ISC2 CC Access Controls Concepts Practice Question
This CC practice question tests your understanding of access controls concepts. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 system administrator notices that a user has been granted read and write permissions to a folder but should only have read access. Which type of access control issue does this represent?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Excessive permissions
Excessive permissions occur when a user or group is granted more privileges than necessary for their role. In this scenario, the user has read and write access to a folder but should only have read access, meaning the write permission is unnecessary and violates the principle of least privilege. This is a classic example of excessive permissions, as the user has been over-provisioned beyond their job requirements.
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.
✓
Excessive permissions
Why this is correct
Excessive permissions directly describe having more rights than required.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Segregation of duties conflict
Why it's wrong here
SoD conflict involves incompatible tasks, not permission levels.
✗
Authorization creep
Why it's wrong here
Authorization creep is the gradual accumulation of permissions over time, but the issue here is a specific excess rather than accumulation.
✗
Incomplete revocation
Why it's wrong here
Incomplete revocation is when permissions remain after they should have been removed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the distinction between authorization creep (gradual accumulation over time) and excessive permissions (a one-time over-provisioning), so candidates may confuse the two when the scenario describes a single incorrect assignment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, file system permissions (e.g., NTFS or POSIX) use access control entries (ACEs) or mode bits to define read, write, and execute rights. The principle of least privilege dictates that users should only have the minimum permissions needed to perform their tasks; granting write access when only read is required violates this principle and can lead to unauthorized data modification or deletion. In real-world scenarios, such as a shared project folder, excessive write permissions could allow a user to accidentally overwrite critical files, causing data integrity issues.
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.
Access Controls Concepts — This question tests Access Controls Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Excessive permissions — Excessive permissions occur when a user or group is granted more privileges than necessary for their role. In this scenario, the user has read and write access to a folder but should only have read access, meaning the write permission is unnecessary and violates the principle of least privilege. This is a classic example of excessive permissions, as the user has been over-provisioned beyond their job requirements.
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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