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ISC2 CC Practice Question: During a security audit, it is discovered that a…
During a security audit, it is discovered that a single administrator can create user accounts, assign privileges, and review audit logs. Which principle is most likely being violated?
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
Separation of duties requires that conflicting critical tasks be performed by different individuals to prevent fraud or error. The administrator has both operational and oversight roles, violating this principle.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Separation of duties
Why this is correct
Correct. The combination of account creation, privilege assignment, and audit review in one person violates separation of duties.
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Least privilege
Why it's wrong here
While the administrator may have too much privilege, the core issue is conflicting duties, not just excessive access.
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Need to know
Why it's wrong here
Need to know restricts access based on job necessity; not directly violated here.
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Defense in depth
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth is about layered controls; not directly related to single-person control.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Security Principles
Key term
Separation of duties
Separation of duties is a security principle that splits critical tasks and privileges among multiple people to prevent fraud, errors, and abuse of power.
Key term
Audit
An audit is a systematic, independent review of IT systems, processes, and controls to verify compliance with policies, standards, and regulations.
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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.