CRISC Information Technology and Security Practice Question
A risk practitioner is reviewing the organization's identity and access management (IAM) processes. The organization wants to reduce the risk of excessive access rights for employees who change roles internally. Which of the following controls is MOST effective for this risk?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that periodic access reviews or least privilege at a single layer are sufficient, when timely, automated revocation upon role change is the most direct mitigation.
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
✓
Automating role-based access revocation and provisioning upon HR role changes.
The most effective control to reduce excessive access rights from internal role changes is automated role-based access revocation and provisioning triggered by HR events. This ensures immediate removal of old access and assignment of new access, directly addressing the risk. Other controls like vacation policies, periodic reviews, or database-level least privilege are either indirect or incomplete.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enforcing least privilege at the database level only.
Why it's wrong here
Enforcing least privilege at the database level addresses only one aspect of access and may not cover other systems. Excessive access rights can exist across multiple applications and platforms. A role change might require adjustments in various systems, so a database-only control is insufficient to mitigate the overall risk of access creep.
- ✗
Implementing mandatory vacation policies for all employees.
Why it's wrong here
Mandatory vacation policies can help detect fraudulent activity but do not directly address excessive access rights from role changes. They are a detective control for potential insider threats, not a preventive control for access creep. The risk is about employees retaining unnecessary access after moving to a new role, so a control that revokes or adjusts access is needed.
- ✓
Automating role-based access revocation and provisioning upon HR role changes.
Why this is correct
Automating access revocation and provisioning based on HR role changes ensures that when an employee moves to a new role, their old access is immediately removed and new access is granted according to the new role. This event-driven approach directly mitigates the risk of excessive access rights, providing timely and consistent enforcement without relying on manual reviews.
- ✗
Conducting periodic user access reviews by managers.
Why it's wrong here
Periodic access reviews are important but are often infrequent and may not occur promptly after a role change. They rely on manager diligence and can miss timely revocation. While they help identify excessive rights, they are not as effective as automated, event-driven revocation that triggers immediately upon a role change.
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
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CRISC question from scratch — 1,062 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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
This CRISC 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 CRISC exam.