Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0476

Which of the following questions are least likely to help in assessing controls covering audit trails?

A. Does the audit trail provide a trace of user actions?
B. Are incidents monitored and tracked until resolved?
C. Is access to online logs strictly controlled?
D. Is there separation of duties between security personnel who administer the access control function and those who administer the audit trail?

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Audit trails maintain a record of system activity by system or application processes and by user activity. In conjunction with appropriate tools and procedures, audit trails can provide individual accountability, a means to reconstruct events, detect intrusions, and identify problems. Audit trail controls are considered technical controls. Monitoring and tracking of incidents is more an operational control related to incident response capability.
Reference(s) used for this question:
SWANSON, Marianne, NIST Special Publication 800-26, Security Self-Assessment Guide for Information Technology Systems, November 2001 (Pages A-50 to A-51).
NOTE: NIST SP 800-26 has been superceded By: FIPS 200, SP 800-53, SP 800-53A You can find the new replacement at: http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html However, if you really wish to see the old standard, it is listed as an archived document at: http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPArch.html