ISC2 CC Access Controls Concepts Practice Question
A security administrator is configuring access rights for a new employee. Which principle ensures the employee is granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their job duties?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse least privilege with need-to-know or separation of duties, which are related but distinct concepts; the question specifically asks about minimum permissions for job duties.
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 states that a user should be granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their job duties. This limits the potential damage from accidents, errors, or malicious activity by ensuring users cannot access resources beyond their scope of work. It is a foundational security principle applied across systems, including access rights for new employees.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Least privilege
Why this is correct
Least privilege grants each user only the permissions their role requires, nothing more. It satisfies the scenario's constraint by minimising the new employee's access rights, thereby limiting the damage any compromised or misused account could cause across systems.
- ✗
Separation of duties
Why it's wrong here
Separation of duties splits critical tasks among multiple people to prevent fraud and error, not to limit each user's permissions to the minimum required. It is tempting because it does constrain what one person can do alone, but least privilege, not task splitting, is the principle governing minimum necessary permissions.
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Need-to-know
Why it's wrong here
Need-to-know restricts access to specific information required for a task, addressing data disclosure rather than the breadth of system permissions granted. It is tempting because it also minimises access, but least privilege governs the permission set assigned to a role, which is what the scenario describes.
- ✗
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth layers multiple independent controls so failure of one does not compromise the system; it does not itself limit a user's permissions. It is tempting because layered controls include least privilege, but the principle directly ensuring minimum necessary permissions is least privilege.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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
Scope
In IT, scope defines the boundaries, goals, and deliverables of a project, assessment, or engagement, specifying what is included and what is excluded.
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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.