This CC practice question tests your understanding of security principles. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 manager is designing a policy to prevent one person from both approving and disbursing payments. Which principle is being applied?
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 ensures that no single individual has control over two or more phases of a critical transaction, such as both approving and disbursing payments. By splitting these responsibilities, the organization reduces the risk of fraud or error because collusion between two or more people would be required to bypass controls. In payment systems, this is often enforced through dual-authorization workflows in ERP or financial management software.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Separation of duties
Why this is correct
Separation of duties ensures that no single individual has control over multiple critical tasks, reducing fraud risk.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Need to know
Why it's wrong here
Need to know restricts information access, not task execution.
✗
Least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege limits access to what is needed, but does not specifically address dividing tasks.
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Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth uses multiple layers of security, not task division.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests separation of duties by pairing it with 'least privilege' in the same question, and the trap is that candidates confuse the two because both limit access, but separation of duties specifically prevents conflicting task combinations, not just reducing permissions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Separation of duties is a core internal control principle often implemented via role-based access control (RBAC) in systems like SAP or Oracle Financials, where a user cannot be assigned both the 'AP_Approver' and 'AP_PaymentProcessor' roles. In payment card industry (PCI DSS) compliance, Requirement 3.2.2 explicitly mandates separation of duties between personnel who approve and those who execute fund transfers. A subtle behavior is that even with RBAC, overlapping role assignments can inadvertently break separation, requiring periodic access reviews.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CC question in full detail.
Security Principles — This question tests Security Principles — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Separation of duties — Separation of duties ensures that no single individual has control over two or more phases of a critical transaction, such as both approving and disbursing payments. By splitting these responsibilities, the organization reduces the risk of fraud or error because collusion between two or more people would be required to bypass controls. In payment systems, this is often enforced through dual-authorization workflows in ERP or financial management software.
What should I do if I get this CC question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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