2005 Itgc Example - Racf
2005 Itgc Example - Racf
Purpose: The purpose of this document is to provided engagement teams with example audit procedures related to RACF. This
document is to be considered as guidance only. It is not to be interpreted as a minimum or maximum standard and may not be
applicable to all client environments. The engagement team must consider the specifics of their engagement and use professional
judgment in determining which procedures to perform.
Updates/Suggestions: Please e-mail any updates or suggestions for improvement to James Kellogg (jkellogg@kpmg.com)
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Purpose
The purpose of this working paper is to document our understanding of IT general controls (ITGC),
our assessment of the effectiveness of the IT general controls and our tests of controls.
This working paper also documents our understanding and evaluation of management’s
documentation of IT general controls, including our evaluation of management’s process for
determining which controls are tested and process for evaluating the design and operating
effectiveness of the IT general controls.
This working paper should be completed for each location where IT processing of key
financial reporting data occurs. Certain areas of this working paper may not be applicable for
all locations. In the table below we identify the location being tested and the relevant
applications hosted there.
1.
Relevant applications:
2.
Contents
The working paper is divided into the following sections:
Instructions
Walkthrough
IT General Controls
V. End-user Computing
Appendix
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Applicability
Completion of this working paper is required for all engagements requiring both a financial
statement audit and an audit of internal control over financial reporting when IT applications are used
in a process affecting a significant account at a location, unless the significant account is immaterial
at that location. Certain sections of this working paper may not be applicable and are marked as such
by the engagement team and not deleted.
This integrated audit working paper is intended to facilitate performance of an integrated audit and
document compliance with applicable KPMG policies and PCAOB standards. Engagement teams
must document performance of all procedures included herein.
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Instructions
General
In the event that the client operates from multiple locations, we will first need to assess which
locations house/utilize applications that process major classes of transactions or significant accounts.
Then we will determine which IT general controls are applicable in each of these locations. If more
than one IT general control process exists in a given category (e.g., two change management
processes exist, each for a different application or data center), each should be documented in
separate ITGC documents. IT general controls, by nature, are not limited to individual applications.
A single IT general control may relate to multiple in-scope applications.
Integrated Audit
The purpose of an integrated audit is to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support our
opinions on both the financial statements (FSA) and internal control over financial reporting
(ICOFR).The nature, timing, and extent of our procedures may vary based on the nature of the audit:
n ICOFR audit:
IT General Controls Scope – we document IT general controls for each application that
processes major classes of transactions or significant accounts, and
Results of Testing – the results of our tests support our opinion as it relates to the
effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting as of the financial
statement year-end.
n FSA:
IT General Controls Scope – we document IT general controls for each application where we
are placing reliance on application controls or system generated reports, and
Results of Testing – the results of our tests support our opinion as it relates to the
effectiveness of the company’s internal control during the period under audit.
Walkthrough
Walkthroughs are required for every audit objective. To the extent that IT general controls are
process-based (e.g., change control procedures, access authorization approvals, problem management
approvals) and affect an application that processes a major class of transactions, such controls should
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be documented in a walkthrough. We do not use the work of others for the performance of
walkthroughs. Walkthroughs provide us with evidence to:
n confirm our understanding of the design of controls that mitigate risk points (including those
related to the prevention or detection of fraud)
A walkthrough requires us to trace a single transaction through each step of the company’s
information system, including those controls that we intend to evaluate. While performing a
walkthrough, we evaluate the quality of the evidence obtained and perform procedures that produce a
level of evidence consistent with the objectives listed above. Rather than reviewing copies of
documents and making inquiries of a single person at the company, we should follow the process
flow of actual transactions using the same documents and information technology that company
personnel use and make inquiries of relevant personnel involved in significant aspects of the process
or controls. To corroborate information at various points in the walkthrough, we might ask personnel
to describe their understanding of the previous and succeeding processing or control activities and to
demonstrate what they do. In addition, inquiries should include follow-up questions that could help
identify the abuse of controls or indicators of fraud.
n what they do when they find an error or what they are looking for to determine if there is an error
(rather than simply asking them if they perform listed procedures and controls); what kind of
errors they have found; what happened as a result of finding the errors, and how the errors were
resolved. If the person being interviewed has never found an error, we should evaluate whether
that is due to good preventive controls or whether the individual performing the control lacks the
necessary skills, and
n whether they have never been asked to override the process or controls, and if so, to describe the
situation, why it occurred, and what happened.
We may be able to evaluate the design effectiveness of controls while performing our walkthroughs.
The design effectiveness for the specific controls to be tested is documented within the Audit
Procedure Performed and Results section of this document.
If changes occurred in the process activities or flow of transactions subsequent to our walkthrough,
we perform additional walkthrough procedures over the portion of the process involving the change.
We can often gain an understanding of the transaction flow, identify and understand controls, and
conduct the walkthrough simultaneously.
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Management’s assessment
Document our evaluation of management’s assessment for the related audit objective. Specifically,
address the following key considerations:
n does management’s documentation include the results of management’s testing and evaluation
Inquiry alone will not usually provide sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support a conclusion
about the effectiveness of a control. We focus on combinations of controls, in addition to specific
controls in isolation, when assessing whether the objectives of the control criteria have been achieved.
