Test your basic knowledge |

CISA Certified Information Systems Auditor Vocab

Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. The name given to a class of algorithms that repeatedly try all possible combinations until a solution is found






2. A data recovery strategy that includes a recovery from complete backups that are physically shipped off site once a week. Specifically; logs are batched electronically several times daily; and then loaded into a tape library located at the same facil






3. Memory reserved to temporarily hold data. Buffers are used to offset differences between the operating speeds of different devices; such as a printer and a computer. In a program; buffers are reserved areas of RAM that hold data while they are being






4. A flag set in a packet to indicate that this packet is the final data packet of the transmission






5. The outward impression of being self-governing and free from conflict of interest and undue influence






6. The current and prospective effect on earnings and capital arising from negative public opinion. This affects the bank's ability to establish new relationships or services or continue servicing existing relationships. Reputation risk may expose the b






7. Used in data encryption; it uses a secret key to encrypt the plaintext to the ciphertext. It also uses the same key to decrypt the ciphertext to the corresponding plaintext. In this case; the key is symmetric such that the encryption key is equivalen






8. The art of designing; analyzing and attacking cryptographic schemes






9. The possibility of an act or event occurring that would have an adverse effect on the organization and its information systems






10. A network monitoring and data acquisition tool that performs filter translation; packet acquisition and packet display






11. Programmed checking of data validity in accordance with predetermined criteria






12. The risk that the IS auditor's substantive procedures will not detect an error which could be material; individually or in combination with other errors






13. Defined by ISACA as the processes by which organisations conduct business electronically with their customers; suppliers and other external business partners; using the Internet as an enabling technology. It therefore encompasses both business-to-bus






14. A computer program that enables the user to retrieve information that has been made publicly available on the Internet; also; that permits multimedia (graphics) applications on the World Wide Web






15. A system software tool that logs; monitors and directs computer tape usage






16. A response; in which the system (automatically or in concert with the user) blocks or otherwise affects the progress of a detected attack. The response takes one of three forms--amending the environment; collecting more information or striking back a






17. The risk of errors occurring in the area being audited






18. An interface point between the CPU and a peripheral device






19. A technique used to determine the size of a development task; based on the number of function points. Function points are factors such as inputs; outputs; inquiries and logical internal sites.






20. The highest level of management in the organization; responsible for direction and control of the organization as a whole (such as director; general manager; partner; chief officer and executive manager).






21. A test to check the system's ability to recover after a software or hardware failure






22. Siphoning out or leaking information by dumping computer files or stealing computer reports and tapes






23. Devices that perform the functions of both bridges and routers; are called brouters. Naturally; they operate at both the data link and the network layers. A brouter connects same data link type LAN segments as well as different data link ones; which






24. A form of modulation in which data signals are pulsed directly on the transmission medium without frequency division and usually utilize a transceiver. In baseband the entire bandwidth of the transmission medium (e.g.; coaxial cable) is utilized for






25. These controls exist to detect and report when errors; omissions and unauthorized uses or entries occur.






26. A numbering system that uses a base of 16 and uses 16 digits: 0; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; A; B; C; D; E and F. Programmers use hexadecimal numbers as a convenient way of representing binary numbers.






27. A master control program that runs the computer and acts as a scheduler and traffic controller. It is the first program copied into the computer's memory after the computer is turned on and must reside in memory at all times. It is the software that






28. A communications channel that can handle only one signal at a time. The two stations must alternate their transmissions.






29. Confidentiality concerns the protection of sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure






30. Software packages that sequentially dial telephone numbers; recording any numbers that answer






31. A communication line permanently assigned to connect two points; as opposed to a dial-up line that is only available and open when a connection is made by dialing the target machine or network. Also known as a dedicated line.






32. Impartial point of view which allows the IS auditor to act objectively and with fairness






33. The process of creating and managing duplicate versions of a database. Replication not only copies a database but also synchronizes a set of replicas so that changes made to one replica are reflected in all the others. The beauty of replication is th






34. A document distributed to software vendors requesting them to submit a proposal to develop or provide a software product






35. The flow of data from the input (in Internet banking; ordinarily user input at his/her desktop) to output (in Internet banking; ordinarily data in a bank's central database). Data flow includes travelling through the communication lines; routers; swi






36. A system of interconnected computers and the communications equipment used to connect them






37. In broadband; multiple channels are formed by dividing the transmission medium into discrete frequency segments. It generally requires the use of a modem.






38. The process of transmitting messages in convenient pieces that can be reassembled at the destination






39. A device that forms a barrier between a secure and an open environment. Usually; the open environment is considered hostile. The most notable hostile environment is the Internet. In other words; a firewall enforces a boundary between two or more netw






40. Block-at-a-time data transmission






41. A security technique that verifies an individual's identity by analyzing a unique physical attribute; such as a handprint






42. This approach allows IS auditors to monitor system reliability on a continuous basis and to gather selective audit evidence through the computer.






43. An audit technique used to select items from a population for audit testing purposes based on selecting all those items that have certain attributes or characteristics (such as all items over a certain size)






44. Checks that data are entered correctly






45. A public key cryptosystem developed by R. Rivest; A. Shamir and L. Adleman. The RSA has two different keys; the public encryption key and the secret decryption key. The strength of the RSA depends on the difficulty of the prime number factorization.






46. A system of computers connected together by a communications network. Each computer processes its data and the network supports the system as a whole. Such a network enhances communication among the linked computers and allows access to shared files.






47. Commonly it is the network segment between the Internet and a private network. It allows access to services from the Internet and the internal private network; while denying access from the Internet directly to the private network.






48. The level of trust with which a system object is imbued






49. A mathematical expression used to calculate budget amounts based on actual results; other budget amounts and statistics. With budget formulas; budgets using complex equations; calculations and allocations can be automatically created.






50. The communication lines that provide connectivity between the telecommunications carrier's central office and the subscriber's facilities