The correct answer is segregation of duties, as the finding that 20% of privileged accounts were approved by the same manager without secondary review directly violates this core control principle. Segregation of duties requires that no single individual has the authority to both request and approve a privileged account, ensuring checks and balances to prevent unauthorized access or abuse. On the CISM exam, this concept tests your understanding of preventive controls within identity and access management, often appearing in audit scenario questions where a lack of secondary review is the key deficiency. A common trap is confusing this with access review frequency or provisioning delays, but the core issue here is the absence of separation between the approval role and the requesting role. Remember the memory tip: “One person, one step—no approval, no trust.”
CISM Information Security Program Practice Question
This CISM practice question tests your understanding of information security program. 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
Access Control Policy:
- Users must be provisioned within 24 hours of request.
- Access reviews are conducted quarterly.
- Privileged accounts require manager approval.
- Default deny for all new accounts.
- Audit logs retained for 90 days.
Refer to the exhibit. An audit reveals that 20% of privileged accounts were approved by the same manager without secondary review. Which control deficiency is MOST relevant to this finding?
Access Control Policy:
- Users must be provisioned within 24 hours of request.
- Access reviews are conducted quarterly.
- Privileged accounts require manager approval.
- Default deny for all new accounts.
- Audit logs retained for 90 days.
A
Segregation of duties
One person approving without oversight is a segregation of duties deficiency.
B
Access review frequency
Why wrong: Quarterly reviews are stated; the issue is approval process.
C
Provisioning delay
Why wrong: The finding does not mention timing issues.
D
Audit log retention
Why wrong: Log retention is not relevant to the approval finding.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Segregation of duties
Option C is correct because the lack of secondary review for privileged account approvals violates the principle of segregation of duties. Option A is wrong provisioning delay is not indicated. Option B is wrong access review frequency may be adequate. Option D is wrong log retention is unrelated to approval process.
Key principle: Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Segregation of duties
Why this is correct
One person approving without oversight is a segregation of duties deficiency.
Related concept
Authentication checks who the user is.
✗
Access review frequency
Why it's wrong here
Quarterly reviews are stated; the issue is approval process.
✗
Provisioning delay
Why it's wrong here
The finding does not mention timing issues.
✗
Audit log retention
Why it's wrong here
Log retention is not relevant to the approval finding.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Authentication checks who the user is.
Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
→Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
→Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
→Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
Key takeaway
Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
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.
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related CISM questions on access control and AAA configuration.
Information Security Program — This question tests Information Security Program — Authentication checks who the user is..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Segregation of duties — Option C is correct because the lack of secondary review for privileged account approvals violates the principle of segregation of duties. Option A is wrong provisioning delay is not indicated. Option B is wrong access review frequency may be adequate. Option D is wrong log retention is unrelated to approval process.
What should I do if I get this CISM question wrong?
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related CISM questions on access control and AAA configuration.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Authentication checks who the user is.
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 →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An information security manager reviews the suspicious activity log shown in the exhibit. The payroll file is supposed to be encrypted and only accessible internally. What is the MOST likely cause for the failed download?
hard
A.The user's encryption certificate has expired
B.The file was not encrypted before being uploaded
✓ C.The user lacked permission to decrypt the file
D.The external IP is blocked by the firewall
Why C: Option D is correct because the status 'Encryption key not found' indicates that the user does not have the necessary decryption key, likely due to lack of permission. Option A is wrong because certificate expiry would show a different error. Option B is wrong because if the file were not encrypted, it would download successfully. Option C is wrong because if the external IP were blocked, the download would not initiate.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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This CISM practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA 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 CISM exam.
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