Also in this section of the working paper, we conclude on the design and operating effectiveness of
the controls over this audit objective and document any deficiencies noted. These deficiencies are
transferred to the Summary of Internal Control Deficiencies – Integrated (SICD). Weaknesses in
pervasive controls cause the auditor to alter the nature, timing, or extent of tests of operating
effectiveness that otherwise would have been performed. Document the impact of any deficiencies
on the planned testing of operating effectiveness of other controls.
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Roll forward
When control operating effectiveness is tested at an interim date, the auditor obtains additional
evidence concerning the operation of the control for the remaining period up to and including the “as
of” date. For all IT general controls tested at an interim date, procedures (i.e., additional testing) must
be performed to roll forward the interim testing to period-end. The nature of the procedures may vary
based on the length of the roll forward period and the nature of the control. Procedures for longer roll
forward periods may include the selection of additional test items and inquiry. Procedures for shorter
roll forward periods may primarily include inquiry, but may also be supplemented with other testing
as appropriate. In accordance with Firm guidelines, IT general controls must always be tested in the
roll forward period.
Roll forward procedures performed to test control operating effectiveness may provide additional
evidence of a control’s operating effectiveness on the “as of” date only when such procedures are
performed during the period beginning no earlier than three months prior to the “as of” date.
Accordingly, the roll forward period may not exceed three months.
Documentation of the nature, timing and extent of audit procedures performed during the roll forward
period, up to and including the “as of” date, including the related findings and conclusions, is
addressed in the table Audit Procedures Performed and Results presented in each audit objective
section of this document.
We consider inquiring about the following matters during the roll forward period that may impact
conclusions reached regarding control operating effectiveness at the interim testing date:
n significant new positions or changes in job roles or responsibilities, including employee turnover
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Walkthroughs
While performing a walkthrough, we evaluate the quality of the evidence obtained and perform
procedures that produce a level of evidence consistent with the audit objectives presented.
We may be able to evaluate the design effectiveness of controls while performing our walkthroughs.
The design effectiveness for the specific controls to be tested is documented within the control matrix
in this document.
If changes occurred in the process activities or flow of transactions subsequent to our walkthrough,
we perform additional walkthrough procedures over the portion of the process involving the change.
We can often gain an understanding of the transaction flow, identify and understand controls, and
conduct the walkthrough simultaneously.
To the extent that IT general controls are activity-based (e.g., change control procedures, access
authorization approvals, problem management approvals) and affect an application that processes a
major class of transactions, such controls should be documented in a walkthrough.
(1)
If a walkthrough is performed, we document who performed the walkthrough, date of performance and
related working paper reference in this column. If no walkthrough is performed, we document the engagement
team’s rationale in this column.
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Consider the following guidance for each of the platforms used in the financial reporting process, such as applications, operating systems, and databases.
I.A Audit Objective: Determine that information security is managed to guide consistent implementation of security practices and that users are
aware of the organization's position with regard to information security, as it pertains to financial reporting data
An inconsistent approach to managing information security across the organization may impact the integrity and availability of system resources.
Management sets a clear direction and demonstrates support and commitment to information security through the issuance and maintenance of an
information security policy. The policy is communicated throughout the organization to users in an accessible and understandable form, with the
responsibility for its implementation and compliance shared by all members of management.
(
(
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies2) procedures/Date deficiencies2) Date/W/P ref
2 Expected Key Control # I- Interim procedures: Result: Interim procedures: Result:
A2: The company has See TOE. See TOE. Obtain and inspect
adopted a formalized Deficiencies, if applicable: the company’s RACF Deficiencies, if
RACF security policy that See TOE. information security applicable:
provides adequate policies and
guidance for RACF procedures for
information security within adequacy.
the organization. Guidance: Typically,
the following areas
should be addressed:
Password
controls and
other
configurable
security settings
User addition,
termination,
transfer process
for setup and
removal and
modifications of
user access
Third Party
Vendor Setup
(Vendor
Qualification)
SOD assessment
(i.e. Schedule of
Conflicting
Options, etc)
Determine/assess
the access
methods (LAN,
Citrix, dial-up,
etc) to the
mainframe
environment.
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies2) procedures/Date deficiencies2) Date/W/P ref
Roll forward Result: Roll forward Result:
procedures: N/A procedures:
N/A N/A Deficiencies, if
Deficiencies, if applicable: applicable
N/A
I.B Audit Objective: Determine that logical and physical access to IT computing resources is appropriately restricted by the implementation of
identification, authentication and authorization mechanisms to reduce the risk of authorized/inappropriate access to the organization’s
relevant financial reporting applications or data
Appropriate controls are in place to ensure that there are sufficient physical and logical security controls in place for applications and systems that support
financial reporting (e.g., network, infrastructure, applications, databases, etc.) to protect against authorized/inappropriate access.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE procedures/Date Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies2) deficiencies2) Date/W/P
ref
activities of users with
the SPECIAL or 3) Password complexity (Guidance:
OPERATIONS RULEn parameter establishes password
attributes, (2) RACF syntax rules including e.g. numeric;
command violations, alphanumeric; special characters of
(3) RACF command selected positions in the password.
and RACFDEF macro Report syntax may display RULE #
routine activity, can LENGTH (min, max) combination of
be letters e.g. AANN*** LEGEND A-
activated/deactivated ALPHA, C-CONSONANT,L-
only by users with ALPHANUM,N-NUMERIC,V-VOWEL,W-
AUDITOR attribute. NOVOWEL,*-ANYTHING).
