Which of the following is the MOST effective way for an IS auditor to evaluate the creation and deletion of administrative accounts in a virtual environment?
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A. B. C. D.C.
The MOST effective way for an IS auditor to evaluate the creation and deletion of administrative accounts in a virtual environment is to review account provisioning and deprovisioning procedures.
Explanation:
Virtual environments refer to the computer systems and networks that simulate a physical computing environment. The creation and deletion of administrative accounts are important security measures in virtual environments, as these accounts have elevated privileges and can be used to bypass security controls. Therefore, it is essential for IS auditors to evaluate the processes and procedures for creating and deleting administrative accounts.
Reviewing password management procedures (option A) can be important, but it does not provide a complete picture of how administrative accounts are created and deleted. Password management procedures primarily focus on the security of passwords and may not address other aspects such as the approval process, access requirements, and audit trails associated with account creation and deletion.
Reviewing accounts to determine access requirements (option B) is also important, but it only addresses the access requirements of existing accounts. This does not help in identifying whether new administrative accounts are created appropriately or whether old ones are deleted as required.
Reviewing resource management for capacity performance (option C) is not directly relevant to the creation and deletion of administrative accounts. Resource management procedures typically focus on ensuring that the virtual environment has sufficient resources to perform the desired functions, such as CPU, memory, and storage. Although these procedures are important for ensuring the efficient operation of the virtual environment, they do not address the security of administrative accounts.
Reviewing account provisioning and deprovisioning procedures (option D) is the MOST effective way for an IS auditor to evaluate the creation and deletion of administrative accounts in a virtual environment. Account provisioning procedures involve the process of creating a new administrative account, such as obtaining the necessary approvals, setting up the account, and assigning the appropriate privileges. Deprovisioning procedures involve the process of disabling or deleting an administrative account when it is no longer needed or when the user leaves the organization. By reviewing these procedures, an IS auditor can ensure that administrative accounts are created and deleted appropriately, following the organization's policies and procedures. This also helps to identify any weaknesses or gaps in the account creation and deletion processes that need to be addressed to improve the security of the virtual environment.