This CC practice question tests your understanding of security principles. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A security analyst discovers that an employee's workstation has been infected with ransomware. Which security principle has been directly violated?
Availability
Why wrong: Ransomware affects availability, but the direct violation is least privilege.
Least privilege
Correct. The user likely had excessive permissions.
Separation of duties
Why wrong: Separation of duties prevents fraud, not ransomware.
Defense in depth
Why wrong: Defense in depth is a strategy, not a principle directly violated.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Least privilege
Ransomware directly violates the availability security principle because it encrypts files and systems, rendering them inaccessible to authorized users. While the infection may also impact confidentiality or integrity, the immediate and primary effect is denial of access to data and services, which is a breach of availability.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Availability
Why it's wrong here
Ransomware affects availability, but the direct violation is least privilege.
Least privilege
Why this is correct
Correct. The user likely had excessive permissions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Separation of duties
Why it's wrong here
Separation of duties prevents fraud, not ransomware.
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth is a strategy, not a principle directly violated.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between the CIA triad principles, and the trap here is that candidates confuse the cause (ransomware) with the principle violated, mistakenly thinking 'least privilege' is the answer because the infection occurred, but the direct violation is availability, not least privilege.
Detailed technical explanation
Ransomware typically uses symmetric encryption (e.g., AES-256) to encrypt files quickly, then asymmetric encryption (e.g., RSA-2048) to protect the symmetric key, ensuring only the attacker can decrypt. The availability violation is immediate because the file system's access control mechanisms are bypassed, and the operating system's normal read/write operations are blocked until the ransom is paid or backups are restored.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security Principles — This question tests Security Principles — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Least privilege — Ransomware directly violates the availability security principle because it encrypts files and systems, rendering them inaccessible to authorized users. While the infection may also impact confidentiality or integrity, the immediate and primary effect is denial of access to data and services, which is a breach of availability.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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