All uses of the RACF
SETROPTS command 4) # of Unsuccessful Attempts Before
are logged to SMF Lockout
records and should be (Guidance: REVOKE / NOREVOKE
reviewed regularly by parameter establishes unsuccessful
appropriate security password verification attempts, allowing
policy by appropriate an installation to specify the number of
security password verification attempts that RACF
administration is allowed to permit before RACF revokes
personnel. the user ID of the user attempting to enter
the system (between 1 and 254). Users
with the SPECIAL attribute have the
authority to remove the REVOKE status.
If the NOREVOKE option is in effect,
unsuccessful password verification
attempts are ignored. Report syntax may
read: “AFTER X CONSECUTIVE
UNSUCCESSFUL PASSWORD
ATTEMPTS, A USER ID WILL BE
REVOKED”).
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of Description of TOE procedures/Date Results of Done by/
# procedures/Date TOD and TOE and Date/W/P ref
deficiencies(2) deficiencies(2)
4 Expected Key Control # I- Interim procedures: Interim procedures: Result:
B4: Powerful RACF Review 1. Reviewed sensitive RACF ids. Determine
system level IDs (e.g. documentation / which users are assigned the SPECIAL or Deficiencies,
security administration ids) policies and procedures AUDITOR user attribute and confirm limited if applicable:
are restricted to a defined and/or corroborate with use / knowledge. If available, review the RACF
set of system management (specify Data Security Monitor Selected User Attribute
administration personnel name/title of person(s) Report or have the RACF Security
based on their job function. interviewed) to confirm Administrator provide some other report.
who has administrative Ascertain with RACF Security Administrator
access to the security whether it is appropriate for these users to have
administration function these capabilities. .
and other special
authorities on the
RACF.
(
(
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of Description of TOE procedures/Date Results of Done by/
# procedures/Date TOD and TOE and Date/W/P ref
deficiencies2) deficiencies2)
2. Review security around RACF database, Result:
Under powerful system where sensitive RACF configuration functions
id section: Deficiencies,
are managed. Determine who is authorized to
Guidance: Use of the if applicable:
RVARY command and access the RACF database and if access is
other installation protected by RACF. Determine what universal
defined passwords access authority (UACC) level has been
needs to be controlled. assigned to the RACF database. One method
The RVARY command of determination is to review the Data Security
can be used to Monitor Selected Data Sets Report to
deactivate RACF and determine all the dataset names for all RACF
switch RACF datasets. primary and back-up data sets and ensure the
Use of this command universal access authority is set to the
requires no special appropriate level and that primary and backup
authority. data sets reside on separate volumes. The
LISTDSD command can be used to list profile
information for all RACF datasets. Review the
access lists and access authorities to determine
which users and groups are authorized to
access the data sets and that the access level is
appropriate. Use the LISTGRP command to
determine the users connected to any groups
authorized to access the RACF data sets and
determine if appropriate. Review the Data
Security Monitor Selected User Attribute
Report to determine which users have been
assigned SPECIAL, OPERATIONS, or
AUDITOR attributes and ascertain for
appropriateness.
Inquire if SMF data is relevant in this
installation. If so, inquire as to who can update
SMF data and determine if appropriate.
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies(2) procedures/Date deficiencies(2) Date/W/P ref
4 Expected Key Control # I- Interim procedures: Result: Interim procedures: Result:
B4: Critical datasets are See TOE. See TOE. 1. Identify the sample
properly secured by RACF of sensitive / critical Deficiencies, if
system so that update Deficiencies, if applicable: datasets related to applicable:
capabilities are only See TOE. applications in-scope.
provided to appropriate Obtain the RACF
company personnel. Data Security
Monitor Selected
Data Sets Report or
equivalent evidence
to review the UACC
level assigned to the
sensitive data sets.
Confirm that the
sensitive datasets are
assigned an Universal
Access Authority
(UACC) level of
NONE. Confirm
who is responsible
for determining and
approving and
continually reviewing
UACC levels
assigned.
(
(
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies2) procedures/Date deficiencies2) Date/W/P ref
update access with
the Security
Administrator and/or
Business Process
Owner, OR review
evidence showing
appropriate approval
was obtained for the
users and the groups
included in the access
list and the access
authorities assigned
to each and confirm it
is appropriate given
their job
responsibilities.
Guidance: RACF
does not protect
datasets unless they
have been
specifically defined to
RACF or the
“PROTECTALL”
option has been
activated for the
dataset. All resource
profiles including
Data Sets, have a
Universal Access
Authority Level,
which specifies the
access authority level
of a user who is not
specifically included
in the access list in
the resource profile.
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies2) procedures/Date deficiencies2) Date/W/P ref
2. (Optional) If the
“Always-Call”
function is not
present on system
and
“PROTECTALL”
option is inactive,
determine that the
RACF indicator for
datasets protected by
general profiles has
been activated.
3. (Optional)
Through inquiry/
observation
determine what
security events are
logged and whether
they are reported,
reviewed and
followed up by
responsible party.
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies2) procedures/Date deficiencies2) Date/W/P ref
4. (Optional) With
the assistance of
Security
Administrator,
challenge the
effectiveness of
RACF authorization
by attempting to
access datasets using
a user ID that is not
authorized to access
the datasets. Trace
security violations to
RACF security
report.
