CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
An IS auditor is reviewing the logical access controls for a critical financial application. Which of the following is the MOST important control to ensure that user access rights remain appropriate over time?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISA often tests the difference between access provisioning controls (RBAC, SSO) and access governance controls (recertification); candidates pick RBAC because it sounds like it manages access over time, but only recertification validates that rights remain appropriate.
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
✓
Conducting periodic access recertification
Periodic access recertification is the most important control to ensure user access rights remain appropriate over time because it forces business owners to review and confirm each user's entitlements on a scheduled basis. It detects and removes accumulated privileges from role changes, transfers, or terminations. Other controls like SSO, password rules, and RBAC support access management but do not verify ongoing appropriateness.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Conducting periodic access recertification
Why this is correct
Periodic access recertification requires managers to confirm each user's rights remain necessary, catching privilege creep, transfers and stale accounts that accumulate over time. It directly satisfies the requirement that access rights stay appropriate, which provisioning-time approvals alone cannot guarantee.
- ✗
Implementing single sign-on (SSO)
Why it's wrong here
SSO improves user convenience but does not address the review of access rights.
- ✗
Enforcing password complexity rules
Why it's wrong here
Password complexity rules harden credential strength at authentication time but say nothing about whether a user's accumulated entitlements still match their current role. It is tempting because complexity enforcement is a standard, easily audited control that genuinely reduces brute-force and guessing risk, which is the objective when credential compromise is the concern.
- ✗
Using role-based access control (RBAC)
Why it's wrong here
RBAC assigns permissions by job role but does not itself detect or remove rights accumulated through transfers, so entitlements drift unnoticed. It is tempting because RBAC simplifies provisioning and enforces least privilege at assignment time; it would suit a greenfield access model, yet periodic user access reviews are the control that keeps rights appropriate over time.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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