hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
Best Recommendation for Emergency Change Controls
An IS auditor is reviewing the change management process for a financial institution. The auditor finds that emergency changes bypass normal approval but are documented and reviewed within 48 hours. Which of the following is the BEST recommendation?
Quick Answer
The best recommendation is to implement a risk classification for changes and apply controls accordingly. This is correct because a risk-based approach allows the organization to tailor emergency change controls to the specific impact and urgency of each change, ensuring that high-risk emergency changes receive stricter oversight—such as mandatory peer review—while low-risk changes maintain the speed required for operational agility. On the CISA exam, this scenario tests your understanding that bypassing normal approval for emergency changes is acceptable, but the auditor must ensure that compensating controls are proportional to risk; a common trap is recommending a complete ban on emergency changes or requiring retroactive approval for all, which ignores real-world constraints in financial institutions. Memory tip: think “risk-classify, not deny”—emergency changes need speed, but risk classification ensures the right controls follow the risk.
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume all emergency changes must be treated equally and thus focus on adding more approval steps (A or D) or increasing review frequency (C), rather than recognizing that a risk-based classification is the most effective and efficient control to address varying levels of risk in emergency changes.
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 a risk classification for changes and apply controls accordingly.
Implementing a risk classification for changes allows the organization to apply appropriate controls based on the change's impact and urgency. Emergency changes inherently require speed, but a risk-based approach ensures that high-risk emergency changes receive more stringent controls (e.g., mandatory peer review) while low-risk changes can proceed with lighter oversight. This balances security with operational agility, which is critical in a financial institution where system availability and data integrity are paramount.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Require a second administrator to approve during the emergency.
Why it's wrong here
This still bypasses normal process without addressing risk.
- ✓
Implement a risk classification for changes and apply controls accordingly.
Why this is correct
Risk classification allows appropriate control for each change type.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of post-implementation reviews to every 24 hours.
Why it's wrong here
Shorter review interval does not address the approval gap.
- ✗
Require all emergency changes to be approved by the change advisory board (CAB) before implementation.
Why it's wrong here
Pre-approval for emergencies may cause delays, defeating the purpose.
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Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on CISA
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An IT auditor is evaluating the change management process for a financial trading system. Which of the following is the BEST indicator of a mature change management process?
medium- A.Changes are documented after deployment
- ✓ B.All changes are logged and require automated approval workflows
- C.Developers can deploy changes directly to production if urgent
- D.Changes are approved verbally by the IT manager
Why B: A mature change management process requires that all changes be formally logged and subjected to automated approval workflows. This ensures traceability, segregation of duties, and auditability, which are critical for a financial trading system where unauthorized or untracked changes could lead to financial loss or regulatory non-compliance.
Variation 2. An IS auditor reviews the change request. Which of the following is the most significant risk?
hard- A.The description is too vague
- B.The approval is still pending close to the scheduled date
- ✓ C.The impact assessment is incorrect
- D.The change affects a financial module
Why C: An incorrect impact assessment (Option C) is the most significant risk because it directly undermines the change management process. If the impact is misjudged, the change may introduce unanticipated failures, data corruption, or security vulnerabilities into the production environment. Unlike vague descriptions or pending approvals, an incorrect impact assessment can lead to catastrophic system outages or compliance violations that are difficult to reverse.
Variation 3. An IS auditor is evaluating the controls over program changes. Which TWO of the following are essential controls?
medium- ✓ A.Management authorization for the change
- ✓ B.Documented change request
- C.Automated deployment scripts
- D.Regression testing of all changes
- E.Post-change review by independent party
Why A: Management authorization (A) is essential because it ensures that only approved changes are implemented, preventing unauthorized modifications that could introduce security vulnerabilities or operational disruptions. A documented change request (B) provides an audit trail and formal record of what was changed, why, and by whom, which is critical for accountability and traceability in the change management process.
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.