CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
An IS auditor is reviewing the privileged access management (PAM) process. The auditor finds that shared administrative accounts are used for critical system maintenance and that passwords are changed quarterly. Which of the following is the BEST recommendation to mitigate the risk of audit trail loss?
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
✓
Implement individual accounts with privilege escalation for administrative tasks
Shared accounts make it impossible to attribute actions to specific individuals. Implementing individual accounts with privilege escalation (e.g., sudo) allows for accountability and detailed audit trails.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Implement a password vault with automatic checkout and check-in
Why it's wrong here
A password vault helps control access but still uses shared accounts; audit trails may still not identify the individual.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of password changes to monthly
Why it's wrong here
Changing passwords more frequently does not address audit trail loss; it only reduces the window of exposure.
- ✓
Implement individual accounts with privilege escalation for administrative tasks
Why this is correct
Individual accounts ensure each action is tied to a specific user, providing a complete audit trail.
- ✗
Require two-factor authentication for shared account usage
Why it's wrong here
Two-factor authentication strengthens authentication but does not resolve the lack of individual accountability.
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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.