hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
ISC2 CC Accountability Practice Question
A security engineer is designing a system that must ensure that any changes to a configuration file are logged with the identity of the person who made the change. Which principle is being implemented?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse accountability with non-repudiation. Accountability is about tracking and identification, while non-repudiation requires proof that prevents denial of the action.
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
✓
Accountability
Accountability ensures that actions can be traced to a specific individual through logging and identification. The scenario requires logging the identity of the person making a change, which directly supports accountability. Non-repudiation goes further by providing cryptographic proof (e.g., digital signatures) to prevent denial of the action, which is not explicitly required here. Therefore, Accountability is the correct principle.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Accountability
Why this is correct
Correct. Accountability involves tracking actions to an individual, often through logging. The requirement to log the identity of the person who made the change implements accountability.
- ✗
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Non-repudiation provides cryptographic proof (e.g., digital signatures) to prevent denial of an action. While related, the scenario only requires logging identity, not cryptographic proof.
- ✗
Confidentiality
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Confidentiality ensures data is not disclosed to unauthorized parties, which is not described in the scenario.
- ✗
Integrity
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Integrity ensures data is not altered improperly. Logging changes does not directly ensure integrity, though it can help detect unauthorized modifications.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Security Principles
Key term
Non-repudiation
Non-repudiation is a security principle that ensures a party in a digital transaction cannot deny their involvement or the authenticity of their digital signature.
Key term
Accountability
Accountability is the security principle that ensures actions and identity are linked so that a person or system can be held responsible for their activities.
About these practice questions
This CC question is part of Courseiva's 976-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.