PECB ISO-IEC-27001-Lead-Auditor - PECB Certified ISO/IEC 27001 2022 Lead Auditor exam

Scenario 5: Data Grid Inc. is a well-known company that delivers security services across the entire information technology infrastructure. It provides cybersecurity software, including endpoint security, firewalls, and antivirus software. For two decades, Data Grid Inc. has helped various companies secure their networks through advanced products and services. Having achieved reputation in the information and network security field, Data Grid Inc. decided to obtain the ISO/IEC 27001 certification to better secure its internal and customer assets and gain competitive advantage.

Data Grid Inc. appointed the audit team, who agreed on the terms of the audit mandate. In addition, Data Grid Inc. defined the audit scope, specified the audit criteria, and proposed to close the audit within five days. The audit team rejected Data Grid Inc.'s proposal to conduct the audit within five days, since the company has a large number of employees and complex processes. Data Grid Inc. insisted that they have planned to complete the audit within five days, so both parties agreed upon conducting the audit within the defined duration. The audit team followed a risk-based auditing approach.

To gain an overview of the main business processes and controls, the audit team accessed process descriptions and organizational charts. They were unable to perform a deeper analysis of the IT risks and controls because their access to the IT infrastructure and applications was restricted. However, the audit team stated that the risk that a significant defect could occur to Data Grid Inc.'s ISMS was low since most of the company's processes were automated. They therefore evaluated that the ISMS, as a whole, conforms to the standard requirements by asking the representatives of Data Grid Inc. the following questions:

•How are responsibilities for IT and IT controls defined and assigned?

•How does Data Grid Inc. assess whether the controls have achieved the desired results?

•What controls does Data Grid Inc. have in place to protect the operating environment and data from malicious software?

•Are firewall-related controls implemented?

Data Grid Inc.'s representatives provided sufficient and appropriate evidence to address all these questions.

The audit team leader drafted the audit conclusions and reported them to Data Grid Inc.'s top management. Though Data Grid Inc. was recommended for certification by the auditors, misunderstandings were raised between Data Grid Inc. and the certification body in regards to audit objectives. Data Grid Inc. stated that even though the audit objectives included the identification of areas for potential improvement, the audit team did not provide such information.

Based on this scenario, answer the following question:

Based on scenario 5, the audit team assessed the ISMS as a whole, rather than assessing the effectiveness and conformity of each process. Is this acceptable?

Question:

What is the main reason for sending an engagement letter before the initial contact with the auditee?

Auditor competence is a combination of knowledge and skills. Which two of the following activities are predominately related to "knowledge"?

Scenario 3: Rebuildy is a construction company located in Bangkok.. Thailand, that specializes in designing, building, and maintaining residential buildings. To ensure the security of sensitive project data and client information, Rebuildy decided to implement an ISMS based on ISO/IEC 27001. This included a comprehensive understanding of information security risks, a defined continual improvement approach, and robust business solutions.

The ISMS implementation outcomes are presented below

•Information security is achieved by applying a set of security controls and establishing policies, processes, and procedures.

•Security controls are implemented based on risk assessment and aim to eliminate or reduce risks to an acceptable level.

•All processes ensure the continual improvement of the ISMS based on the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) model.

•The information security policy is part of a security manual drafted based on best security practices Therefore, it is not a stand-alone document.

•Information security roles and responsibilities have been clearly stated in every employees job description

•Management reviews of the ISMS are conducted at planned intervals.

Rebuildy applied for certification after two midterm management reviews and one annual internal audit Before the certification audit one of Rebuildy’s former employees approached one of the audit team members to tell them that Rebuildy has several security problems that the company is trying to conceal. The former employee presented the documented evidence to the audit team member Electra, a key client of Rebuildy, also submitted evidence on the same issues, and the auditor determined to retain this evidence instead of the former employee's. The audit team member remained in contact with Electra until the audit was completed, discussing the nonconformities found during the audit. Electra provided additional evidence to support these findings.

At the beginning of the audit, the audit team interviewed the company’s top management They discussed, among other things, the top management's commitment to the ISMS implementation. The evidence obtained from these discussions was documented in written confirmation, which was used to determine Rebuildy’s conformity to several clauses of ISO/IEC 27001

The documented evidence obtained from Electra was attached to the audit report, along with the nonconformities report. Among others, the following nonconformities were detected:

•An instance of improper user access control settings was detected within the company's financial reporting system.

•A stand-alone information security policy has not been established. Instead, the company uses a security manual drafted based on best security practices.

After receiving these documents from the audit team, the team leader met Rebuildy’s top management to present the audit findings. The audit team reported the findings related to the financial reporting system and the lack of a stand-alone information security policy. The top management expressed dissatisfaction with the findings and suggested that the audit team leader's conduct was unprofessional, implying they might request a replacement. Under pressure, the audit team leader decided to cooperate with top management to downplay the significance of the detected nonconformities. Consequently, the audit team leader adjusted the report to present a more favorable view, thus misrepresenting the true extent of Rebuildy's compliance issues.

