easyMultiple Choice
ISC2 CC Practice Question: A security team implements a policy that requires…
A security team implements a policy that requires all access to sensitive data to be logged and audited. Which principle is being enforced?
⚠ Common exam trap
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.
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 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.
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
Accountability requires that every action against sensitive data is attributable to a specific identity. Logging and auditing create the traceable record that enforces this, satisfying the policy's requirement that all access be recorded and reviewable.
- ✗
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation prevents a party denying that an action occurred, typically through digital signatures, and applies to transactions rather than routine access logging. It is tempting because signatures and audit logs both create evidence, but the stem requires recording access events, which is accountability.
- ✗
Integrity
Why it's wrong here
Integrity guards data against unauthorised modification, using hashes or checksums, and says nothing about recording who accessed what. Logging and auditing satisfy accountability, so integrity is tempting because both concern data protection, yet it addresses alteration rather than traceability of access events.
- ✗
Least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege limits the permissions each identity receives, restricting what actions are possible; it does not itself record access. It is tempting because access control and auditing are often deployed together, but the policy described demands an audit trail, which is accountability, not permission minimisation.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Authentication and Authorization Methods
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.
Key term
Policy
A policy is a set of rules or guidelines that defines how an organization manages, secures, and operates its IT systems and services.
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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.