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies(2) procedures/Date deficiencies(2) Date/W/P ref
11 Expected Key Control I- Interim procedures: Result: Interim Procedures: Result:
B11: Security violations
are logged and reviewed Review Deficiencies, if applicable: Inspect logs related to Deficiencies, if
on timely basis for documentation / RACF and Incident applicable:
appropriate action to be policies and procedures Management (e.g.
taken. Alternatively, audit and/or corroborate with Peregrine) problem
log is available. management (specify tickets tickets and
name/title of person(s) inquire with
interviewed) to confirm Management to
that security violations determine that access
are logged and to powerful systems
independently reviewed is restricted to a
on timely basis for defined set of system
appropriate action to be administrators/small
taken. Confirm if group of people to
evidence of review is preserve
retained and how often accountability and
review takes place. that all access is
logged. Corroborate
with management
and inspect security
logs to determine that
effective mechanisms
are in place to log
security activity and
identify potential
violations and
escalate as necessary.
For example,
determined that
access to mainframe
is logged via
DSMON Report and
determine how often
it is reviewed by
RACF Security
(
(
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies2) procedures/Date deficiencies2) Date/W/P ref
Roll forward Result: Roll forward Result:
procedures: procedures:
Deficiencies, if applicable: Deficiencies, if
N/A applicable
Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies(2) procedures/Date deficiencies(2) Date/W/P ref
6 Expected Key Control # I- Interim procedures: Result: Interim procedures: Result:
B6: Physical access to the
RACF server is properly Review Deficiencies, if applicable: Refer to general Deficiencies, if
restricted documentation / program for data applicable:
policies and procedures center general
and/or corroborate with physical and
management (specify environmental
name/title of person(s) security.
interviewed) to confirm
that physical security
associated with the
mainframe servers are
restricted to appropriate
personnel (e.g. IT).
Roll forward Result: Roll forward Result:
procedures: procedures:
Deficiencies, if applicable: Deficiencies, if
N/A applicable
(
(
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Ref Control description Description of TOD Results of TOD and Description of TOE Results of TOE and Done by/
# procedures/Date deficiencies(2) procedures/Date deficiencies(2) Date/W/P ref
6 Expected Key Control # I- Interim procedures: Result: Interim procedures: Result:
B6: Physical access to the
RACF server is properly Review Deficiencies, if applicable: Refer to general Deficiencies, if
restricted documentation / program for data applicable:
policies and procedures center general
and/or corroborate with physical and
management (specify environmental
name/title of person(s) security.
interviewed) to confirm
that physical security
associated with the
mainframe servers are
restricted to appropriate
personnel (e.g. IT).
Roll forward Result: Roll forward Result:
procedures: procedures:
Deficiencies, if applicable: Deficiencies, if
N/A applicable
(
(
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I.C Audit Objective: Determine that procedures have been established so that user accounts are added, modified and deleted in a timely
manner to reduce the risk of unauthorized/inappropriate access to the organization’s relevant financial reporting applications or data
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that users are assigned access rights in accordance with their job functions as well as over the process to
request, authorize, establish, issue, modify, suspend and close user accounts and access rights to organizational information systems in a timely manner.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section I.C of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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I.D Audit Objective: Determine that effective controls are in place to monitor the maintenance of access rights to the organization’s relevant
financial reporting applications or data
Controls are in place so that management/information owners conduct periodic reviews of access to the organization's financial system resources and
other confidential/critical data, to confirm the appropriateness of these access rights.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section I.D of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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I.E Audit Objective: Determine that controls used to provide appropriate segregation of duties within key processes exist and are followed
Controls are in place to allow for proper segregation of duties and responsibilities for authorizing transactions, recording transactions, and maintaining
custody to prevent individuals from being in a position to both perpetrate and conceal an error or irregularity.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section I.E of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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Changes to existing systems/applications are authorized, tested, approved, properly implemented and documented.
II.A Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to ensure that any changes to the systems/applications providing control over
financial reporting have been properly authorized by an appropriate level of management
For a company to have an effective program change process in place, system application and infrastructure changes need to be approved and signed off
by an appropriate level of both business and IT management prior to development to ensure that the changes are technically feasible and have considered
financial reporting objectives.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section II.A of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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II.B Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to ensure that changes to applications and systems used during the financial
reporting process are tested, validated, and approved prior to being placed into production
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that changes which are made to the IT systems are tested, validated, and approved prior to
implementation into the production environment. This is to ensure that the changes will meet the user requirements and that the changes will not have a
negative impact on any of the existing controls.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section II.B of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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II.C Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to restrict access for migrating changes into the production environment for systems
and applications used during the financial reporting process
Only a limited number of personnel should have access to migrate changes to the production environment to ensure that this process is well controlled
and only tested, authorized, and properly approved changes are migrated into production.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section II.C of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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II.D Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to ensure that system and application configuration changes related to financial
reporting are validated, approved and tested as necessary
Configuration settings are a key component of many information systems. Configuration settings frequently can impact the design and/or operating
effectiveness of ICOFR. Generally, these settings are subjected to change control procedures to maintain the integrity of ICOFR provided by information
systems.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section II.D of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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II.E Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to appropriately address emergency changes to systems, applications and
infrastructure configuration
Controls are in place to ensure changes requiring immediate implementation are properly handled, allowing for timely change and no impact to systems
and applications related to the financial reporting process.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section II.E of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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New systems/applications being developed or acquired are authorized, tested, approved, properly implemented and documented.
Note: This section refers to the controls in place for the development of new systems/applications or major changes to existing applications (i.e.,
upgrades, conversions and major infrastructure changes). For changes that are made to existing systems, refer to Program Changes Section.
