CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
During a risk assessment, an IS auditor identifies that the IT department has not performed a business impact analysis (BIA) for critical systems. Which of the following is the MOST significant 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
✓
Uncertainty regarding recovery time objectives for critical systems
Without a BIA, recovery time objectives (RTOs) are uncertain, leading to potential unacceptable downtime. Option A is a consequence but not the primary risk. Option B is incorrect because BIA is for recovery, not cost. Option C is less direct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Non-compliance with software licensing
Why it's wrong here
Licensing is not addressed by BIA.
- ✗
Increased likelihood of security breaches
Why it's wrong here
BIA focuses on recovery, not security.
- ✗
Inability to calculate total cost of ownership
Why it's wrong here
TCO is unrelated to BIA.
- ✓
Uncertainty regarding recovery time objectives for critical systems
Why this is correct
BIA defines RTOs; without it, recovery priorities are unclear.
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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.