service, such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). For example, SaaS may offer more benefits in terms of cost savings, scalability, and usability, but also more risks in terms of security, privacy, and compliance. On the other hand, IaaS may offer more benefits in terms of flexibility, customization, and control, but also more risks in terms of complexity, management, and maintenance. The other options are not the most important consideration when choosing between different types of cloud services, but rather different aspects or factors that affect the choice of cloud services, such as emerging risk and infrastructure scalability (A), security features available on demand (B), or reputation of the cloud providers (D).

In public key cryptography, digital signatures are primarily used to prove sender authenticity. A digital signature is a cryptographic technique that allows the sender of a message to sign it with their private key, which can only be decrypted by their public key. The recipient can verify that the message was sent by the sender and not tampered with by using the sender’s public key.

 The responsibility of an organization to protect its assets, including IT infrastructure and information, falls under the broader umbrella of governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC). Governance ensures that organizational activities, like managing IT operations, are aligned with the business’s goals, risk management involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks, and compliance ensures that the organization adheres to laws, regulations, and policies.

References = While I can’t provide direct references from the Cybersecurity Audit Manual, the concept of GRC is widely recognized in cybersecurity frameworks and best practices, such as those outlined by ISACA and other industry standards.

The BEST basis for allocating proportional protection activities when comprehensive classification is not feasible is a business dependency assessment. This is because a business dependency assessment helps to identify the criticality and sensitivity of business processes and their supporting assets, based on their contribution to the organization’s objectives and value proposition. This allows for prioritizing protection activities according to the level of risk and impact. The other options are not as effective as a business dependency assessment, because they either use a single classification level allocation (A), which does not account for different levels of risk and impact; require a significant amount of time and resources to perform a business process re-engineering (B); or rely on external parties to cover potential losses without reducing the likelihood or impact of incidents (D).

 Continuous auditing tools are designed to monitor and analyze business transactions on an ongoing basis. An automated GRC tool fits this description as it can scan and flag transactions according to predefined criteria in real-time. This is in contrast to vulnerability scanners, IDS, or antivirus tools, which serve different purposes such as scanning for system weaknesses, detecting unauthorized access, or protecting against malware, respectively.

References: The information aligns with the principles of continuous auditing, which involves the examination of accounting practices, risk controls, compliance, information-technology systems, and business procedures on an ongoing basis123. Continuous auditing tools, like an automated GRC tool, enable real-time monitoring and analysis, which is essential for maintaining compliance and managing risk effectively3.

• Identify Baseline Standards: Establish a secure baseline configuration that includes only necessary services and features.
• Compare Server Configurations: Regularly compare current server configurations against the baseline to identify any deviations or unnecessary features.
• Remove Unnecessary Features: Uninstall or disable any services or features not required for the server’s role, reducing the attack surface.

References: Baseline standards serve as a guide for secure configuration and are essential for maintaining the principle of least functionality on servers12. They help in identifying and removing services that are not necessary, thereby reducing potential vulnerabilities.

An example of an attack attribute of an advanced persistent threat (APT) that is designed to remove data from systems and networks is an exfiltration attack vector. An exfiltration attack vector is a method or channel that an APT uses to transfer data from a compromised system or network to an external location. Examples of exfiltration attack vectors include email, FTP, DNS, HTTP, or covert channels.

The document that contains the essential elements of effective processes and describes an improvement path considering quality and effectiveness is Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). This is because CMMI is a framework that defines five levels of process maturity, from initial to optimized, and provides best practices and guidelines for improving the quality and effectiveness of processes across different domains, such as software development, service delivery, or cybersecurity. The other options are not documents that contain the essential elements of effective processes and describe an improvement path considering quality and effectiveness, but rather different types of documents or tools that provide guidance or recommendations for implementing policies or controls, such as Balanced Scorecard (B), ISO 27004:2009 C, or COBIT 5 (D).

Operating system rules can be configured to enforce password complexity requirements. These rules can specify the minimum length, complexity, and expiration of passwords. By setting these parameters, the operating system ensures that users create passwords that are difficult to guess or crack, thus enhancing security.

Multi-factor authentication (B) adds an additional layer of security but does not directly ensure the creation of complex passwords. Information security awareness © is crucial for educating users about the importance of complex passwords but does not enforce their creation. Biometrics (D) is an alternative form of authentication that may replace or supplement passwords but does not govern their complexity.

References: The information provided here is based on standard cybersecurity practices and principles, which are likely to be consistent with those found in ISACA’s Cybersecurity Audit resources. For specific references, please consult the ISACA Cybersecurity Audit Manual or related study guides12.

The MOST significant limitation of vulnerability scanning is the fact that modern scanners only detect known vulnerabilities. This is because vulnerability scanners rely on databases or repositories of known vulnerabilities, such as CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), to compare and identify the weaknesses or flaws in systems or applications. Vulnerability scanners cannot detect unknown vulnerabilities, such as zero-day vulnerabilities, that have not been reported or disclosed yet, and may be exploited by attackers before they are patched or fixed. The other options are not the most significant limitation of vulnerability scanning, because they either involve detecting common (A), unknown (B), or zero-day (D) vulnerabilities, which are not the capabilities or limitations of modern scanners.