An IS auditor conducting a review of disaster recovery
planning at a financial processing organization has
discovered the following:
* The existing disaster recovery plan was compiled two years
ago by a systems analyst in the organization's IT department
using transaction flow projections from the operations
department.
* The plan was presented to the deputy CEO for approval and
formal issue, but it is still awaiting his attention.
* The plan has never been updated, tested or circulated to
key management and staff, though interviews show that each
would know what action to take for their area in the event
of a disruptive incident.
The basis of an organization's disaster recovery plan is to
reestablish live processing at an alternative site where a
similar, but not identical hardware configuration is already
established. The IS auditor should:
A. take no action as the lack of a current plan is the only
significant finding.
B. recommend that the hardware configuration at each site
should be identical.
C. perform a review to verify that the second configuration
can support live processing.
D. report that the financial expenditure on the alternative
site is wasted without an effective plan.
Answer / guest
Answer: C
The IS auditor does not have a finding unless it can be
shown that the alternative hardware cannot support the live
processing system. Even though the primary finding is the
lack of a proven and communicated disaster recovery plan, it
is essential that this aspect of recovery is included in the
audit. Since, if it is found to be inadequate the finding
will materially support the overall audit opinion. It is
certainly not appropriate to take no action at all, leaving
this important factor untested, and unless it is shown that
the alternative site is inadequate, there can be no comment
on the expenditure (even if this is considered a proper
comment for the IS auditor to make). Similarly, there is no
need for the configurations to be identical. The alternative
site could actually exceed the recovery requirements if it
is also used for other work, such as other processing or
systems development and testing. The only proper course of
action at this point would be to find out if the recovery
site can actually cope with a recovery.
| Is This Answer Correct ? | 2 Yes | 0 No |
Analysis of which of the following would MOST likely enable the IS auditor to determine if a non-approved program attempted to access sensitive data? A. Abnormal job termination reports B. Operator problem reports C. System logs D. Operator work schedules
Change management procedures are established by IS management to: A. control the movement of applications from the test environment to the production environment. B. control the interruption of business operations from lack of attention to unresolved problems. C. ensure the uninterrupted operation of the business in the event of a disaster. D. verify that system changes are properly documented.
A disaster recovery plan (DRP) for an organization should: A. reduce the length of the recovery time and the cost of recovery. B. increase the length of the recovery time and the cost of recovery. C. reduce the duration of the recovery time and increase the cost of recovery. D. not affect the recovery time nor the cost of recovery.
In an audit of a business continuity plan, which of the following findings is of MOST concern? A. There is no insurance for the addition of assets during the year. B. BCP manual is not updated on a regular basis. C. Testing of the backup of data has not been done regularly. D. Records for maintenance of access system have not been maintained.
When implementing an application software package, which of the following presents the GREATEST risk? A. Uncontrolled multiple software versions B. Source programs that are not synchronized with object code C. Incorrectly set parameters D. Programming errors
Which of the following provisions in a contract for external information systems services would an IS auditor consider to be LEAST significant? A. Ownership of program and files B. Statement of due care and confidentiality C. Continued service of outsourcer in the event of a disaster D. Detailed description of computer hardware used by the vendor
A sequence of bits appended to a digital document that is used to secure an e-mail sent through the Internet is called a: A. digest signature. B. electronic signature. C. digital signature. D. hash signature.
Which of the following is the MOST effective means of determining which controls are functioning properly in an operating system? A. Consulting with the vendor B. Reviewing the vendor installation guide C. Consulting with the system programmer D. Reviewing the system generation parameters
An IS auditor has recently discovered that because of a shortage of skilled operations personnel, the security administrator has agreed to work one late-night shift a month as the senior computer operator. The MOST appropriate course of action for the IS auditor is to: A. advise senior management of the risk involved. B. agree to work with the security officer on these shifts as a form of preventative control. C. develop a computer-assisted audit technique to detect instances of abuses of this arrangement. D. review the system log for each of the late-night shifts to determine whether any irregular actions occurred.
An organization is considering installing a LAN in a site under construction. If system availability is the main concern, which of the following topologies is MOST appropriate? A. Ring B. Line C. Star D. Bus
An IS auditor is conducting substantive audit tests of a new accounts receivable module. The IS auditor has a tight schedule and limited computer expertise. Which would be the BEST audit technique to use in this situation? A. Test data B. Parallel simulation C. Integrated test facility D. Embedded audit module
Which of the following is the MOST critical element of an effective disaster recovery plan (DRP)? A. Offsite storage of backup data B. Up-to-date list of key disaster recovery contacts C. Availability of a replacement data center D. Clearly defined recovery time objective (RTO)