III.A Audit Objective: Determine that management has controls in place to ensure that new program and infrastructure developments and
acquisitions have been approved by an appropriate level of both IT and business management
There is a formal process in place for each new program development or acquisition to be approved and signed off by an appropriate level of business and
IT management to ensure that the development is feasible, integrates with the existing IT infrastructure and business processes, and considers financial
reporting objectives.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section III.A of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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III.B Audit Objective: Determine that management has controls in place to ensure that an adequate program development methodology is in
place and is followed for the development or acquisition of systems/applications used during the financial reporting process
There is a proper, formal program development methodology in place, which guides the process for developing, acquiring, and implementing the IT
systems used during the financial reporting process. This is to ensure that a structured approach is followed for each new program development so that
the potential risks to the financial reporting controls are adequately assessed and mitigated.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section III.B of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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III.C Audit Objective: Determine that controls exist to ensure there is adequate testing for the development or acquisition of
systems/applications used during the financial reporting process and that testing is signed off by both the users at an appropriate level of IT and
business management
Programs and system developments (application and infrastructure) are fully tested in a testing environment prior to implementation to ensure that the
changes that are made will meet users needs, that the controls in place adequately cover the risks to the company and that the new system will be able to
integrate with the company’s existing systems.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section III.C of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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III.D Audit Objective: Determine that there are controls in place to ensure that data migrated to the new application or system used during the
financial reporting process retains its integrity
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that data are migrated accurately and completely from old to new systems.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section III.D of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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System/application processing is appropriately authorized and scheduled and deviations from scheduled processing are identified and resolved.
IV.A Audit Objective: Determine that management has implemented procedures to ensure accuracy, completeness, and timely processing of
system jobs, including batch jobs and interfaces, for relevant financial reporting applications or data
There should be controls over the design and execution of system jobs, including confirmation that the jobs were completed on time, accurately, and in
the proper order.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section IV.A of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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IV.B Audit Objective: Determine that management has implemented appropriate backup and recovery procedures so that data, transactions
and programs that are necessary for financial reporting can be recovered
There are appropriate controls in place so that all critical data, transactions and programs are backed up on a defined schedule and that the backups are
complete, accurate and can be recovered if needed. A company's business continuity or contingency planning has no effect on the company's current
abilities to initiate, authorize, record, process, or report financial data. Therefore, a company's business continuity or contingency planning is not part of
internal control over financial reporting.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section IV.B of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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IV.C Audit Objective: Determine that effective procedures exist and are followed to periodically test the effectiveness of the restoration process
and the quality of backup media relevant to systems and applications used during the financial reporting process
There should be appropriate controls in place so that backups are tested on a periodic basis to ensure that the backup tapes are not corrupt and can be used
if required. A company's business continuity or contingency planning has no effect on the company's current abilities to initiate, authorize, record,
process, or report financial data. Therefore, a company's business continuity or contingency planning is not part of internal control over financial
reporting.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section IV.C of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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IV.D Audit Objective: Determine that appropriate controls are in place over the backup media for systems and applications used during the
financial reporting process, including that only authorized people have access to the tapes and tape-storage
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that the backup media is stored in a secure location that only authorized people have access to it. This is
to mitigate the risk of backup media being damaged or of unauthorized users gaining access to the sensitive information contained thereon.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section IV.D of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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IV.E Audit Objective: Determine that management has defined and implemented problem management procedures to record, analyze, and
resolve incidents, problems, and errors for systems and applications used during the financial reporting process in a timely manner
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that system problems that could potentially have an impact on the financial reporting process are
identified and resolved in a timely manner.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section IV.E of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(1)
- Refer to the Instructions Section of this working paper for key considerations.
(2)
- Deficiencies listed here must also be recorded in the SICD working paper.
(
(
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V. End-user Computing
End-user computing (e.g., spreadsheets and other user-developed programs) provides a unique set of general control needs within an organization. By its
nature, end-user computing brings the development and processing of information systems closer to the user. This environment may not be subjected to
the same level of rigor and structure as the IT general controls environment in a data center.
Providing the end-users with tools to assist in decision-making does not eliminate the need for information technology general controls. The output of
end-user computing processes frequently appears as an authoritative document that will be relied on by management in financial reporting. When an
organization uses end-user computing to support a major class of transactions or as part of the financial reporting process, IT general controls should be
adopted to achieve the same objectives as described in previous sections of this document. Many of the controls in this environment may be manual in
nature and/or may not be subject to the IT organization’s control environment or IT general controls.
The organization may support end-user computing with general controls consistent with its level of sophistication. Such general controls should,
however, address access to programs and data, program change, program development and computer operations.
V.A Audit Objective: Determine that management has implemented appropriate policies and procedures to ensure IT General Controls are
properly applied to end-user computing environment
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that policies to address IT general controls over critical data, transactions, and programs being
maintained by end-users exist and are being followed.
Note: Generally these controls are housed outside the IT area and therefore it is appropriate to document the work performed for end-user computing
and IT general controls over end-user computing in the Audit Program(s) - Integrated for the respective audit objective.
NOTE: As no RACF-specific functionality exists regarding this audit objective, reference section V.A of the General ITGC
Audit Guidance.
(
(
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Appendix
This appendix provides supplemental guidance to the IT General Controls Document – Integrated
(“ITGC”) and is not required to be printed and filed in the working papers.
