CISSP Security Architecture and Engineering Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security architecture and engineering. 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.
An organization is implementing role-based access control (RBAC). Which two components are fundamental to the RBAC model? (Select TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Constraints such as separation of duties
Constraints such as separation of duties are fundamental to RBAC because they enforce organizational policies by preventing conflicts of interest (e.g., a user cannot both create and approve a purchase order). This is a core component of the RBAC model as defined in the NIST RBAC standard (ANSI INCITS 359-2004), which includes core RBAC, hierarchical RBAC, and constrained RBAC. Constraints ensure that role assignments and permissions adhere to security rules beyond simple role-user mapping.
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.
✗
Access control lists (ACLs)
Why it's wrong here
ACLs are used in DAC, not RBAC.
✗
Subjects, objects, and operations
Why it's wrong here
These are elements of access control but not specific to RBAC.
✓
Constraints such as separation of duties
Why this is correct
Correct. Constraints are integral to RBAC to enforce policies like SoD.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Roles, permissions, and user assignments
Why this is correct
Correct. These are the fundamental components of RBAC.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Security labels and clearances
Why it's wrong here
These are used in MAC, not RBAC.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the generic components of access control (subjects, objects, operations) with the specific fundamental components of the RBAC model, leading them to select Option B instead of recognizing that roles, permissions, user assignments, and constraints are the unique building blocks of RBAC.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, RBAC implementations store role-permission mappings in a relational database (e.g., a role_has_permissions table) and enforce constraints via session-level checks or policy engines. For example, in a real-world ERP system, a 'separation of duties' constraint might be implemented as a rule that prevents a user from being assigned both the 'Accounts Payable Clerk' and 'Payment Approver' roles simultaneously, often checked during role assignment or at runtime via a reference monitor. The NIST RBAC model explicitly defines 'constraints' as a separate component in the constrained RBAC profile, which is required for high-assurance environments.
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 CISSP question in full detail.
Security Architecture and Engineering — This question tests Security Architecture and Engineering — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Constraints such as separation of duties — Constraints such as separation of duties are fundamental to RBAC because they enforce organizational policies by preventing conflicts of interest (e.g., a user cannot both create and approve a purchase order). This is a core component of the RBAC model as defined in the NIST RBAC standard (ANSI INCITS 359-2004), which includes core RBAC, hierarchical RBAC, and constrained RBAC. Constraints ensure that role assignments and permissions adhere to security rules beyond simple role-user mapping.
What should I do if I get this CISSP 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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