The correct response is to deny the request and direct the facilities manager to use an approved work-contact list or seek a privacy review. This is because exporting employee contact information for a separate system without a documented, approved business purpose violates data privacy policies and likely breaches regulations such as GDPR or CCPA, which mandate strict controls over personally identifiable information (PII). On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of data governance, privacy compliance, and the principle of least privilege—specifically that ad-hoc data exports are a red flag for unauthorized data handling. A common trap is choosing to grant the request with conditions, but the exam emphasizes that any unapproved transfer of PII must be denied outright, not modified. Remember the mnemonic “D.A.P.”: Deny the request, direct to Approved channels, and Protect privacy by default.
SY0-701 Security Program Management and Oversight Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security program management and oversight. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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
Corporate privacy notice excerpt:
- Employee home addresses, personal phone numbers, and emergency contacts are collected for payroll, benefits, tax reporting, and emergency notification only.
- Access is limited to HR and Payroll unless a privacy review approves another purpose.
Ticket:
- Facilities manager requests an export of all employee home addresses and personal phone numbers to mail holiday gifts and parking passes.
Based on the exhibit, what is the best response to the facilities manager's request?
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.
Corporate privacy notice excerpt:
- Employee home addresses, personal phone numbers, and emergency contacts are collected for payroll, benefits, tax reporting, and emergency notification only.
- Access is limited to HR and Payroll unless a privacy review approves another purpose.
Ticket:
- Facilities manager requests an export of all employee home addresses and personal phone numbers to mail holiday gifts and parking passes.
A
Provide the export because the requester is a manager with a legitimate business relationship to employees.
Why wrong: Being a manager does not automatically authorize access to personal data. The exhibit limits use to specific purposes, and this request falls outside them.
B
Deny the request and direct the manager to use an approved work-contact list or seek privacy review.
The privacy notice clearly limits home addresses and personal phone numbers to defined HR and payroll purposes. The facilities request exceeds that purpose, so the correct action is to deny the export unless a formal privacy review approves another use. Where possible, use a work-contact list that contains less sensitive information.
C
Send the data to the manager if the manager promises not to share it externally.
Why wrong: A verbal promise does not override the stated purpose limitation or the access restriction in the privacy notice. Personal data handling must follow approved business use, not informal assurances.
D
Store the export in a shared drive so multiple teams can use it for convenience.
Why wrong: Broader storage would increase exposure and violate the limited-access principle in the exhibit. Convenience is not a valid reason to expand access to personal data.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deny the request and direct the manager to use an approved work-contact list or seek privacy review.
The facilities manager's request to export employee contact information for a separate system likely violates data privacy policies and potentially regulations like GDPR or CCPA. Option B is correct because the proper procedure is to deny the ad-hoc export and direct the manager to use an approved work-contact list or seek a privacy review, ensuring data handling complies with organizational data governance and privacy requirements.
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.
✗
Provide the export because the requester is a manager with a legitimate business relationship to employees.
Why it's wrong here
Being a manager does not automatically authorize access to personal data. The exhibit limits use to specific purposes, and this request falls outside them.
✓
Deny the request and direct the manager to use an approved work-contact list or seek privacy review.
Why this is correct
The privacy notice clearly limits home addresses and personal phone numbers to defined HR and payroll purposes. The facilities request exceeds that purpose, so the correct action is to deny the export unless a formal privacy review approves another use. Where possible, use a work-contact list that contains less sensitive information.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Send the data to the manager if the manager promises not to share it externally.
Why it's wrong here
A verbal promise does not override the stated purpose limitation or the access restriction in the privacy notice. Personal data handling must follow approved business use, not informal assurances.
✗
Store the export in a shared drive so multiple teams can use it for convenience.
Why it's wrong here
Broader storage would increase exposure and violate the limited-access principle in the exhibit. Convenience is not a valid reason to expand access to personal data.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume a manager's role and business relationship automatically grant data access, overlooking the need for formal privacy review and approved data handling procedures.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, employee contact information is often classified as personally identifiable information (PII) and may be subject to data loss prevention (DLP) policies that automatically block unauthorized exports. In a real-world scenario, a facilities manager might need a contact list for emergency notifications, but the proper channel is to use a pre-approved distribution list from HR or IT that has been vetted for privacy compliance, rather than exporting raw data from an HR system.
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 SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SY0-701 question in full detail.
Security Program Management and Oversight — This question tests Security Program Management and Oversight — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deny the request and direct the manager to use an approved work-contact list or seek privacy review. — The facilities manager's request to export employee contact information for a separate system likely violates data privacy policies and potentially regulations like GDPR or CCPA. Option B is correct because the proper procedure is to deny the ad-hoc export and direct the manager to use an approved work-contact list or seek a privacy review, ensuring data handling complies with organizational data governance and privacy requirements.
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.
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