An IS auditor notes that an organization's DevOps team has both production and developer access. The head of IT operations agrees that there is a segregation of duties concern but considers both types of access to be necessary for the team. Which of the following is the auditor's BEST recommendation?
An effective way to address the segregation of duties concern is to implement an automated control that prevents deployment if the developer is also trying to deploy the change. This ensures that no single individual can both develop and deploy code, reducing the risk of conflicts of interest, fraud, and abuse. Automated controls provide real-time enforcement without relying on manual reviews or periodic reauthorization, thereby providing a more robust and immediate solution.
The correct answer is D, Implement an automated control to prevent deployment if the developer is also trying to deploy the change. In this scenario, the IS auditor has identified a segregation of duties concern, which is a principle that is intended to ensure that no single individual has complete control over a process or system. By having both production and developer access, the DevOps team may be able to both develop and deploy changes to the organization's systems, potentially leading to conflicts of interest or the potential for fraud or abuse. To address this concern, the auditor's best recommendation would be to implement an automated control that prevents deployment if the developer is also trying to deploy the change. This would ensure that there is a separation between the development and deployment of changes, and it would help to reduce the risk of potential conflicts of interest or abuse.
Option A (Implement weekly management reviews) is not the best recommendation because it relies on manual reviews, which can be time-consuming, error-prone, and may not prevent issues in real-time. Option B (Reauthorize access quarterly) is a step in the right direction, but it may not provide real-time control and may still allow for periods where a single individual has both types of access. Option C (Remove developer access) is too restrictive and might hinder the DevOps team's ability to work efficiently and collaboratively. Option D is the best choice because it suggests implementing an automated control. This control would prevent deployment if the same engineer is attempting to both develop and deploy the change simultaneously.
The best recommendation in this situation is to implement a periodic reauthorization process for DevOps engineers' access to production systems. Option B suggests reauthorizing access quarterly, allowing the head of IT operations to periodically review and confirm the necessity of the access. This approach provides a balance between the need for access and the segregation of duties concerns. It acknowledges the necessity of both types of access for the DevOps team but introduces a control mechanism to regularly review and validate that access is still appropriate. This helps mitigate the risk associated with the potential conflict of duties. Option B is generally considered a more practical and balanced approach to managing the segregation of duties concern in DevOps environments. It introduces a control without completely restricting necessary access, allowing for ongoing operational efficiency while maintaining a level of oversight.
Option D, "Implement automated controls to prevent deployment if developers are also trying to deploy changes," is generally considered a good security measure, but is not directly a specific audit measure for the specific issue. Also, it is not necessary to completely prevent developers from deploying changes, but appropriate management and audit mechanisms are important. Therefore, the auditor should recommend weekly management reviews aimed at ensuring separation of duties.
Answer D ı guess