CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
An IS auditor is reviewing the logical access controls for a critical database. Which of the following findings should be considered the HIGHEST risk?
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
✓
The default 'sa' account is enabled with the default password.
Default passwords are a well-known vulnerability that can be easily exploited.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Database administrators share a common user ID for maintenance tasks.
Why it's wrong here
While not ideal, this is a common practice and can be mitigated with other controls.
- ✓
The default 'sa' account is enabled with the default password.
Why this is correct
Default accounts with default passwords are a critical vulnerability.
- ✗
Access rights are reviewed on an annual basis.
Why it's wrong here
Annual reviews may be acceptable if risk-assessed; less critical than default passwords.
- ✗
The database has not undergone a vulnerability scan in six months.
Why it's wrong here
Important, but not as immediate as default credentials.
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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.