The production environment is the environment where the application is deployed and used by the end users. The production environment should be protected from unauthorized or unintended changes that could compromise the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of the application and its data. Developers have access to the production environment presents the greatest risk to an application, as it could allow them tobypass the change management process, introduce errors or vulnerabilities, or manipulate the application or its data for malicious purposes. The other options are not as risky as developers having access to the production environment, as they involve different aspects of the application lifecycle:
Application controls are manual means that the application relies on human intervention to perform some functions or validations, such as data entry, reconciliation, or authorization. This could increase the risk of human error, fraud, or inefficiency, but it does not directly affect the production environment.
Application development is outsourced means that the application is developed by a third party, such as a vendor or a contractor. This could increase the risk of quality issues, contractual disputes, or intellectual property rights, but it does not directly affect the production environment.
Source code is escrowed means that the source code of the application is deposited with a trusted third party, such as a lawyer or a bank. This could provide assurance and continuity in case the original developer is unable or unwilling to maintain or support the application, but it does not directly affect the production environment. References = Risk and Information Systems Control Study Manual, 7th Edition, Chapter 4, Section 4.1.1.1, pp. 144-145.
