CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
An IS auditor is assessing the vulnerability management program of a financial services company. The auditor reviews the latest vulnerability scan report and finds that several critical vulnerabilities have not been patched within the defined SLA of 30 days. The IT manager explains that patches could not be applied due to compatibility issues with legacy applications, and risk acceptance has been documented for some but not all. Which THREE of the following are the MOST appropriate audit findings?
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
✓
Risk acceptance is not documented for all unpatched critical vulnerabilities
The auditor should identify that some vulnerabilities lack formal risk acceptance, that the SLA may need adjustment for legacy systems, and that scan reports may not accurately reflect the current status. While patch deployment is important, the immediate findings relate to documentation and SLA adequacy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Vulnerability scan reports are not reviewed by management
Why it's wrong here
The scenario does not indicate that reports are not reviewed.
- ✓
Risk acceptance is not documented for all unpatched critical vulnerabilities
Why this is correct
Lack of risk acceptance for known vulnerabilities is a control deficiency.
- ✓
The patching SLA may be unrealistic for legacy systems
Why this is correct
The SLA should be reviewed to ensure it is achievable.
- ✓
The vulnerability scanning schedule may not cover all assets
Why this is correct
Legacy systems may be excluded from scans, leading to incomplete reports.
- ✗
Critical vulnerabilities are not being patched within the defined SLA
Why it's wrong here
This is a symptom; the findings should address root causes.
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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.