CTPRP Exam Dumps - Shared Assessments Third Party Risk Management Questions and Answers

 An IT asset management program is a set of processes and tools that help an organization manage its IT assets throughout their lifecycle, from acquisition to disposal. An IT asset management program should include the following components1234:

• Maintaining inventories of systems, connections, and software applications: This component involves creating and updating a comprehensive and accurate list of all IT assets owned or used by the organization, including their location, ownership, configuration, and status. This helps the organization optimize the use of its IT resources, reduce costs, and ensure compliance with licensing and regulatory requirements.
• Tracking and monitoring availability of vendor updates and any timelines for end of support: This component involves keeping track of the latest updates, patches, and security fixes provided by the vendors of the IT assets, as well as the end-of-life dates and support options for the assets. This helps the organization maintain the security, performance, and functionality of its IT assets, and plan for timely replacement or migration of obsolete or unsupported assets.
• Identifying and tracking adherence to IT asset end-of-life policy: This component involves defining and implementing a policy for retiring and disposing of IT assets that are no longer needed, useful, or supported by the organization. This helps the organization reduce risks, costs, and environmental impacts associated with IT asset disposal, and ensure compliance with data protection and disposal regulations.

Defining application security standards for internally developed applications is not a component of an IT asset management program, but rather a component of an application development and security program. An application development and security program is a set of processes and tools that help an organization design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain secure and reliable applications, whether they are internally developed or acquired from external sources. An application development and security program should include the following components5 :

• Defining application security standards for internally developed applications: This component involves establishing and enforcing a set of security requirements and best practices for the applications developed by the organization, such as secure coding, testing, and deployment methodologies, security controls, and vulnerability management. This helps the organization ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its applications and data, and prevent or mitigate security breaches and incidents.
• Performing application security assessments for externally acquired applications: This component involves conducting security reviews and audits of the applications acquired from external sources, such as vendors, partners, or open source communities, before integrating them into the organization’s IT environment. This helps the organization identify and address any security risks, gaps, or weaknesses in the applications, and ensure compatibility and compliance with the organization’s security policies and standards.

References:

• ITAM: The ultimate guide to IT asset management
• IT asset management: 10 best practices for success
• Asset Management: The Five Core Components
• The Fundamentals of Asset Management
• Application Development and Security Program
• Application Security Best Practices

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud deployment model that provides users with access to software applications over the internet, without requiring them to install, maintain, or update the software on their own devices. SaaS is primarily focused on the application layer, as it delivers the complete functionality of the software to the end users, while abstracting away the underlying infrastructure, platform, and middleware layers. SaaS providers are responsible for managing the servers, databases, networks, security, and scalability of the software, as well as ensuring its availability, performance, and compliance. SaaS users only pay for the software usage, usually on a subscription or pay-per-use basis, and can access the software from any device and location, as long as they have an internet connection. Some examples of SaaS applications are Gmail, Salesforce, Dropbox, and Netflix. References:

• Shared Assessments CTPRP Study Guide, page 15, section 2.2.2
• Cloud Computing Deployment Models and Architectures, section on Cloud Computing Models
• Layered Architecture of Cloud, section on Application Layer

Continuous monitoring is a process of collecting and analyzing data on the performance and security of third-party vendors on an ongoing basis. Continuous monitoring helps to identify and mitigate potential risks, such as data breaches, credential exposures, insider fraud/theft, and other cyber incidents, that may affect the organization and its customers. Continuous monitoring can use various techniques, such as monitoring surface, vulnerabilities, passive and active indicators of compromise, and business intelligence.

Passive and active indicators of compromise are examples of continuous monitoring techniques that track the signs of malicious activity or compromise on the third-party vendor’s systems or networks. Passive indicators of compromise are data sources that do not require direct interaction with the target, such as threat intelligence feeds, dark web monitoring, or external scanning. Active indicators of compromise are data sources that require direct interaction with the target, such as penetration testing, malware analysis, or incident response. Both passive and active indicators of compromise can provide valuable information on the current state and potential threats of the third-party vendor’s environment.

The other options are not examples of continuous monitoring techniques that track breach, credential exposure and insider fraud/theft alerts. Monitoring surface is a technique that measures the size and complexity of the third-party vendor’s attack surface, such as the number and type of internet-facing assets, domains, and services. Vulnerabilities are a technique that identifies the weaknesses or flaws in the third-party vendor’s systems or applications that can be exploited by attackers, such as outdated software, misconfigurations, or unpatched bugs. Business intelligence is a technique that analyzes the business performance and reputation of the third-party vendor, such as financial stability, customer satisfaction, or regulatory compliance. References:

• Guide: Continuous Monitoring for Third-Party Risk
• Continuous Monitoring - Third Party Risk Management
• 12 Ongoing Monitoring Best Practices for Third-Party Risk Management

Business Continuity or Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) plans are designed to ensure the continuity of critical business functions and processes in the event of a disruption or disaster. BC/DR plans should include annual testing activities to validate the effectiveness and readiness of the plans, as well as to identify and address any gaps or weaknesses. Testing activities should cover the three main areas of BC/DR: people, processes, and technology12.

The four options given in the question represent different types of testing activities that may be included in the BC/DR plans. However, option D is the least likely to be included, as it is not a mandatory or common practice for most organizations. While it is beneficial to involve third party service providers in the BC/DR testing, as they may play a vital role in the recovery process, it is not a requirement or a standard for most industries. Third party service providers may have their own BC/DR plans and testing schedules, which may not align with the organization’s plans and objectives. Moreover, requiring their participation in industry exercises may pose challenges in terms of coordination, confidentiality, and cost34.

Therefore, option D is the correct answer, as it is the least likely to be included in the annual testing activities for BC/DR plans. The other options are more likely to be included, as they are essential for ensuring the availability and functionality of the technology, processes, and personnel that support the critical business operations. These options are:

• A. Plans to enable technology and business operations to be resumed at a back-up site. This is a common testing activity that involves simulating a disaster scenario that affects the primary site and activating the back-up site to resume the operations. This tests the technical infrastructure, data backup and recovery, and operational procedures of the BC/DR plan12.
• B. Process to validate that specific databases can be accessed by applications at the designated location. This is a common testing activity that involves verifying that the data and applications that are critical for the business functions are accessible and functional at the recovery location. This tests the data integrity, security, and compatibility of the BC/DR plan12.
• C. Ability for business personnel to perform their functions at an alternate work space location. This is a common testing activity that involves relocating the key staff to an alternate location and having them perform their normal duties. This tests the communication, coordination, and productivity of the BC/DR plan12.

References:

• 1: How to Test a Business Continuity Disaster Recovery (BCDR) Plan
• 2: Business Continuity or Disaster Recovery Testing and Training Guidelines
• 3: Third Party Risk Management and Business Continuity Planning
• 4: Third Party Risk Management: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery