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CISA Practice Question: An auditor discovers that a financial…
An auditor discovers that a financial institution's IT department uses a decentralized model, with each business unit managing its own applications. What is a PRIMARY risk of this structure?
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
✓
Inconsistent security controls across units
Decentralized IT often leads to inconsistent security controls and increased risk of data breaches.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Inconsistent security controls across units
Why this is correct
Lack of centralized oversight can lead to varying security postures.
- ✗
Reduced agility in responding to business needs
Why it's wrong here
Decentralization usually increases agility.
- ✗
Difficulty in scaling IT infrastructure
Why it's wrong here
Scaling can be managed; inconsistency is more critical.
- ✗
Higher IT costs due to duplication
Why it's wrong here
Cost duplication is a risk but not the primary one from an audit perspective.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CISA exam.