The answer is balancing the CIA triad. This is correct because the CIA triad—confidentiality, integrity, and availability—is the foundational model for prioritizing security goals when they conflict, as they do in a hospital network where patient data must be both accessible to doctors and protected from unauthorized access. The question tests your understanding that real-world security requires trade-offs, not absolute adherence to a single goal; role-based access controls, for example, enforce confidentiality while preserving availability for authorized users. On the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam, a common trap is choosing an option that focuses solely on confidentiality or availability, missing the need to balance both. Remember the mnemonic “CIA: Choose the middle ground”—when a scenario pits two goals against each other, the best answer is the one that acknowledges the triad’s balancing act.
ISC2 CC Security Principles Practice Question
This CC practice question tests your understanding of security principles. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 is designing a network for a hospital. They need to ensure that patient data is accessible to doctors only when needed, but also protected from unauthorized access. Which principle BEST balances these requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Balancing the CIA triad
The question asks for the principle that best balances accessibility with protection. The CIA triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) is the foundational model for balancing these three competing priorities. In a hospital network, doctors need availability of patient data when needed, but confidentiality must protect against unauthorized access; balancing the triad means making trade-offs between these goals, such as using role-based access controls to ensure availability for authorized users while enforcing confidentiality. Option D directly addresses this balancing act, whereas the other options focus on a single aspect.
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.
✗
Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth is a layered security approach, not a principle for balancing access and protection.
✗
Least privilege
Why it's wrong here
Least privilege limits access but does not address availability requirements.
✗
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation ensures actions are traceable, not about availability.
✓
Balancing the CIA triad
Why this is correct
Balancing confidentiality and availability is key; doctors need timely access but unauthorized access must be prevented.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the misconception that 'least privilege' is the best answer for balancing access and protection, but the trap is that least privilege is a component of confidentiality, not a principle for balancing all three CIA goals; the question specifically asks for the principle that 'best balances' the requirements, which is the CIA triad itself.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The CIA triad is a security model where trade-offs are often necessary; for example, in a hospital, availability might be prioritized during a code blue by allowing temporary override of access controls, while confidentiality is enforced through encryption at rest (e.g., AES-256) and in transit (e.g., TLS 1.3). Balancing the triad requires policies like role-based access control (RBAC) with just-in-time (JIT) elevation, ensuring that doctors can access data only when needed, but logs track all access for audit. Real-world implementations often use attribute-based access control (ABAC) to dynamically evaluate context (e.g., time, role, patient condition) to balance these three goals.
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: Balancing the CIA triad — The question asks for the principle that best balances accessibility with protection. The CIA triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) is the foundational model for balancing these three competing priorities. In a hospital network, doctors need availability of patient data when needed, but confidentiality must protect against unauthorized access; balancing the triad means making trade-offs between these goals, such as using role-based access controls to ensure availability for authorized users while enforcing confidentiality. Option D directly addresses this balancing act, whereas the other options focus on a single aspect.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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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