CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
During an audit of IT asset management, the IS auditor finds that several servers are running an operating system that has reached end-of-life (EOL). The organization has not deployed any compensating controls. Which of the following is the GREATEST risk?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'lack of vendor support' (Option C) as the greatest risk, but the actual risk is the resulting unpatched security vulnerabilities that directly threaten the organization's security posture.
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
✓
Unpatched security vulnerabilities
An operating system that has reached end-of-life (EOL) no longer receives security patches from the vendor. Without compensating controls, any newly discovered vulnerabilities remain unpatched, exposing the organization to exploitation, data breaches, and system compromise. This directly undermines the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the IT assets, making unpatched security vulnerabilities the greatest risk.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Incompatibility with new applications
Why it's wrong here
Incompatibility is a concern but less critical than security.
- ✗
Increased licensing costs
Why it's wrong here
EOL software may not incur additional licensing costs.
- ✗
Lack of vendor support
Why it's wrong here
Lack of support is a risk, but the greatest is security vulnerabilities.
- ✓
Unpatched security vulnerabilities
Why this is correct
This is the greatest risk as it can lead to exploitation.
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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.