ISC2 CC Access Controls Concepts Practice Question
A hospital's data center uses a mantrap at its main entrance. A nurse badges in at the outer door, steps into a small glass vestibule, and the outer door locks before the inner door unlocks. What security goal does this design primarily achieve?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming any physical entry control automatically enforces least privilege rather than recognizing the mantrap's specific role in stopping tailgating.
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
✓
Preventing tailgating by allowing only one person to pass at a time
The interlocked-door vestibule is a classic anti-tailgating control: it forces a one-person-at-a-time transition between security zones so an unauthorized individual cannot slip in behind an authorized badge holder. The nurse's badge handles identification and authentication; the mantrap's distinct contribution is preventing piggybacking through the doorway.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Establishing identification of the nurse to the access control system
Why it's wrong here
Identification is the act of claiming an identity, such as presenting a badge number or username; authentication verifies that claim. The mantrap mechanically constrains movement after a badge is presented, but it is not the mechanism that establishes or validates identity. Confusing a physical barrier with the identification step mischaracterizes what the vestibule actually does.
- ✓
Preventing tailgating by allowing only one person to pass at a time
Why this is correct
A mantrap uses interlocked doors so the second door cannot open until the first is secured, and typically only one person fits in the vestibule. This physically separates individuals, defeating the common practice of an unauthorized person following an authorized badge holder through a single door. That is precisely the anti-tailgating function the scenario describes.
- ✗
Providing non-repudiation of the nurse's badge transaction
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation is a cryptographic property that prevents a party from denying an action, usually achieved through digital signatures and audit logs. A mantrap controls physical movement but does not by itself create irrefutable proof of who badged in. Logging from the badge reader could support auditing, yet the vestibule's purpose is preventing unauthorized entry, not proving intent.
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Enforcing least privilege for staff entering the data center
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege governs the minimum permissions an identity receives to perform its job, typically applied to system rights and data access. The mantrap does not evaluate or reduce permissions; it physically regulates how people transition between zones. A nurse could hold broad access rights and still pass through the vestibule normally, so this control cannot be described as enforcing least privilege.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Authentication and Authorization Methods
Key term
Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying that someone or something is who or what it claims to be before granting access to a system or resource.
Key term
Tailgating
Tailgating is a physical security breach where an unauthorized person follows an authorized person into a restricted area without proper authentication.
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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 ISC2 exam blueprint
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.