easyMultiple Choice
ISC2 CC Practice Question: A company's security policy states that employees…
A company's security policy states that employees should only have access to the data necessary to perform their job functions. This is an example of which principle?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests least privilege by contrasting it with separation of duties, where candidates mistakenly choose separation of duties because both involve restricting access, but separation of duties specifically splits conflicting tasks among different people to prevent collusion, not to limit data access per role.
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
✓
Least privilege
The principle of least privilege dictates that users and systems should be granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their tasks. By restricting data access to job-required information, the company directly implements this security control, reducing the attack surface and limiting potential damage from compromised accounts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defence in depth layers independent controls so one failure does not expose everything; it does not limit each user's data to job requirements. Layering is tempting because it is a core security strategy, but least privilege governs entitlement scope, which is what the policy actually describes.
- ✗
Separation of duties
Why it's wrong here
Separation of duties splits a sensitive task across multiple people to prevent unilateral fraud; it does not restrict each employee to job-relevant data. It is tempting because both principles limit insider abuse, but separation of duties concerns conflicting task assignment, not entitlement breadth.
- ✗
Fail-safe
Why it's wrong here
Fail-safe design ensures a system defaults to a secure state on failure; it says nothing about limiting data access to job duties. It is tempting because fail-safe is a recognised security principle, but it governs failure behaviour, whereas least privilege governs entitlement scope.
- ✓
Least privilege
Why this is correct
Least privilege grants users only the access required for their job functions, nothing more. This precisely matches the policy described in the stem, restricting employees to data necessary for their duties and thereby limiting potential blast radius from misuse or compromise.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Access Control Fundamentals
Key term
Least privilege
Least privilege is a security principle that means giving users, systems, or programs only the minimum permissions they need to do their job and nothing more.
Key term
Access control
Access control is the security practice of determining who or what is allowed to view, use, or enter a resource, and under what conditions.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.