CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
An organization uses a third-party vendor for application support. The vendor has subcontracted some support activities to another firm (fourth party). The contract with the vendor requires the vendor to ensure fourth-party compliance, but there is no direct oversight. What is the IS auditor's primary recommendation?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse operational verification (Option D) with contractual governance, failing to recognize that without a right-to-audit clause, the organization has no enforceable mechanism to independently validate fourth-party compliance.
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
✓
Include a right-to-audit clause for all subcontractors in the contract.
The primary recommendation is to include a right-to-audit clause for all subcontractors in the contract. This ensures the organization retains direct oversight and contractual leverage over fourth-party risks, as relying solely on the vendor's assurance without audit rights creates a blind spot in the supply chain. Without such a clause, the organization cannot independently verify the fourth party's compliance with security controls, which is critical for maintaining business resilience.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Perform a vulnerability assessment on the fourth party.
Why it's wrong here
A vulnerability assessment tests technical weaknesses, not contractual compliance, so it cannot verify whether the fourth party meets the vendor's obligations. It is tempting because assessments do address third-party risk, and would be correct where the concern is exploitable technical exposure rather than unmanaged subcontractor oversight.
- ✓
Include a right-to-audit clause for all subcontractors in the contract.
Why this is correct
A right-to-audit clause extending to subcontractors gives the organisation contractual authority to examine fourth-party controls directly, closing the oversight gap created by reliance on vendor-managed compliance. Without it, assurance depends entirely on vendor reporting. This satisfies the stem's constraint: no direct oversight of the fourth party exists, so enforceable audit access must be established contractually.
- ✗
Terminate the contract with the vendor.
Why it's wrong here
Terminating the contract discards the vendor's existing service and contractual fourth-party compliance obligation without addressing the actual gap: absent direct oversight. Termination suits irremediable vendor failure, not a subcontracting control weakness. The auditor should recommend flow-down clauses, audit rights, and monitoring instead, preserving service continuity while closing the fourth-party risk.
- ✗
Require the vendor to provide evidence of fourth-party compliance.
Why it's wrong here
Requiring evidence of fourth-party compliance leaves the auditor dependent on vendor-supplied attestations rather than independent verification, and the stem already imposes that contractual duty on the vendor. It is tempting because vendor attestation reporting suits low-risk subcontractors where flow-down clauses exist. Here, absent direct oversight, the auditor should recommend the organisation establish its own fourth-party risk assessment.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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