ISC2 CC Access Controls Concepts Practice Question
A security administrator is implementing controls to prevent a single employee from approving and disbursing payments. Which principle is being applied?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing separation of duties with least privilege; candidates may pick least privilege because both involve limiting access, but separation of duties specifically addresses dividing tasks among multiple people to prevent fraud.
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
✓
Separation of duties
Separation of duties is the principle that no single individual should have control over all aspects of a critical process. By preventing one employee from both approving and disbursing payments, the company ensures that multiple people are involved, reducing the risk of fraud or error.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Need-to-know
Why it's wrong here
Need-to-know limits access to information required for a task; it does not separate the approval and disbursement duties. It is tempting as a foundational access principle, and would be correct if the scenario restricted an employee from viewing data unrelated to their role.
- ✗
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defence in depth layers multiple independent controls; it does not itself require splitting one transaction between two people. It is tempting because separation of duties is often deployed alongside layered controls, and would be correct if the scenario added overlapping safeguards rather than dividing duties.
- ✗
Least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege grants only the minimum rights needed for a role; it does not prevent one person holding both approval and disbursement rights. It is tempting as a core access-control principle, and would be correct if the scenario removed unnecessary permissions rather than splitting duties.
- ✓
Separation of duties
Why this is correct
Separation of duties splits a critical transaction across multiple people so no single employee controls it end to end. Requiring one person to raise a payment and another to approve it directly satisfies the stem's constraint: preventing one employee from both approving and disbursing funds.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Risk Management and Security Controls
Key term
Risk
Risk is the possibility that an event or action will negatively affect an organization's ability to achieve its goals, often measured in terms of likelihood and impact.
Key term
Separation of duties
Separation of duties is a security principle that splits critical tasks and privileges among multiple people to prevent fraud, errors, and abuse of power.
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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.