For each audit objective indicated in the ITGC, a number of example controls are listed in this appendix,
which demonstrates what may be necessary to achieve the stated audit objective. However, the controls
listed need not always be in place to achieve the audit objective, and the audit team must use judgment to
make the determination as to which controls are applicable. The factors to be considered in making this
judgment may include the overall complexity of the information technology environment, the size and
complexity of the related applications, or the existence of any other controls that may achieve the same (or
similar) objective.
Many of the controls listed in this appendix also contain “example control considerations”, which should
be considered in the determination of the design or operational effectiveness of the control. However, the
“example control considerations” need not all be present or functioning effectively for the control to be
deemed effective.
Evaluation of deficiencies
A control deficiency exists when the design or operation of a control, which is determined to be necessary
to achieve the audit objective, does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of
performing their assigned function, to prevent or detect material misstatements on a timely basis.
n a deficiency in design exists when (a) a control necessary to meet the control objective is missing or
(b) an existing control in not properly designed so that, even if the control operates as designed, the
control objective is not always met, and
n a deficiency in operation exists when a properly designed control does not operate as designed, or
when the person performing the control does not possess the necessary authority or qualifications to
perform the control effectively.
Each control deficiency should be carried forward to the Summary of Internal Control Deficiencies –
Integrated (SICD) working paper, where it will be evaluated for severity and for its impact on the
integrated audit and our reports.
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I.A Audit Objective: Determine that information security is managed to guide consistent
implementation of security practices and that users are aware of the organization's position
with regard to information security, as it pertains to financial reporting data
An inconsistent approach to managing information security across the organization may impact the
integrity and availability of system resources.
Management sets a clear direction and demonstrates support and commitment to information security
through the issuance and maintenance of an information security policy. The policy is communicated
throughout the organization to users in an accessible and understandable form, with the responsibility for
its implementation and compliance shared by all members of management.
Example Controls:
A.1 The company has established an information security function that is appropriately aligned within
the organization.
A.2 The company has adopted a formal security policy that provides guidance for information security
within the organization and includes within its scope all aspects of the IT environment relevant to
financial reporting applications and data (e.g., networks, perimeter security, operation system
security, application security, acceptable systems use).
I.B Audit Objective: Determine that logical and physical access to IT computing resources is
appropriately restricted by the implementation of identification, authentication and
authorization mechanisms to reduce the risk of unauthorized/inappropriate access to the
organization’s relevant financial reporting applications or data
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Appropriate controls are in place to ensure that there are sufficient physical and logical security controls in
place for applications and systems that support financial reporting (e.g., network, infrastructure,
applications, databases, etc.) to protect against unauthorized/inappropriate access.
Example Controls:
B.1 The organization has established an authentication mechanism for in-scope information systems
that provides individual accountability.
B.2 If passwords are used for authentication, the organization should have established rules for
password management and syntax.
B.3 The organization has established a rule based authorization mechanism that provides access to
system and application resources based on job function.
B.4 Management has designed and implemented security policies and procedures for direct data
access. (i.e., access bypassing application controls).
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B.5 If stronger authentication methods are used, the organization should have established management
processes to: prevent users or other personnel from bypassing system authentication; and provide
for appropriate administration of the authentication mechanisms.
B.6 There are procedures in place for the management of users and user privileges for in-scope
systems. The management procedures require formal approvals for the establishment of users and
granting of privileges.
B.7 Access to powerful system level ID (e.g., root, administrator, security administration ids, batch
processing ids) for in-scope systems is restricted to a defined set of system administration
personnel.
B.8 Access to powerful application system level ID (e.g., ID with SAP_ALL or SAP*, ID with
PeopleSoft Administration, ID with powerful Oracle “FND_” Functions) for in-scope applications
is restricted to a defined set of system administration personnel.
B.9 Access to powerful application functional-level ID that are used to initiate critical financial
transactions are restricted to the appropriate users.
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B.10 Physical Access to computer facilities that house the financial applications is restricted to
appropriate personnel.
B.11 Effective mechanisms are in place to log security activity and identify potential violations and
then escalate and act upon them in a timely manner to reduce the risk of
unauthorized/inappropriate access to the organization’s relevant financial reporting applications or
data.
B.12 Security configuration settings are reviewed periodically to ensure consistency with security
policy.
I.C Audit Objective: Determine that procedures have been established so that user accounts are
added, modified and deleted in a timely manner to reduce the risk of
unauthorized/inappropriate access to the organization's relevant financial reporting
applications or data
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that users are assigned access rights in accordance with
their job functions as well as over the process to request, authorize, establish, issue, modify, suspend and
close user accounts and access rights to organizational information systems in a timely manner.
Example Controls:
C.1 An effective mechanism is in place to ensure that access is appropriately modified or revoked
when changes in job function through transfer or termination occur.
C.2 Changes to access rights are performed immediately after the user is terminated to minimize the
likelihood of system abuse or sabotage.
C.3 Security administration personnel effectively communicate changes to access rights to appropriate
management.
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C.4 The organization has controls in place to ensure proper management of data access settings (e.g.,
data file permission)
I.D Audit Objective: Determine that effective control processes are in place to monitor the
maintenance of access rights to the organization’s relevant financial reporting applications
or data
Controls are in place so that management/information owners conduct periodic reviews of access to the
organization's financial system resources and other confidential/critical data, to confirm the
appropriateness of these access rights.
Example Controls:
D.1 The organization performs a periodic review of active users and user access rights to identify and
remove inappropriate system access.
D.2 Access groups and roles are periodically reviewed to identify inappropriate or incompatible access
rights that conflict with segregation of duties (as established in Audit Objective I.E below).
