- A
Confidentiality, because the approval records should be hidden from everyone except finance staff.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Confidentiality protects data from unauthorized viewing, but it does not prove who approved an action or prevent denial later.
- B
Nonrepudiation, because the organization needs proof that a specific person performed the approval.
Correct. Nonrepudiation provides evidence that a specific user performed an action and later cannot reasonably deny it. Binding approvals to individual identities, using signed records, and keeping immutable logs all support that objective. This is especially important for financial workflows where auditors must trace accountability for every approval.
- C
Availability, because the approval system must remain online during business hours.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Availability ensures systems and data are accessible when needed, but it does not establish proof of who approved a transaction.
- D
Integrity, because the record must never be changed after it is saved.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Integrity helps prevent unauthorized alteration of records, but it does not by itself prove which person performed the approval.
Quick Answer
The answer is nonrepudiation, because the organization needs proof that a specific person performed the approval. Nonrepudiation ensures that an action cannot be denied by the person who carried it out, achieved here by binding each approval to a unique employee identity and preserving immutable logs. This creates irrefutable evidence that a specific individual approved each wire transfer, directly meeting the audit requirement for accountability. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this concept often appears in scenario-based questions about digital signatures, audit trails, or logging controls, with a common trap being confusion with integrity (which ensures data hasn’t been altered, not who altered it). A helpful memory tip: think of nonrepudiation as “no repudiating” — you can’t take back or deny your digital signature or logged action.
SY0-701 General Security Concepts Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of general security concepts. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A finance application stores approval records for wire transfers. Auditors need to prove which employee approved each transfer, and employees must not be able to deny their approval later. Which security objective is best addressed by binding each approval to an individual identity and preserving immutable logs?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Nonrepudiation, because the organization needs proof that a specific person performed the approval.
Nonrepudiation ensures that an action cannot be denied by the person who performed it. By binding each approval to a unique employee identity and preserving immutable logs, the organization can irrefutably prove who approved each wire transfer, preventing employees from later denying their approval. This directly addresses the requirement for accountability and proof of action.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Confidentiality, because the approval records should be hidden from everyone except finance staff.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Confidentiality protects data from unauthorized viewing, but it does not prove who approved an action or prevent denial later.
- ✓
Nonrepudiation, because the organization needs proof that a specific person performed the approval.
Why this is correct
Correct. Nonrepudiation provides evidence that a specific user performed an action and later cannot reasonably deny it. Binding approvals to individual identities, using signed records, and keeping immutable logs all support that objective. This is especially important for financial workflows where auditors must trace accountability for every approval.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Availability, because the approval system must remain online during business hours.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Availability ensures systems and data are accessible when needed, but it does not establish proof of who approved a transaction.
- ✗
Integrity, because the record must never be changed after it is saved.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Integrity helps prevent unauthorized alteration of records, but it does not by itself prove which person performed the approval.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse integrity with nonrepudiation, thinking that keeping a record unchanged (integrity) is sufficient to prove who performed an action, but nonrepudiation requires a cryptographic binding of identity to the action, not just data preservation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Nonrepudiation is often implemented using digital signatures (e.g., RSA or ECDSA) where a private key signs the approval record, and the corresponding public key verifies the signer's identity. Immutable logs, such as those in a blockchain or append-only audit trail (e.g., using syslog with cryptographic hashing), ensure that once a record is written, it cannot be modified or deleted without detection. In a finance application, this might involve signing each approval with a hardware security module (HSM) to bind the action to a specific employee's key.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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General Security Concepts — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
General Security Concepts — This question tests General Security Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Nonrepudiation, because the organization needs proof that a specific person performed the approval. — Nonrepudiation ensures that an action cannot be denied by the person who performed it. By binding each approval to a unique employee identity and preserving immutable logs, the organization can irrefutably prove who approved each wire transfer, preventing employees from later denying their approval. This directly addresses the requirement for accountability and proof of action.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SY0-701
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A finance application records each approval with the manager's unique user ID and a digital signature. Auditors want proof that the manager cannot later deny approving the transaction. Which security objective is most directly being addressed?
easy- A.Availability
- ✓ B.Nonrepudiation
- C.Confidentiality
- D.Accountability
Why B: Nonrepudiation ensures that a party cannot deny having performed a specific action. By recording the manager's unique user ID and a digital signature, the system provides cryptographic proof that the manager approved the transaction, making it impossible for them to later deny it. This directly addresses the audit requirement for undeniable evidence of approval.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SY0-701 exam.
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