AICPA CPA-Auditing Exam Prep
CPA Auditing and Attestation (AUD) (Page 106 )

• Matching hashes: The software likely has not changed.
• Different hashes: The software was modified or corrupted.

• Encryption: Protects confidentiality by making data unreadable; it does not primarily detect changes.
• Baselines: Define an approved system or configuration state, but they are not the specific integrity mechanism here.
• Tokenization: Replaces sensitive data with substitute values.

• Access List: controls whether a client is allowed or denied.
• Connect List: controls which wireless networks/APs a station may connect to.

• Insert is used when you are creating a new record. It saves the record to the table and then leaves the form.
• Update is used when editing an existing record. It saves the modifications and then leaves the form.

• C — Before update
• D — Before insert

apex 
trigger AccountTrigger on Account (before insert, before update) { 
    for (Account acct : Trigger.new) { 
        acct.Description = 'Updated automatically'; 
    } 
}

• In after insert and after update, Trigger.new records are read-only.
• Use after triggers when you need the record’s final database Id or want to create/update related records.
• Attempting to change a field directly in an after trigger causes a read-only error.

• Share files with the wrong people
• Use public links unnecessarily
• Fail to classify sensitive data
• Upload data to unauthorized services
• Misunderstand company sharing policies

• A — Step-up authentication: Helps protect administrator accounts, but does not directly address improper file sharing by users.
• C — Password complexity: Helps reduce password attacks, not accidental data disclosure.
• D — Mobile device management: Secures managed mobile devices, but does not directly control file-sharing behavior across the organization.

• Disable default accounts: Default or unused accounts may have known usernames or predictable settings, making them targets. They should be disabled, removed, or securely configured.
• Remove unnecessary services: Every running service creates potential vulnerabilities. Removing services the server does not need reduces exploitable entry points.

• Add the server to the asset inventory: Important for asset management, but not a hardening step.
• Document default passwords: Default passwords should be changed or eliminated—not documented for continued use.
• Send server logs to the SIEM: Valuable for monitoring and detection, but generally performed as part of logging/monitoring configuration.
• Join the server to the corporate domain: May be necessary operationally, but does not itself harden the server.

1. Create Workspace2 with Lakehouse2 — F
2. Migrate the Employee table to Lakehouse2 — E
3. Assign the data engineer the Contributor role for Workspace1 — D

Why

• Sharing Lakehouse1 would not provide the required isolation.
• Viewer access would not allow writing to Customer.
• Giving Contributor access to Workspace2 would expose the sensitive table.

• Namespace: The namespace associated with the code where the checkpoint was set.
• Time: When the checkpoint was captured or executed.

• Exception: Exceptions are viewed through debug logs or execution results, not as the primary Checkpoints tab information.
• Debug Statement: System.debug() output belongs in the Logs tab. A checkpoint captures program state, such as variables and their values, at a specific point in execution.

• Crowd-sourced evaluation: Requires recruiting and managing many evaluators.
• Human-worker evaluation: Provides human judgment but requires coordination, labeling instructions, and quality control.
• RLHF: Is a training and alignment process, not simply a low-overhead model comparison method.
• Automatic model evaluation: Quickly evaluates outputs using predefined toxicity or quality metrics with minimal manual effort.

• Box 1: No — The rule requires user.department to equal Engineering. Engineer does not match, so User1 is not in AU1. Admin1 cannot reset User1’s password.
• Box 2: No — Admin1’s role is scoped to AU1 and cannot manage users outside that AU.
• Box 3: Yes — Admin2 is a Global Administrator and can reset User3’s password.

• CPU: Number of virtual CPUs and, where applicable, CPU reservations.
• Memory: Amount of memory and memory reservations.

• Network interface: Usually configured through the VM or workload networking configuration.
• PCI devices: Specialized hardware and not a standard VM Class resource in this context.
• Storage: Typically selected through storage policies or the VM’s storage configuration.

• The users currently have Office 365 Enterprise E3 licenses assigned directly.
• Assigning Microsoft 365 Enterprise E5 through a group does not automatically remove their directly assigned E3 licenses.
• From the Licenses blade, you can select the E3 product and remove it from all assigned users in one operation. This requires less effort than editing 2,500 users individually.

• Identity Governance manages access reviews, entitlement management, and related governance—not bulk license removal.
• Set-AzureAdUser does not remove product licenses.
• Set-WindowsProductKey applies Windows product keys and is unrelated to Microsoft 365 licensing.