Based on the scenario above, answer the following question:

Question:

Is it acceptable for the auditor to prioritize keeping the evidence provided by Electra over the evidence provided by the former employee?

Scenario 9: Techmanic is a Belgian company founded in 1995 and currently operating in Brussels. It provides IT consultancy, software design, and hardware/software services, including deployment and maintenance. The company serves sectors like public services, finance, telecom, energy, healthcare, and education. As a customer-centered company, it prioritizes strong client relationships and leading security practices.

Techmanic has been ISO/IEC 27001 certified for a year and regards this certification with pride. During the certification audit, the auditor found some inconsistencies in its ISMS implementation. Since the observed situations did not affect the capability of its ISMS to achieve the intended results, Techmanic was certified after auditors followed up on the root cause analysis and corrective actions remotely During that year, the company added hosting to its list of services and requested to expand its certification scope to include that area The auditor in charge approved the request and notified Techmanic that the extension audit would be conducted during the surveillance audit

Techmanic underwent a surveillance audit to verify its iSMS's continued effectiveness and compliance with ISO/IEC 27001. The surveillance audit aimed to ensure that Techmanic’s security practices, including the recent addition of hosting services, aligned seamlessly with the rigorous requirements of the certification

The auditor strategically utilized the findings from previous surveillance audit reports in the recertification activity with the purpose of replacing the need for additional recertification audits, specifically in the IT consultancy sector. Recognizing the value of continual improvement and learning from past assessments. Techmanic implemented a practice of reviewing previous surveillance audit reports. This proactive approach not only facilitated identifying and resolving potential nonconformities but also aimed to streamline the recertification process in the IT consultancy sector.

During the surveillance audit, several nonconformities were found. The ISMS continued to fulfill the ISO/IEC 27001*s requirements, but Techmanic failed to resolve the nonconformities related to the hosting services, as reported by its internal auditor. In addition, the internal audit report had several inconsistencies, which questioned the independence of the internal auditor during the audit of hosting services. Based on this, the extension certification was not granted. As a result. Techmanic requested a transfer to another certification body. In the meantime, the company released a statement to its clients stating that the ISO/IEC 27001 certification covers the IT services, as well as the hosting services.

Based on the scenario above, answer the following question:

Question:

What action should be taken regarding Techmanic’s certification?

An organization does not check the source code of the updated version of an application when it is updated automatically. Thus, the application may be open to

unauthorized modifications. This represents a _________________ that may impact information ___________________

You are an experienced ISMS auditor, currently providing support to an ISMS auditor in training who is carrying out her first initial certification audit.

She asks you what she should be verifying when auditing an organisation's Information Security objectives. You ask her what she has included in her audit checklist and she provides the following replies.

Which three of these responses would cause you concern in relation to conformity with ISO/IEC 27001:2022?

Which one of the following statements best describes the purpose of conducting a document review?

To reveal whether the documented management system is nonconforming with audit criteria and to gather evidence to support the audit report

Scenario 2: Knight is an electronics company from Northern California, US that develops video game consoles. Knight has more than 300 employees worldwide. On the

fifth anniversary of their establishment, they have decided to deliver the G-Console, a new generation video game console aimed for worldwide markets. G-Console is

considered to be the ultimate media machine of 2021 which will give the best gaming experience to players. The console pack will include a pair of VR headset, two

games, and other gifts.

Over the years, the company has developed a good reputation by showing integrity, honesty, and respect toward their customers. This good reputation is one of the

reasons why most passionate gamers aim to have Knight's G-console as soon as it is released in the market. Besides being a very customer-oriented company, Knight

also gained wide recognition within the gaming industry because of the developing quality. Their prices are a bit higher than the reasonable standards allow.

Nonetheless, that is not considered an issue for most loyal customers of Knight, as their quality is top-notch.

Being one of the top video game console developers in the world, Knight is also often the center of attention for malicious activities. The company has had an

operational ISMS for over a year. The ISMS scope includes all departments of Knight, except Finance and HR departments.

Recently, a number of Knight's files containing proprietary information were leaked by hackers. Knight's incident response team (IRT) immediately started to analyze

every part of the system and the details of the incident.

The IRT's first suspicion was that Knight's employees used weak passwords and consequently were easily cracked by hackers who gained unauthorized access to their

accounts. However, after carefully investigating the incident, the IRT determined that hackers accessed accounts by capturing the file transfer protocol (FTP) traffic.

FTP is a network protocol for transferring files between accounts. It uses clear text passwords for authentication.

Following the impact of this information security incident and with IRT's suggestion, Knight decided to replace the FTP with Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, so anyone

capturing the traffic can only see encrypted data.

Following these changes, Knight conducted a risk assessment to verify that the implementation of controls had minimized the risk of similar incidents. The results of

the process were approved by the ISMS project manager who claimed that the level of risk after the implementation of new controls was in accordance with the

company's risk acceptance levels.

Based on this scenario, answer the following question:

Based on scenario 2, the ISMS project manager approved the results of risk assessment. Is this acceptable?

In the context of a third-party certification audit, it is very important to have effective communication. Select an option that contains the correct answer about communication in an audit context.