SY0-701 Security Architecture Practice Question
Exhibit
Identity review notes: - HR termination events are exported daily from the HR system. - SaaS Admin Console shows 17 inactive contractor accounts still enabled. - The application supports SAML SSO. - SCIM provisioning is currently disabled. - Deactivation requests are handled through email tickets.
Based on the exhibit, what is the best cloud identity control to ensure terminated users lose access to the SaaS application quickly and consistently?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse session management (clearing cookies) with account deprovisioning, or they assume manual processes are acceptable for security, when the exam emphasizes automation and centralized identity management for consistency and speed.
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
✓
Enable federated authentication with the corporate IdP and automate provisioning and deprovisioning with SCIM.
Federated authentication with a corporate identity provider (IdP) combined with SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) ensures that when a user is terminated in the IdP (e.g., Active Directory or Azure AD), the SaaS application is automatically notified via SCIM to deprovision the user account. This eliminates manual intervention and guarantees consistent, near-instant revocation of access across all federated SaaS applications.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Keep the SaaS local user accounts and require the help desk to disable them manually after each termination.
Why it's wrong here
Relying on the help desk to manually disable local SaaS accounts after termination is inherently slow and error-prone; a termination email can sit in a queue for hours or days, leaving the user with active access long after they should have been removed. This process also depends on human follow-through and lacks any automated tie to authoritative HR or identity data, so it scales poorly in organizations with frequent staff changes. Orphaned accounts persist as an identity and access management risk, and without a documented audit trail, the identity team cannot prove the account was disabled at the right time.
- ✓
Enable federated authentication with the corporate IdP and automate provisioning and deprovisioning with SCIM.
Why this is correct
Federation centralizes authentication in the corporate identity provider, and SCIM automates account lifecycle changes based on HR events. That means terminations, transfers, and new hires can be reflected quickly in the SaaS application without relying on manual email tickets. This reduces orphaned accounts and improves consistency across the cloud environment.
- ✗
Create a shared emergency administrator account so access can be revoked by changing one password.
Why it's wrong here
A shared emergency administrator account is designed for break-glass scenarios, not routine offboarding; because every action under that account is shared, it provides zero individual accountability and makes non-repudiation impossible. Changing the password to block a terminated user would also lock out every legitimately authorized admin, and it still does nothing to disable that user's own local account or any other entitlement they hold. This approach fails to implement least privilege and violates the security principle that each identity must be uniquely attributable.
- ✗
Require users to clear browser cookies after termination so the SaaS session expires sooner.
Why it's wrong here
Clearing browser cookies after termination only terminates the local browser session, and only if the user lets it happen; the user can simply close the browser and log in again with their still-valid credentials. Moreover, any active access tokens that are not in the cookie jar (e.g., mobile apps, API tokens, or active sessions on other machines) remain usable until they expire, and the underlying SaaS account remains enabled. This tactic does not address the account lifecycle at all and cannot be relied upon as an offboarding control.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Cloud Security Fundamentals
Key term
Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying that someone or something is who or what it claims to be before granting access to a system or resource.
Key term
Identity
Identity is the unique set of attributes that defines a user, device, or service in a computer system, determining what they can access and do.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.