• COE: Identifies the Center of Excellence, such as Payroll or Benefits.
• Topic Detail: Classifies the HR service within its COE; it does not identify the catalog item.
• Template: Supplies default values or case configuration.
• Record Producer: Represents the catalog item that employees use to submit the request and create the case.

• On-premises resources, such as an existing database
• Cloud resources, such as Azure services or virtual machines
• Connectivity that allows the application to use both environments

• Public cloud: resources are entirely provided through a public cloud provider.
• Private cloud: resources are dedicated to one organization, typically on-premises or privately hosted.

• A — Use a custom controller: An Apex class can contain the page’s logic.
• C — Use a standard controller with extensions: The standard controller provides basic CRUD behavior, while an extension adds custom logic.
• E — Use a standard controller: Useful when the page works mainly with one Salesforce object and needs standard functionality.

• A page with no controller for static or controller-free content.
• A custom controller with extensions; extensions are not limited only to standard controllers.

• A script of cloud CLI commands: IaC because the commands can be saved, reviewed, versioned, and rerun consistently.
• Manually run curl commands: Not necessarily IaC; they are manual actions unless organized into an automated script.
• A sequence of REST requests passed to an API: Could represent automation, but the wording does not explicitly say they are stored and executed as reusable code.
• Commands entered into a cloud console: Manual operation, not IaC.

• The message came from the claimed sender (authentication)
• The message was not altered (integrity)
• The sender cannot easily deny sending it (non-repudiation)

• Attackers can send unsigned phishing emails.
• Attackers may compromise a legitimate account and send signed malicious emails.
• Users may still be tricked by a validly signed message.

• terraform apply
• terraform destroy

• The Azure DevOps (Boards only) connector is designed specifically for Azure DevOps Analytics views.
• It authenticates directly to Azure DevOps and lets you select an existing Analytics view.
• Filters defined in the Analytics view are applied by Azure DevOps before Power BI retrieves the data, reducing the amount of data transferred.

• Azure DevOps Server (Boards only) is for on-premises Azure DevOps Server.
• OData Feed can consume OData endpoints, but it is not the dedicated Azure DevOps Analytics-view connector.
• OData queries are not the intended dedicated connector for this requirement.

• User2 is in Group1, so CA2 applies.
• CA2 targets Office 365.
• CA2 requires MFA OR an app protection policy.
• User2 has no app protection policy, but if User2 successfully completes MFA, the OR condition is satisfied.
• The device being noncompliant does not matter because CA2 does not require device compliance.
• CA1 applies only to Global Administrators. Unless User2 is also a Global Administrator, CA1 does not apply.

• The load balancer provides the listener’s frontend IP address.
• The active SQL Server node must also respond to that same listener IP.
• Enabling Floating IP allows the listener IP to be preserved and handled correctly by the active replica.
• Without it, SQL connections may be sent to a node that cannot correctly claim the listener address.

• A health probe for the SQL Server port
• A load-balancing rule using the listener port
• Floating IP enabled on that rule

• A. Periodically rotate responsibilities: May reduce some risks, but it does not directly detect unauthorized changes.
• B. Review segregation-of-duties conflicts: Identifies incompatible access combinations, not whether a specific data change was unauthorized.
• C. Log changes in an outside application: Logs provide evidence, but someone must review and analyze them. Logging alone does not detect misuse.
• D. Independent review: Directly detects unauthorized changes and reduces the risk that the person making the change can conceal it.

• Accept terms of use
• Enter a temporary code or credentials
• Provide basic registration information

• Enterprise authentication — Authenticates organizational users, often with centralized identity services; it is not specifically designed for temporary guest access.
• Ad hoc network — A temporary device-to-device network, not an authentication process.
• WPA3 — A wireless security standard. It protects Wi-Fi access but does not provide the web-based temporary access workflow described here.

• Due diligence: Investigating and evaluating a third party before entering into or continuing a business relationship.
• Attestation: An independent party provides assurance about an organization’s claims or controls. A SOC 2 examination is an example of an attestation engagement, but the analyst requesting and reviewing the report is performing due diligence.
• Internal audit: Reviews the organization’s own internal controls.
• Penetration testing: Actively tests systems for exploitable vulnerabilities.

