Free PECB ISO-IEC-27001-Lead-Auditor Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 13

The appropriate actions to take next are to investigate whether pest infestation is an identified risk and if so, what risk treatment is to be applied, to determine whether the high levels of rainfall have had other impacts on data centre operations, and to check with the guide that they intend to initiate the organisation’s information security incident process. These actions are relevant to the ISMS audit objectives and criteria, as they relate to the organisation’s risk assessment and treatment, security performance, and incident management processes. The other actions are either not within the scope of the ISMS audit, not required by the ISO/IEC 27001 standard, or not the responsibility of the auditor. References: PECB Candidate Handbook1, page 21-22; ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (en)2, clauses 6.1, 8.2, 9.1, and 10.2.

•C. Collect more evidence on how and when the Human Resources manager pays the ransom fee to unlock personal mobile data, i.e., credit card, and bank transfer. (Relevant to control A.5.26)

This is not relevant to the audit of the organization's incident management process. The HR manager's personal phone and how they handle a ransomware attack on it falls outside the scope of the ISMS audit. The organization is not responsible for personal devices.

•B. Collect more evidence on how and when the company pays the ransom fee to unlock the company's mobile phone and data, i.e., credit card, and bank transfer. (Relevant to control A.5.26)

While seemingly relevant, this focuses on the method of payment for the ransom. The core issue is the organization paying the ransom at all, which is generally not best practice in incident response. The audit should focus on why this decision was made and if alternative solutions were considered (e.g., data backups, device wiping and restoration).

Why the other options ARE relevant:

•A. Collect more evidence by interviewing more staff about their understanding of the reporting process. (Relevant to control A.6.8) This directly addresses the identified discrepancy in understanding "weakness, event, and incident," which is crucial for proper incident reporting.

•D. Collect more evidence on how the organisation determined the incident recovery time. (Relevant to control A.5.27) This investigates the basis for the 24-hour recovery time, which seems arbitrary and may not be appropriate for all incidents.

•E. Collect more evidence on how the organization determined no further action was needed after the incident. (Relevant to control A.5.26) This probes the adequacy of the incident response, especially the lack of preventative measures after paying the ransom.

•F. Collect more evidence on the incident recovery procedures. (Relevant to control A.5.26) This examines the actual procedures to assess their effectiveness and alignment with best practices.

According to the PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, the audit reports should be produced by the audit team leader with input from the audit team, as they are responsible for collecting and analysing the audit evidence1. The audit reports should also include or refer to the audit plan, as it provides the basis for the audit objectives, scope, criteria, and methodology2. Furthermore, the audit reports should be produced within an agreed timescale, as it is part of the audit programme management and ensures timely communication of the audit results3. Additionally, the audit reports should always be reviewed by the client, dated, and signed as ‘accepted’, as it confirms the audit completion and the formal agreement on the audit findings and conclusions4.

The other statements are false because:

Audit reports should not be sent to the organisation’s top management first because their contents could be embarrassing, as this would compromise the audit impartiality and confidentiality5. Audit reports should be distributed according to the audit programme procedures and the audit plan.

Audit reports should not be assumed suitable for general circulation unless they are specifically marked confidential, as this would violate the audit confidentiality and the protection of personal information. Audit reports should be treated as confidential documents and only shared with the authorised parties.

Audit reports should not only evidence nonconformity, as this would limit the audit scope and value. Audit reports should also evidence conformity, improvement opportunities, good practices, and audit observations.

Audit reports that are no longer required should not be destroyed as part of the organisation’s general waste, as this would pose a risk to the audit confidentiality and the information security. Audit reports should be retained, disposed, or destroyed according to the audit programme procedures and the applicable legal requirements.

 1: PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 32, section 4.4.32: PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 33, section 4.4.43: PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 31, section 4.4.14: PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 34, section 4.4.55: PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 24, section 4.3.1. : PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 33, section 4.4.4. : PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 24, section 4.3.1. : PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 33, section 4.4.4. : PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 32, section 4.4.3. : PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 33, section 4.4.4. : PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 24, section 4.3.1. : PECB Candidate Handbook for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, page 34, section 4.4.5.

Yes, assessing the ISMS as a whole can be acceptable if the audit team obtains reasonable assurance that the system conforms to the standard requirements. The approach taken by the audit team must still ensure that all significant aspects of the ISMS are evaluated adequately, and if this is achieved through a holistic assessment, it is considered sufficient.

A management system audit is a systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining objective evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled. The audit criteria are a set of requirements that may include policies, procedures, standards, regulations, etc. The purpose of a management system audit is to evaluate the performance of an organisation’s management system in terms of its effectiveness, efficiency, compliance, and improvement. A management system audit can also identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks of the management system and provide recommendations for improvement.