I.E Audit Objective: Determine that controls used to provide appropriate segregation of duties
within key processes exist and are followed
Controls are in place to allow for proper segregation of duties and responsibilities for authorizing
transactions, recording transactions, and maintaining custody to prevent individuals from being in a
position to both perpetrate and conceal an error or irregularity.
Example Controls:
E.1 Controls are in place to allow for effective translation of business rules into system access rules
E.2 Controls should ensure that segregation of duties conflicts do not exist for users having access to
multiple system profiles or transactions.
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E.3 Internal Audit or other organization management performs a periodic review of the organization’s
segregation of duties. Organization management resolves identified segregation of duties issues
through modification of functional roles or related user access privileges. Issues that cannot be
resolved within the IT organization are escalated to the appropriate business personnel.
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II.A Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to ensure that any changes to the
systems/applications providing control over financial reporting have been properly
authorized by an appropriate level of management
For a company to have an effective program change process in place, system application and infrastructure
changes need to be approved and signed off by an appropriate level of both business and IT management
prior to development to ensure that the changes are technically feasible and have considered financial
reporting objectives.
Example Controls:
A.1 The organization has established a formal change management process that outlines the
requirements for making changes to systems and applications providing control over financial
reporting.
A.2 All change requests to information systems and applications providing control over financial
reporting are formally documented.
II.B Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to ensure that changes to applications
and systems used during the financial reporting process are tested, validated, and approved
prior to being placed into production.
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that changes which are made to the IT systems are tested,
validated, and approved prior to implementation into the production environment. This is to ensure that the
changes will meet the user requirements and that the changes will not have a negative impact on any of the
existing controls.
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Example Controls:
B.1 The organization has established a formal testing and sign-off process that provides for testing by
both information systems and user personnel.
Once testing is complete and any further modifications are made, the results are formally approved by user
and IT personnel.
B.2 A testing environment separate from production is established and used for the execution of
testing program changes.
B.3 The organization maintains a repository of test documentation for all changes.
II.C Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to restrict access for migrating
changes into the production environment for systems and applications used during the
financial reporting process
Only a limited number of personnel should have access to migrate changes to the production environment
to ensure that this process is well controlled and only tested, authorized, and properly approved changes
are migrated into production.
Example Controls:
C.1 The organization has an established policy that limits production changes to change management
personnel.
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II.D Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to ensure that system and application
configuration changes related to financial reporting are tested, validated, and approved
Configuration settings are a key component of many information systems. Configuration settings
frequently can impact the design and/or operating effectiveness of ICOFR. Generally, these settings are
subjected to change control procedures to maintain the integrity of ICOFR provided by information
systems.
Example Controls:
D.1 Configuration settings are used to provide systems administration personnel, and often user
management personnel, with the ability to customize certain aspects of the system. Configuration
settings frequently are present in operating systems, databases, system services and applications,
and may include the setting of control thresholds, process variance tolerances, interface linkages,
file locations and other control parameters.
n approval controls (e.g., three way match tolerance, approval limits, approval chains)
n interest rates
n receivables aging parameters
n password parameters (e.g., length, change interval, syntax)
n login violation thresholds
n file and interface mappings (e.g., file names, database and schema names, host names, port
settings, database connection settings), and
n audit logs.
II.E Audit Objective: Determine that controls are in place to appropriately address emergency
changes to systems, applications, and infrastructure configuration.
Controls are in place to ensure changes requiring immediate implementation are properly handled,
allowing for timely change and no impact to systems and applications related to the financial reporting
process.
Example Controls:
E.1 The organization has established change procedures for emergency changes.
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E.3 All emergency changes are logged to facilitate a detail review of the change.
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III.A Audit Objective: Determine that management has controls in place to ensure that new
program and infrastructure developments and acquisitions have been approved by an
appropriate level of both IT and business management
There is a formal process in place for each new program development or acquisition to be approved and
signed off by an appropriate level of business and IT management to ensure that the development is
feasible, integrates with the existing IT infrastructure and business processes, and considers financial
reporting objectives.
Example Controls:
A.1 The organization has adopted a formal process for the acquisition or development of IT
infrastructure and information systems.
A.2 Significant system development and infrastructure projects are approved by IT and Business
senior management.
III.B Audit Objective: Determine that management has controls in place to ensure that an
adequate program development methodology is in place and is followed for the development
or acquisition of systems/applications used during the financial reporting processes
There is a proper, formal program development methodology in place, which guides the process for
developing, acquiring, and implementing the IT systems used during the financial reporting process. This
is to ensure that a structured approach is followed for each new program development so that the potential
risks to the financial reporting controls are adequately assessed and mitigated.
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Example Controls:
B.1 The organization utilizes SDLC and project management for the development and acquisition of
systems and technology that impact the financial reporting process.
B.2 Appropriate project management documentation is prepared to define project scope, requirements,
and budgetary requirements.
B.3 SDLC and Project management was used for all development projects that would have an impact
on the financial reporting process.
B.4 The organization performs sufficient testing and review of key stages in the system development
lifecycle.
B.5 Systems developed or acquired, and infrastructure projects are authorized, tested, and approved
prior to implementation in production.
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n formal authorization process is in place to ensure that only tested and approved systems and
infrastructure are implemented in production
n implementation plans are developed and evaluated for each application and infrastructure in
support of the “go-live” decision-making process
n implementation plans should consider:
contingency plans and back-out procedures
whether the application or infrastructure being implemented will impact multiple
locations
operational support from the business and IT during the “go-live” period, and
communication of the specifics around the “go-live” process.