• SQL injection: Manipulates database queries through application input.
• XML external entities (XXE): Abuses XML parsers to access files, internal systems, or other resources.
• Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): Tricks an already authenticated user’s browser into sending an unwanted request. It generally does not steal session cookies.

• Honeypots are deliberately vulnerable or attractive systems designed to lure attackers. Legitimate users should not normally access them, so activity there can indicate a successful intrusion or lateral movement.

• A DNS sinkhole redirects requests for known malicious domains to a controlled internal system instead of the real destination. Security teams can monitor those requests and identify compromised devices attempting to contact command-and-control infrastructure.

• Tokenization: Replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive tokens; it is a protection method, not an attacker-detection method.
• CI/CD: Automates software development and deployment processes.
• Threat modeling: Identifies potential threats during design and planning.
• Data obfuscation: Makes information harder to understand, but does not directly detect infiltrators.

• nmap - 10.11.1.130 — a network scanning command; mitigated with controls such as firewalls, monitoring, or access restrictions.
• “Click this link to get your free gift card.” — a phishing or social-engineering message; addressed through user awareness, email filtering, and authentication controls.
• “Your connection is not private.” — indicates a certificate or TLS validation problem; addressed by correcting the certificate or secure-connection configuration.

• Assign endpoints to a group based on the result of one policy.
• Use that group as the scope of another policy.
• This effectively passes the endpoints from one policy’s processing flow to another.

• A is correct: It establishes the revised dates and identifies the effect on the critical path.
• B is premature: Stakeholders should be informed after the impact has been assessed and the updated schedule is understood.
• C is not automatically appropriate: Fast-tracking may introduce additional risk and should be considered only after analyzing schedule options.
• D is premature: Adding resources may not resolve a dependency and could increase costs without addressing the actual constraint.

• Complex inputs: A queueable job can accept and retain complex data such as Map<Id, Project__c> and List<Account>.
• Callouts: The class should implement both:

apex 
  public class ProjectJob implements Queueable, Database.AllowsCallouts { 
      // execute method 
  }

• Execution confirmation: System.enqueueJob() returns an AsyncApexJob ID. You can use that ID to query job status and confirm whether the job completed successfully.

• @future(callout=true) supports callouts, but future methods have more restrictive parameter types and return no job ID for tracking.
• Database.AllowsCallouts is only an interface that permits callouts; it is not an asynchronous mechanism by itself.
• Schedulable is intended for jobs that run at a scheduled time, not primarily for submitting a long-running asynchronous operation.

• Review administrative-role membership ? PIM access reviews
• Require justification for continued membership ? PIM can require justification when activating or maintaining privileged access
• Alerts about administrator assignment changes ? PIM alerts and notifications
• History of administrator activation ? PIM audit history
• See changes made to Azure resources ? PIM activation/audit information can be correlated with Azure Activity Logs

• A PostToolUse hook for file writes under src/api/ that runs the linter.
• A separate PostToolUse hook for API/data processing that normalizes payloads to snake_case.

• MFA: Protects sign-in and authentication.
• Azure Key Vault: Protects deployment secrets and credentials.
• Answer: No (B).

• Early units show relatively large time savings.
• Later units still take less time, but the reduction becomes progressively smaller.
• The curve therefore becomes flatter as production approaches 256 units.

• B: The reduction is not constant; learning normally diminishes over time.
• C: Time does not reduce at an increasing rate.
• D: A steady state may eventually be reached, but the question concerns the first 255 units while learning is still occurring.

• Honeypots: Decoy systems or services designed to attract attackers. Legitimate users should not access them, so activity there is a strong indicator of compromise.
• DNS sinkholes: Redirect malicious or suspicious DNS requests to a controlled destination. This can identify infected systems attempting to contact command-and-control infrastructure.

• Tokenization: Replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive tokens; it is not an attacker-detection method.
• CI/CD: Automates software development, testing, and deployment.
• Threat modeling: Identifies potential threats and weaknesses before or during system design; it does not directly detect an active infiltrator.
• Data obfuscation: Makes information harder to understand, but does not identify attackers.

• One network address
• Two usable host addresses—one for each router
• One broadcast address

• Router A: 10.2.1.1
• Router B: 10.2.1.2

• Configure row-level security (RLS) using the sales region and the HR manager’s identity.
• Publish the reports and datasets through a Power BI app.
• Grant the HR managers permission to use the app, but do not add them as workspace members.
• App users can view and interact with reports while RLS limits them to their region.
• They cannot modify the report layout because they do not have workspace editing permissions.

