easyMultiple Choice
ISC2 CC Practice Question: Implements a rule that an employee cannot approve…
An organization implements a rule that an employee cannot approve their own expenses. This is an example of which security principle?
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
✓
Separation of duties
Correct: B - Separation of duties. Separation of duties prevents a single individual from having conflicting roles. Option A is wrong because least privilege limits access to only necessary resources. Option C is wrong because defense in depth uses multiple layers. Option D is wrong because accountability tracks actions to individuals.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege limits each account to the minimum access needed for its role; it does not address one person holding two conflicting duties within the same transaction. It is tempting because restricting permissions sounds similar, yet the expense rule separates the requester and approver roles rather than trimming entitlements.
- ✓
Separation of duties
Why this is correct
Separation of duties splits a sensitive transaction across different people so no single individual controls it end to end. Preventing an employee from approving their own expenses enforces that split, removing the ability to self-authorise fraudulent claims.
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Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth layers independent controls so one failure does not compromise the system; it does not describe splitting a single transaction between two people. It is tempting because the rule adds a control, but the defining mechanism here is separation of duties, not overlapping layers.
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Accountability
Why it's wrong here
Accountability assigns responsibility for an action after it occurs through logging and traceability; it does not prevent an employee approving their own expenses. It is tempting because segregation of duties and accountability both appear in governance discussions, but the rule itself separates two duties within one transaction.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Key term
Least privilege
Least privilege is a security principle that means giving users, systems, or programs only the minimum permissions they need to do their job and nothing more.
Key term
Organization
An Organization is a top-level container in Google Cloud that represents your company or entities and serves as the root node for all your cloud resources, policies, and access control.
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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.