Isaca Updated CISA Exam Questions and Answers by ivy-rae

The absence of a right-to-audit clause in the outsourcing contract for a cloud service provider would be of greatest concern to an IS auditor1. This clause gives the client the right to audit the service provider’s activities that are relevant to the services being provided1. It is crucial for ensuring that the service provider is complying with the terms of the contract and meeting the client’s standards for performance, security, and other aspects1. Without this clause, the client may not be able to effectively monitor and manage risks associated with the outsourcing arrangement1.

References:

• Audit rights in outsourcing: certifications and third party reports

Stratified mean per unit sampling is a method of audit sampling that divides the population into subgroups (strata) based on some characteristic, such as monetary value, and then selects a sample from each stratum using mean per unit sampling. Mean per unit sampling is a method of audit sampling that estimates the total value of a population by multiplying the average value of the sample items by the number of items in the population. Stratified mean per unit sampling is suitable for populations that have a high variability or a skewed distribution, such as the bank accounts in this question. By stratifying the population, the auditor can reduce the sampling error and increase the precision of the estimate.

Difference estimation sampling (option A) is not the best sampling approach for these accounts. Difference estimation sampling is a method of audit sampling that estimates the total error or misstatement in a population by multiplying the average difference between the book value and the audited value of the sample items by the number of items in the population. Difference estimation sampling is suitable for populations that have a low variability and a symmetrical distribution, which is not the case for the bank accounts in this question.

Customer unit sampling (option C) is not a sampling approach, but a type of monetary unit sampling. Monetary unit sampling is a method of audit sampling that selects sample items based on their monetary value, rather than their physical units. Customer unit sampling is a variation of monetary unit sampling that treats each customer account as a single unit, regardless of how many transactions or balances it contains. Customer unit sampling may be appropriate for testing existence or occurrence assertions, but not for estimating total values.

Unstratified mean per unit sampling (option D) is not the best sampling approach for these accounts. Unstratified mean per unit sampling is a method of audit sampling that applies mean per unit sampling to the entire population without dividing it into subgroups. Unstratified mean per unit sampling may result in a larger sample size and a lower precision than stratified mean per unit sampling, especially for populations that have a high variability or a skewed distribution, such as the bank accounts in this question.

Therefore, option B is the correct answer.

References:

• Audit Sampling - AICPA
• Audit Sampling: Examples and Guidance To The Sampling Methods
• Audit Sampling | Audit | Financial Audit - Scribd

 The auditor should first escalate to audit management to discuss the audit plan. This is because the audit plan should be based on a risk assessment and aligned with the organization’s objectives and strategies. The auditor should not accept the CIO’s request without proper justification and approval from the audit management, who are responsible for ensuring the audit plan’s quality and independence. The auditor should also communicate the potential risks and implications of not conducting IS audits in the upcoming year, such as missing new or emerging threats, vulnerabilities, or compliance issues. References:

• CISA Review Manual (Digital Version), Chapter 2, Section 2.11
• CISA Online Review Course, Domain 1, Module 1, Lesson 22

Post-implementation testing is the process of verifying and validating the functionality, performance, and security of a system after it has been deployed to the production environment1. Post-implementation testing is important for ensuring that the system meets the user requirements and expectations, as well as the operational and business objectives. Post-implementation testing also helps to identify and resolve any defects, errors, or issues that may have occurred during the deployment process or that may have been missed during the previous testing stages2.

Therefore, the observation that post-implementation testing is not conducted for all system releases should be of greatest concern to an IS auditor performing an audit of change and release management controls for a new complex system developed by a small in-house IT team. This observation indicates that the system may have quality, reliability, or security problems that could affect the user satisfaction, system performance, or data integrity. This observation also suggests that the change and release management controls are not adequate or effective, as they do not ensure that all system releases are properly tested and validated before and after deployment.

Option A is not correct because access to change testing strategy and results is not restricted to staff outside the IT team is not a major concern for an IS auditor. While it is good practice to limit access to sensitive or confidential information, such as test data or test cases, to authorized personnel only, access to change testing strategy and results may not pose a significant risk to the system or the organization. Moreover, access to change testing strategy and results may be beneficial for some stakeholders outside the IT team, such as business users, project managers, or auditors, who may need to review or evaluate the testing process or outcomes.

Option B is not correct because some user acceptance testing (UAT) was completed by members of the IT team is not a major concern for an IS auditor. User acceptance testing is the process of verifying and validating that the system meets the user requirements and expectations by involving actual or representative users in the testing process3. While it is preferable to have independent and unbiased users perform UAT, it may not be feasible or practical for some organizations, especially those with small or limited resources. Therefore, some UAT may be completed by members of the IT team, as long as they have sufficient knowledge and experience of the user needs and expectations, and as long as they follow the UAT plan and criteria.

Option C is not correct because IT administrators have access to the production and development environment is not a major concern for an IS auditor. IT administrators are responsible for managing and maintaining the IT infrastructure, including the production and development environments4. Therefore, it is reasonable and necessary for them to have access to both environments, as long as they follow the appropriate policies and procedures for accessing, using, and securing them. Moreover, IT administrators may need to perform tasks such as backup, restore, patching, or troubleshooting in both environments.

References:

• What Is Post Implementation Testing?1
• Post Implementation Review (PIR) - Definition & Process2
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Definition & Examples3
• What Is an IT Administrator? Definition & Examples4