CISSP Identity and Access Management Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of identity and access management. 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.
Which TWO of the following are valid methods to enforce separation of duties in an access control system?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Using time-based restrictions to prevent overlapping tasks
Time-based restrictions enforce separation of duties by preventing a single user from performing conflicting tasks during overlapping time periods. For example, a user authorized to initiate a payment transaction cannot also approve it within the same time window, ensuring that no single individual has end-to-end control over a sensitive process. This is a technical control that directly supports the principle of separation of duties in an access control system.
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.
✗
Requiring mandatory vacations for all employees
Why it's wrong here
Detective control, not enforcement.
✓
Using time-based restrictions to prevent overlapping tasks
Why this is correct
Can enforce that two actions cannot be done by same user in same time window.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Performing job rotation every six months
Why it's wrong here
Deterrent, not direct enforcement.
✗
Configuring shared accounts for each department
Why it's wrong here
Shared accounts remove individual accountability.
✓
Implementing role-based access control with mutually exclusive roles
Why this is correct
Prevents a single user from having conflicting roles.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse administrative controls like mandatory vacations and job rotation with technical access control mechanisms that directly enforce separation of duties at the system level.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Role-based access control (RBAC) with mutually exclusive roles enforces separation of duties by defining roles that cannot be assigned to the same user simultaneously, such as 'Purchase Order Creator' and 'Purchase Order Approver'. This is often implemented using static separation of duty (SSD) constraints in RBAC systems, which prevent a user from being assigned to two conflicting roles at the same time. Time-based restrictions, such as requiring a mandatory delay between initiating and approving a transaction, add a temporal layer to separation of duties, ensuring that even if a user has both roles, they cannot execute both actions within the same session or time window.
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.
Identity and Access Management — This question tests Identity and Access Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Using time-based restrictions to prevent overlapping tasks — Time-based restrictions enforce separation of duties by preventing a single user from performing conflicting tasks during overlapping time periods. For example, a user authorized to initiate a payment transaction cannot also approve it within the same time window, ensuring that no single individual has end-to-end control over a sensitive process. This is a technical control that directly supports the principle of separation of duties in an access control system.
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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