• Adding them to the workspace gives them workspace permissions that may allow report or dataset changes, depending on the assigned role.
• Creating copies is unnecessary and creates maintenance and security problems.
• Hosting datasets and reports in different workspaces does not, by itself, provide the required controlled access.

• The audience and stakeholders
• The complexity and type of requirements
• The communication method and level of detail needed
• Whether to use diagrams, models, documents, demonstrations, or slides

• B: Authority to host the presentation is not the key preparation activity.
• C: Stakeholder sign-off may occur later; presenting requirements does not always require formal approval beforehand.
• D: A scribe may be useful in a meeting, but hiring one is not a core preparation requirement for presenting.

• QuickVisualize is used to create and render a Power BI report from a DataFrame.
• The typical pattern is:

python 
PBI_visualize = QuickVisualize( 
    get_dataset_config(df), 
    auth=device_auth 
) 


PBI_visualize

• get_dataset_config(df) prepares the dataset configuration.
• auth=device_auth supplies authentication for the Power BI connection.
• Evaluating PBI_visualize renders the report in the notebook.

• Box 1: No
• Box 2: Yes
• Box 3: Yes

• A — Windows 11 with Azure CLI installed: Yes

• D — Chrome OS using Azure Cloud Shell: Yes

• E — Windows 10 with the Azure PowerShell module installed: Yes

• B — Linux with only Azure CLI: No, because the option does not state that PowerShell is installed.
• C — macOS with PowerShell Core only: No, because it does not state that Azure PowerShell modules or Azure CLI are installed.

• AWS is responsible for the cloud infrastructure, including physical servers, hardware replacement, and firmware updates.
• For managed database services such as Amazon RDS, AWS generally manages the underlying operating system patching and infrastructure maintenance.
• The customer remains responsible for application-level software, including obtaining and paying for required application licenses.

• Operating system patches for managed databases: Typically handled by AWS.
• Hardware replacement: AWS responsibility.
• Firmware updates for physical infrastructure: AWS responsibility.

• Match found: ServiceNow updates the existing target record.
• No match found: ServiceNow normally creates a new target record.
• No Transform Map is created or deleted based on whether a match is found.

• The listener uses a virtual IP address shared by the availability-group replicas.
• Floating IP, also called Direct Server Return (DSR), allows the SQL Server nodes to respond using the listener’s IP address rather than their individual VM IP addresses.
• This is required for the availability-group listener to function correctly with an Azure internal load balancer.

Recommended process

1. Access each switch’s terminal.
2. Use help to identify available commands.
3. Use the MAC table command, such as:

text 
   show mac-address-table

1. Use VLAN information, such as:

text 
   show vlan

1. Use interface information, such as:

text 
   show ip interface brief

1. Record each device’s:

• Dataset file: Use Import mode. Excel files are imported into Power BI, and the two Sales tables can be combined with Power Query.
• Report file: Use a live connection to the published dataset. This keeps the report separate from the dataset and avoids importing the data again.

• Report file: DirectQuery/live connection
• Dataset file: Import

• A — Consumption-based pricing: AWS generally uses a pay-as-you-go model. You pay for the resources you consume rather than purchasing hardware upfront or paying for unused capacity.
• C — Economies of scale: AWS purchases and operates infrastructure at a very large scale, allowing it to reduce costs and pass some savings to customers through lower service prices.

• Perpetual licenses: These involve paying once for permanent software ownership and are not a primary AWS Cloud economic benefit.
• AWS Enterprise Support at no additional cost: Enterprise Support has an additional charge.
• Bring-your-own-hardware model: AWS provides and manages the underlying cloud infrastructure; customers do not normally bring their own physical servers.

• C — Create a form extension and implement validation

• D — Use Chain of Command (CoC) with a form extension class

• Microsoft Foundry is an enterprise platform for developers, data scientists, and IT teams.
• It supports the full AI application lifecycle: selecting models, connecting enterprise data, developing, evaluating, deploying, monitoring, and scaling solutions.
• It can include visual tools and low-code experiences, but it is not primarily designed to enable business users to build complete generative AI solutions independently.

• B: You still need to select and configure an appropriate model.
• C: Business users may participate through visual tools, but they are not the primary target audience.
• D: Foundry includes low-code tools, but it is not fundamentally a low-code-only platform.