hardMultiple Choice
CISA Is adopting agile development methodology Practice Question
An organization is adopting agile development methodology. Which control is MOST critical to ensure security is integrated?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose 'Security requirements defined at project initiation' (Option D) because it sounds like early planning, but in agile, requirements must be continuously refined and added to the backlog, not locked in at the start.
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
✓
Including security stories in the product backlog
In agile development, security must be continuously integrated into each iteration. Including security stories in the product backlog ensures that security tasks are prioritized, estimated, and addressed during each sprint, making security an inherent part of the development lifecycle rather than an afterthought. This aligns with the principle of 'shifting left' on security, where controls are applied as early as possible.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Penetration testing before release
Why it's wrong here
Penetration testing before release is a point-in-time assessment that detects flaws too late to shape design, and it does not embed security into each sprint's backlog or definition of done. It is tempting because testing finds real vulnerabilities, but continuous threat modelling and security stories are the controls that integrate security throughout agile delivery.
- ✓
Including security stories in the product backlog
Why this is correct
Placing security stories in the product backlog makes security work a first-class, estimated and prioritised deliverable that the team addresses each sprint. This embeds controls into features as they are built, rather than retrofitting them after release, which is the critical mechanism for agile security integration.
- ✗
Code reviews after each sprint
Why it's wrong here
Reviews after each sprint are retrospective, so flaws ship within the sprint before anyone inspects the code. They suit waterfall phase gates, where a completed build is reviewed before release, not continuous agile delivery where security must be built into each iteration's definition of done.
- ✗
Security requirements defined at project initiation
Why it's wrong here
Defining security requirements once at initiation freezes them before the backlog evolves, so later sprints can omit or contradict them. This suits fixed-scope waterfall projects with a signed requirements baseline, not agile, where security criteria must be refined continuously in every sprint's acceptance criteria.
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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.