An IS auditor has been asked to investigate critical business applications that have been producing suspicious results. Which of the following should be done FIRST?
An IS auditor has been asked to investigate critical business applications that have been producing suspicious results. Which of the following should be done FIRST?
When an IS auditor is asked to investigate critical business applications producing suspicious results, the first step should be to evaluate incident management. This involves identifying, reporting, and resolving the incidents. By understanding how the organization handles and responds to these suspicious results through its incident management processes, the auditor can determine any immediate actions required to address the issue and prevent further impact. Once the immediate concerns are managed, further reviews can be conducted, such as control design and configuration management.
The correct answer is C, Review configuration management. Configuration management is the process of managing, organizing, and controlling the changes that are made to an organization's IT systems and infrastructure. When an IS auditor is asked to investigate critical business applications that have been producing suspicious results, the first step should be to review the configuration management processes and procedures that are in place. This will help the auditor to understand how the applications are being managed and controlled, and it will provide a basis for identifying any potential issues or vulnerabilities that may have contributed to the suspicious results.
Control Design and Configuration Management: While evaluating control design (option A) and reviewing configuration management (option C) are essential aspects of IT auditing, they often come later in the process. Control design evaluates whether the controls in place are designed effectively to prevent or detect issues, and configuration management deals with how the systems are configured. These steps are important for the long-term improvement of the system but may not address the immediate issues at hand.
B. Evaluate incident management
In summary, evaluating incident management is the first step because it focuses on addressing the current suspicious results and ensuring that immediate actions are taken to contain and investigate the issue. Once the immediate situation is under control, the auditor can proceed to assess control design, configuration management, and user access rights as part of a more comprehensive audit process.
When critical business applications are producing suspicious results, the first step should be to evaluate incident management. Incident management involves the identification, reporting, and resolution of security incidents. Investigating suspicious results in critical business applications falls under the purview of incident management. By evaluating incident management first, the IS auditor can determine how the organization handles and responds to security incidents, including those related to critical applications. This involves understanding the process of detecting and responding to incidents, as well as the procedures in place for investigating and resolving issues with the applications.
By evaluating incident management first, the auditor can determine if there are any immediate actions required to address the suspicious results and prevent further impact on the business. Once the incident management process is reviewed, the auditor can proceed to investigate other relevant areas such as configuration management if necessary.