The correct answer is to immediately revoke all previous access and assign new role permissions. This is because role-based access control (RBAC) ties permissions strictly to job functions; when an employee transfers to a new department, their old role no longer applies, and retaining those rights violates the principle of least privilege by creating unnecessary exposure. On the CISA exam, this scenario tests your understanding of access revocation as a critical control during employee transfers, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly think access should be modified or kept temporarily. The key is to remember that RBAC requires a clean cut—old rights are revoked, new rights are granted—not a merge or gradual adjustment. Memory tip: “Transfer means terminate and grant—never amend.”
CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of protection of information assets. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 organization uses role-based access control (RBAC). An employee is transferred to a new department. According to best practices, what should be done regarding the employee's access rights?
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 the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Immediately revoke all previous access and assign new role permissions.
Option C is correct because RBAC mandates that access rights are strictly tied to job functions. When an employee changes departments, their previous role permissions are no longer applicable and must be immediately revoked to prevent unauthorized access, while new role permissions are granted to align with their new responsibilities. This follows the principle of least privilege and ensures that access rights are always current with the employee's role.
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.
✗
Remove access to the previous department's resources after a grace period.
Why it's wrong here
A grace period leaves a window of excessive privilege and security risk.
✗
Keep all access but log usage.
Why it's wrong here
Logging does not prevent unauthorized access; privileges should be restricted.
✓
Immediately revoke all previous access and assign new role permissions.
Why this is correct
Correct. This follows least privilege and prevents unauthorized access during transition.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Keep previous access and grant new role permissions.
Why it's wrong here
This would result in excessive privileges, violating least privilege.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think a grace period or logging is acceptable, but CISA emphasizes immediate revocation to maintain least privilege and prevent unauthorized access during role transitions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In RBAC, access control decisions are based on the user's role membership, typically enforced through an access control matrix or a policy engine that evaluates role-to-permission mappings. When a user's role changes, the system must update the user's role assignments in the directory service (e.g., Active Directory or LDAP) and invalidate any cached session tokens or tickets (e.g., Kerberos TGTs) to ensure immediate enforcement. A real-world scenario is a financial analyst moving to HR: retaining access to financial systems could enable insider trading or data leakage, so immediate revocation is critical.
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 junior network technician can log in to a core router but cannot reach the enable prompt or configuration mode. The AAA server is authenticating the login — but the authorisation policy only grants privilege level 1, not 15. Authentication (who you are) is working; authorisation (what you can do) is not.
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.
Protection of Information Assets — This question tests Protection of Information Assets — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Immediately revoke all previous access and assign new role permissions. — Option C is correct because RBAC mandates that access rights are strictly tied to job functions. When an employee changes departments, their previous role permissions are no longer applicable and must be immediately revoked to prevent unauthorized access, while new role permissions are granted to align with their new responsibilities. This follows the principle of least privilege and ensures that access rights are always current with the employee's role.
What should I do if I get this CISA 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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Question Discussion
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