- A
Use one shared contractor account and rotate the password when people leave.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Shared accounts weaken accountability and make it impossible to tie activity to a specific contractor or manage lifecycle accurately.
- B
Configure an account expiration date and automatic deprovisioning tied to the approved role.
Correct. Time-bound accounts with automatic deprovisioning are designed for contractors and other temporary users. They enforce least privilege over time, remove access when the engagement ends, and force a new approval process for any future engagement. This reduces the risk of forgotten accounts and prevents accidental restoration of access without review.
- C
Disable the account after the contract ends but keep all group memberships unchanged.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Leaving old memberships in place creates reactivation risk and can reintroduce excessive permissions if the account is enabled again later.
- D
Create a local workstation account so the contractor does not need centralized identity services.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Local accounts are harder to govern centrally and make expiration, auditing, and revocation more difficult across systems.
Quick Answer
The answer is configuring an account expiration date and automatic deprovisioning tied to the approved role. This IAM control directly enforces the 60-day limit by setting a precise expiration timestamp on the account, while automatic deprovisioning ensures the account is disabled or removed immediately when the engagement ends, preventing any lingering access. For the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of identity lifecycle management and the principle of least privilege, specifically how to handle temporary contractor access without manual intervention. A common trap is confusing account expiration with password expiration—password expiration only forces a credential change, not account disablement, so it fails the “stop working automatically” requirement. Memory tip: think “expire and expire”—the account expires on a date, and the access expires with it, requiring fresh provisioning for rehire.
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.
An HR department hires contractors for fixed 60-day engagements. Accounts should stop working automatically when the engagement ends, and any rehire should require fresh approval rather than restoring old access. What IAM control is the best fit?
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
Configure an account expiration date and automatic deprovisioning tied to the approved role.
Option B is correct because configuring an account expiration date and automatic deprovisioning tied to the approved role directly enforces the 60-day limit and ensures that when the engagement ends, the account is automatically disabled or removed. This approach also supports the requirement that rehire requires fresh approval, as the old account is deprovisioned and cannot be simply re-enabled without going through the provisioning process again.
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.
- ✗
Use one shared contractor account and rotate the password when people leave.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Shared accounts weaken accountability and make it impossible to tie activity to a specific contractor or manage lifecycle accurately.
- ✓
Configure an account expiration date and automatic deprovisioning tied to the approved role.
Why this is correct
Correct. Time-bound accounts with automatic deprovisioning are designed for contractors and other temporary users. They enforce least privilege over time, remove access when the engagement ends, and force a new approval process for any future engagement. This reduces the risk of forgotten accounts and prevents accidental restoration of access without review.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Disable the account after the contract ends but keep all group memberships unchanged.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Leaving old memberships in place creates reactivation risk and can reintroduce excessive permissions if the account is enabled again later.
- ✗
Create a local workstation account so the contractor does not need centralized identity services.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Local accounts are harder to govern centrally and make expiration, auditing, and revocation more difficult across systems.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose Option C thinking that disabling the account is sufficient, but they overlook the requirement that rehire must require fresh approval, which is violated if group memberships remain intact and could be restored without re-provisioning.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a typical IAM system like Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) or Active Directory, account expiration is set using the 'accountExpires' attribute, which is a 64-bit integer representing the date and time when the account becomes disabled. Automatic deprovisioning can be tied to role-based access control (RBAC) via dynamic groups or lifecycle workflows, ensuring that when the contractor's role ends, all group memberships and access rights are revoked. This approach aligns with the principle of least privilege and the NIST SP 800-53 AC-2 control for account management.
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.
- →
General Security Concepts — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
General Security Concepts practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SY0-701 questions
1,152 questions across all exam domains
- →
Security+ SY0-701 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SY0-701 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SY0-701 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
General Security Concepts practice questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to General Security Concepts.
Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations practice questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations.
Security Architecture practice questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security Architecture.
Security Operations practice questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security Operations.
Security Program Management and Oversight practice questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security Program Management and Oversight.
Security+ social engineering questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ social engineering questions.
Security+ cryptography practice questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ cryptography.
Security+ IAM questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ IAM questions.
Security+ risk management questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ risk management questions.
Security+ incident response questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ incident response questions.
Security+ malware questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ malware questions.
Security+ vulnerability management questions
Practise SY0-701 questions linked to Security+ vulnerability management questions.
Practice this exam
Start a free SY0-701 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Configure an account expiration date and automatic deprovisioning tied to the approved role. — Option B is correct because configuring an account expiration date and automatic deprovisioning tied to the approved role directly enforces the 60-day limit and ensures that when the engagement ends, the account is automatically disabled or removed. This approach also supports the requirement that rehire requires fresh approval, as the old account is deprovisioned and cannot be simply re-enabled without going through the provisioning process again.
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 →
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.