An organization outsourced its IS functions. To meet its responsibility for disaster recovery, the organization should coordinate disaster recovery administration with the outsourcing vendor. This is because the organization remains accountable for ensuring the continuity and availability of its IS functions, even if they are outsourced to a third party. The organization should establish clear roles and responsibilities, communication channels, testing procedures, and escalation processes with the outsourcing vendor for disaster recovery purposes. The organization should not discontinue maintenance of the disaster recovery plan (DRP), as it still needs to have a documented and updated plan for restoring its IS functions in case of a disaster. The organization should not delegate evaluation of disaster recovery to a third party or internal audit, as it still needs to monitor and review the performance and compliance of the outsourcing vendor with respect to disaster recovery objectives and standards. References: CISA Review Manual (Digital Version), [ISACA Auditing Standards]

In a bare metal or native virtualization, the hypervisor runs without a host operating system. A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor or VMM, is a type of virtualization software that supports the creation and management of virtual machines (VMs) by separating a computer's software from its hardware. A bare metal hypervisor, also called a Type I or Native hypervisor, is virtualization software that runs on host machine hardware directly, without requiring an underlying operating system12. This means that the bare metal hypervisor is the host or the operating system (OS) of the hardware1.
A guest operating system is an operating system that runs inside a virtual machine, on top of the hypervisor. A bare metal hypervisor can run multiple guest operating systems simultaneously, each with its own applications and resources. A guest operating system is not required for a bare metal hypervisor to run, but it is necessary for running applications on the virtual machine13.
Applications are software programs that perform specific tasks or functions for users. Applications can run on either the host operating system or the guest operating system, depending on the type of virtualization. In a bare metal virtualization, applications can run on the guest operating system, but not on the host operating system, since there is no host operating system. However, applications are not essential for a bare metal hypervisor to run, as they are only used by the users of the virtual machines

Operational log management primarily enhances security by enabling real-time monitoring and detection of anomalies within network data. Logs provide valuable information for identifying threats, investigating incidents, and ensuring compliance with security policies.
* Predictive Analysis for User Experience (Option A): While logs may support analytics, this is not the primary benefit.
* Performance Issue Identification (Option C): Logs can help identify performance issues, but the focus of operational log management is security.
* Data Aggregation Using Unified Storage (Option D): This supports management but is secondary to the security benefits.
Reference: ISACA CISA Review Manual, Job Practice Area 3: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience.

The best way for the auditor to address this issue is to verify management has approved a policy exception to accept the risk. A policy exception is a formal authorization that allows a deviation from the established policy requirements for a specific situation or period of time. A policy exception should be based on a risk assessment that evaluates the impact and likelihood of the potential threats and vulnerabilities, as well as the cost and benefit of the alternative controls. A policy exception should also be documented, approved, and monitored by management.
Recommending the application be patched to meet requirements is not the best way for the auditor to address this issue. Patching the application may not be feasible, cost-effective, or timely, given that the application will be decommissioned in three months. Patching the application may also introduce new risks or errors that could affect the functionality or performance of the application.
Informing the IT director of the policy noncompliance is not the best way for the auditor to address this issue.
Informing the IT director of the policy noncompliance may not resolve the issue or mitigate the risk, especially if the IT director is already aware of the situation and has decided to accept it. Informing the IT director of the policy noncompliance may also create unnecessary conflict or tension between the auditor and the auditee.
Taking no action since the application will be decommissioned in three months is not the best way for the auditor to address this issue. Taking no action may expose the organization to significant risks or consequences, such as data breaches, regulatory fines, or reputational damage, if the application is compromised or exploited by malicious actors. Taking no action may also violate the auditor's professional standards and responsibilities, such as due care, objectivity, and reporting.
References:
* ISACA, CISA Review Manual, 27th Edition, 2019, p. 289
* ISACA, CISA Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Database - 12 Month Subscription
* Cybersecurity Engineering for Legacy Systems: 6 Recommendations - SEI Blog
* How to Secure Your Company's Legacy Applications - iCorps

The best recommendation for the auditor to make is D. Line management should regularly review and request modification of access rights. Access rights are the permissions and privileges granted to users to access, view, modify, or delete data or resources on a system or network1. Excessive rights are access rights that are not necessary or appropriate for a user's role or function, and may pose a risk of unauthorized or inappropriate use of data or resources2. Therefore, it is important to ensure that access rights are aligned with the principle of least privilege, which means that users should only have the minimum level of access required to perform their duties2.
Line management is responsible for overseeing and supervising the activities and performance of their staff, and ensuring that they comply with the organization's policies and standards3. Therefore, line management should regularly review and request modification of access rights for their staff, as they are in the best position to:
Understand the roles and functions of their staff, and determine the appropriate level of access rights needed for them to perform their duties effectively and efficiently.
Monitor and evaluate the usage and behavior of their staff, and identify any changes or anomalies that may indicate excessive or inappropriate access rights.
Communicate and collaborate with IT security or system administrators, who are responsible for granting, revoking, or modifying access rights, and request any necessary adjustments or corrections.