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 team implements a policy that requires all access to sensitive data to be logged and audited. Which principle is being enforced?
Accountability
Correct. Logging creates accountability.
Non-repudiation
Why wrong: Non-repudiation is about denying actions, but logging supports both.
Integrity
Why wrong: Integrity is about data accuracy.
Least privilege
Why wrong: Least privilege is about access levels.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Accountability
Accountability is enforced because logging and auditing create a traceable record of who accessed sensitive data and what actions they performed. This allows security teams to hold individuals responsible for their actions by correlating log entries with specific user identities, typically via authentication systems like LDAP or SAML. The policy directly supports the principle that users must be answerable for their access to protected resources.
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.
Accountability
Why this is correct
Correct. Logging creates accountability.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation is about denying actions, but logging supports both.
Integrity
Why it's wrong here
Integrity is about data accuracy.
Least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege is about access levels.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between accountability (tracking and attributing actions) and non-repudiation (cryptographic proof of origin), leading candidates to confuse logging with the stronger assurance provided by digital signatures.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, audit logs are often generated by system calls (e.g., Linux auditd, Windows Security Event Log 4663) and must be protected against tampering using techniques like log signing or forwarding to a SIEM with write-once storage. In a real-world scenario, a SOC analyst might use these logs to trace a data exfiltration event back to a specific user session, enforcing accountability even if the user attempts to shift blame.
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: Accountability — Accountability is enforced because logging and auditing create a traceable record of who accessed sensitive data and what actions they performed. This allows security teams to hold individuals responsible for their actions by correlating log entries with specific user identities, typically via authentication systems like LDAP or SAML. The policy directly supports the principle that users must be answerable for their access to protected resources.
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
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.
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