CAS-004 Governance, Risk, and Compliance Practice Question
A software company wants to demonstrate to prospective enterprise customers that its cloud-hosted product meets recognized security and availability controls without exposing its internal procedures. The security manager must select an attestation that an independent auditor issues after testing the design and operating effectiveness of controls over a period. Which report type should the manager obtain?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse the point-in-time design assurance of a Type I report with the period-based operating effectiveness testing of a Type II report.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A SOC 2 Type II report covering the relevant trust services criteria.
A SOC 2 Type II report provides independent auditor testing of both control design and operating effectiveness across a review period, which is the standard evidence enterprise buyers request from cloud providers. Type I lacks the period of operation, SOC 3 omits the detail customers need, and SOC 1 targets financial reporting rather than trust services criteria.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A SOC 1 Type II report covering the relevant trust services criteria.
Why it's wrong here
A SOC 1 report addresses controls relevant to financial reporting and is intended for user entities' financial auditors; it does not cover the security, availability, or confidentiality criteria that enterprise customers evaluate when assessing a cloud-hosted software product.
- ✗
A SOC 2 Type I report covering the relevant trust services criteria.
Why it's wrong here
A Type I report addresses only the suitability of control design at a single point in time; it provides no evidence that controls operated effectively over a period, so it falls short of the assurance the company wants to give prospective enterprise customers.
- ✗
A SOC 3 general use report covering the relevant trust services criteria.
Why it's wrong here
A SOC 3 report is a general-use seal intended for public distribution, so it deliberately omits the detailed control descriptions and test results that enterprise customers typically require during vendor due diligence; it also does not by itself convey operating effectiveness detail.
- ✓
A SOC 2 Type II report covering the relevant trust services criteria.
Why this is correct
A SOC 2 Type II report is issued by an independent auditor after testing whether controls were designed appropriately and operated effectively throughout a defined period, which is exactly the assurance enterprise customers seek when evaluating a cloud provider's security and availability posture.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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