The answer is that the configuration violates separation of duties by letting one person prepare and approve the same payroll activity. This is the primary security concern because it removes independent oversight, enabling a single individual to both create and authorize a fraudulent payroll entry without detection. The concept being violated is separation of duties, a core internal control principle that requires critical processes to be divided among multiple people to prevent fraud or error. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how access assignments must enforce segregation in high-risk tasks like payroll, and it often appears in questions about privilege management or identity and access management. A common trap is confusing separation of duties with least privilege—remember that least privilege limits what a user can do, while separation of duties ensures no one person can complete a critical process alone. A helpful memory tip: “One person, one piece of the puzzle—never the whole picture.”
SY0-701 General Security Concepts Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of general security concepts. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Exhibit
Access review summary
User: Alicia M.
Assigned roles:
- Payroll Administrator
- Finance Approver
Effective permissions:
- Modify payroll records
- Approve payroll release
- Export payment file
Control note:
- No secondary approval is required when Alicia approves her own prepared payroll batch.
Based on the exhibit, what is the primary security concern with the current access assignments, and what concept is being violated?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Access review summary
User: Alicia M.
Assigned roles:
- Payroll Administrator
- Finance Approver
Effective permissions:
- Modify payroll records
- Approve payroll release
- Export payment file
Control note:
- No secondary approval is required when Alicia approves her own prepared payroll batch.
A
The system is missing multifactor authentication for payroll users.
Why wrong: MFA may be useful, but the exhibit is about excessive role combination and self-approval, not the login method being used.
B
The configuration violates separation of duties by letting one person prepare and approve the same payroll activity.
The same user can change payroll data, approve the release, and export the payment file. That concentration of authority creates a clear separation-of-duties failure because one person can both create and authorize a sensitive financial action.
C
The account should be converted to a shared group account for the finance team.
Why wrong: A shared group account would reduce accountability even further. It would make it harder to trace which person approved which action.
D
The permissions are acceptable because payroll users always need full access to related finance functions.
Why wrong: Not all related functions should be combined. Security design should still separate duties where fraud or error could occur.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The configuration violates separation of duties by letting one person prepare and approve the same payroll activity.
The exhibit shows a single user account with permissions to both prepare and approve payroll transactions. This violates the security principle of separation of duties, which requires that no single individual has control over all phases of a critical process. The primary concern is that this configuration enables fraud or error without independent oversight, as the same person could create and authorize a fraudulent payroll entry.
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.
✗
The system is missing multifactor authentication for payroll users.
Why it's wrong here
MFA may be useful, but the exhibit is about excessive role combination and self-approval, not the login method being used.
✓
The configuration violates separation of duties by letting one person prepare and approve the same payroll activity.
Why this is correct
The same user can change payroll data, approve the release, and export the payment file. That concentration of authority creates a clear separation-of-duties failure because one person can both create and authorize a sensitive financial action.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The account should be converted to a shared group account for the finance team.
Why it's wrong here
A shared group account would reduce accountability even further. It would make it harder to trace which person approved which action.
✗
The permissions are acceptable because payroll users always need full access to related finance functions.
Why it's wrong here
Not all related functions should be combined. Security design should still separate duties where fraud or error could occur.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CompTIA often tests the distinction between authentication mechanisms (like MFA) and authorization principles (like separation of duties), tempting candidates to select a plausible-sounding but irrelevant option about multifactor authentication when the core issue is conflicting access assignments.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Separation of duties is enforced through role-based access control (RBAC) by assigning distinct roles (e.g., payroll preparer vs. approver) with mutually exclusive permissions. In practice, this is often implemented using access control lists (ACLs) or attribute-based policies that prevent a single subject from holding both create and approve rights on the same object. Real-world compliance frameworks like SOX or PCI DSS mandate this separation to reduce insider threat risk and ensure dual-control for sensitive financial transactions.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SY0-701 question in full detail.
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: The configuration violates separation of duties by letting one person prepare and approve the same payroll activity. — The exhibit shows a single user account with permissions to both prepare and approve payroll transactions. This violates the security principle of separation of duties, which requires that no single individual has control over all phases of a critical process. The primary concern is that this configuration enables fraud or error without independent oversight, as the same person could create and authorize a fraudulent payroll entry.
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: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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