- A
Separation of duties, because creation and approval are split between different roles.
Splitting initiation and approval reduces the chance that one person can commit fraud alone.
- B
Need-to-know, because the employee sees only records relevant to the assigned finance task.
Access is limited to information necessary for the job, not to unrelated employee records.
- C
Least privilege, because every user should have no more than one permission overall.
Why wrong: Least privilege is broader than a single-permission rule and is not the specific control being emphasized.
- D
Defense in depth, because multiple security technologies are layered around the finance system.
Why wrong: No layered technical stack is described; the item focuses on role and information restrictions.
- E
Zero trust, because the employee must always be treated as untrusted by the network.
Why wrong: Zero trust may influence access design, but the key issue here is role separation and data scoping.
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.
In the finance workflow, one employee can create a payment batch but cannot approve it, and the same person also cannot view employee records that are unrelated to the task. Which two principles are being enforced? Select two.
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
Separation of duties, because creation and approval are split between different roles.
Option A is correct because separation of duties is enforced by splitting the payment creation and approval functions between different roles, preventing a single employee from committing fraud by creating and approving a payment without oversight. This principle reduces the risk of unauthorized or malicious actions by requiring collusion for abuse.
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.
- ✓
Separation of duties, because creation and approval are split between different roles.
Why this is correct
Splitting initiation and approval reduces the chance that one person can commit fraud alone.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Need-to-know, because the employee sees only records relevant to the assigned finance task.
Why this is correct
Access is limited to information necessary for the job, not to unrelated employee records.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Least privilege, because every user should have no more than one permission overall.
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege is broader than a single-permission rule and is not the specific control being emphasized.
- ✗
Defense in depth, because multiple security technologies are layered around the finance system.
Why it's wrong here
No layered technical stack is described; the item focuses on role and information restrictions.
- ✗
Zero trust, because the employee must always be treated as untrusted by the network.
Why it's wrong here
Zero trust may influence access design, but the key issue here is role separation and data scoping.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing 'need-to-know' with 'least privilege' — need-to-know limits access to specific data based on job necessity, while least privilege limits the overall permissions (e.g., read vs. write) a user has, and candidates often pick least privilege when the scenario describes data restriction rather than permission minimization.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Separation of duties is a core internal control in financial systems, often implemented through role-based access control (RBAC) where distinct roles (e.g., 'Payment Creator' and 'Payment Approver') are mapped to specific permissions in the application layer. Need-to-know restricts data access based on the principle of least privilege at the data level, commonly enforced via attribute-based access control (ABAC) policies that evaluate user attributes, resource attributes, and environmental conditions before granting access to records.
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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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: Separation of duties, because creation and approval are split between different roles. — Option A is correct because separation of duties is enforced by splitting the payment creation and approval functions between different roles, preventing a single employee from committing fraud by creating and approving a payment without oversight. This principle reduces the risk of unauthorized or malicious actions by requiring collusion for abuse.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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