III.C Audit Objective: Determine that controls exist to ensure there is adequate testing for the
development or acquisition of systems/applications used during the financial reporting
process and that testing is signed off by both the users at an appropriate level of IT and
business management
Programs and system developments (application and infrastructure) are fully tested in a testing
environment prior to implementation to ensure that the changes that are made will meet users needs, that
the controls in place adequately cover the risks to the company and that the new system will be able to
integrate with the company’s existing systems.
Example Controls:
C.1 The SDLC includes appropriate testing and user acceptance phases
C.2 The SDLC includes specific and appropriate testing of system interfaces
C.3 Thorough integration testing is performed to ensure that new systems implementation do not
impact related applications and the integrity of their controls.
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C.4 The SDLC assigns responsibility for performance of the testing and the maintenance of test
results.
C.5 Post implementation review is performed for all significant system development projects to
ensure the proper operation of newly implemented processes and controls.
III.D Audit Objective: Determine that there are controls in place to ensure that data migrated to
the new application or system used during the financial reporting process retains its
integrity
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that any data that is migrated from an old system to the
new system accurately and completely.
Example Controls:
D.1 Comprehensive conversion procedures have been established and followed in converting the data.
D.2 Historical transaction information is converted as appropriate or the legacy system is maintained
to allow for accessing historical information.
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IV.A Audit Objective: Determine that management has implemented procedures to ensure
accuracy, completeness, and timely processing of system jobs, including batch jobs and
interfaces, for relevant financial reporting applications or data
There should be controls over the design and execution of system jobs, including confirmation that the
jobs were completed on time, accurately, and in the proper order.
Example Controls:
A.1 Roles and responsibilities of key IT functions have been defined and clearly communicated
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n disk allocation
n housekeeping
n job control language instructions, and
n job overrides or emergency changes.
A.5 Monitoring procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance around completeness and
timeliness of system and data processing.
IV.B Audit Objective: Determine that management has implemented appropriate backup and
recovery procedures so that data, transactions and programs that are necessary for
financial reporting can be recovered
There are appropriate controls in place so that all critical data, transactions and programs are backed up on
a defined schedule and that the backups are complete, accurate and can be recovered if needed.
Example Controls:
B.1 Responsibility for performing the backup procedures has been assigned to appropriate personnel.
B.2 A backup schedule and retention requirements commensurate with the risk of data loss based on
the criticality of the system and the cost of manual recovery has been implemented.
IV.C Audit Objective: Determine that effective procedures exist and are followed to periodically
test the effectiveness of the restoration process and the quality of backup media relevant to
systems and applications used during the financial reporting process
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There should be appropriate controls in place so that backups are tested on a periodic basis to ensure that
the backup tapes are not corrupt and can be used if required.
Example Controls:
C.1 The backup and recovery procedures for in-scope systems are tested periodically.
C.2 Offsite storage for in-scope systems has been tested to ensure that the data is re-usable.
C.3 Backup media is replaced periodically (consistent with manufacturer’s guidance for MTBF).
IV.D Audit Objective: Determine that appropriate controls are in place over the backup media
for systems and applications used during the financial reporting process, including that only
authorized people have access to the tapes and tape-storage
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that the backup media is stored in a secure location that
only authorized people have access to it. This is to mitigate the risk of the backup tapes being damaged or
of unauthorized users gaining access to the sensitive information contained thereon.
Example Controls:
D.1 Backups maintained locally and offsite are appropriately secured from unauthorized access.
IV.E Audit Objective: Determine that management has defined and implemented problem
management procedures to record, analyze, and resolve incidents, problems, and errors for
systems and applications used during the financial reporting process in a timely manner
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that system problems that could potentially have an
impact on the financial reporting process are identified and resolved in a timely manner.
Example Controls:
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E.2 All incidents and failures are logged and tracked through to resolution.
E.3 All incidents and failures reported by users are logged, investigated to brought to resolution.
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V. End-user Computing
End-user computing (e.g., spreadsheets and other user-developed programs) provides a unique set of
general control needs within an organization. By its nature, end-user computing brings the development
and processing of information systems closer to the user. This environment may not be subjected to the
same level of rigor and structure as an IT general controls environment.
Providing the end-users with tools to assist in decision-making does not eliminate the need for information
technology general controls. The output of end-user computing processes frequently appears as an
authoritative document that will be relied on by management in financial reporting. When an
organization uses end-user computing as part of the financial reporting process, controls should be
adopted to achieve the same objectives as described in Sections II – V of this document. Many of the
controls in this environment may be manual in nature and/or may not be subject to the IT organization
control environment or IT general controls.
The organization may support end-user computing with general controls consistent with its level of
sophistication. Such general controls should, however, address access to programs and data, program
change, program development and computer operations. Consider the following guidance when
evaluating IT General Controls around applications, systems, and databases maintained in an end-user
computing environment.
V.A Audit Objective: Determine that management has implemented appropriate policies and
procedures to ensure IT General Controls are properly applied to end-user-computing
environment.
There are appropriate controls in place to ensure that policies to address IT General Controls over critical
data, transactions, and programs being maintained by end users exist and are being followed.
Example Controls:
A.2 User-developed systems, such as spreadsheets and other end-user programs, are secured from
unauthorized use.
A.5 Inputs, processing and outputs from user-developed systems are independently verified and
approved for completeness and accuracy.
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