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SSCP Practice Question: A company has a policy requiring segregation of…
A company has a policy requiring segregation of duties (SoD) for financial transactions. Which scenario represents a violation of this 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
✓
The finance officer approves invoices and also reconciles the bank statements
It violates segregation of duties: the same person both approves invoices (authorization) and reconciles bank statements (review/monitoring), combining incompatible duties that could allow fraud or error to go undetected. Option A is not a violation because backup and audit log review are separate functions typically performed by different roles. Option C is not a violation; requiring two approvals for large expenditures is a control to enforce dual authorization, not a violation of SoD. Option D maintains separation because the purchasing manager creates orders (initiation) and the accounts payable clerk processes payments (execution), with oversight.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The system administrator performs backups, and the security officer reviews audit logs
Why it's wrong here
Different roles performing independent tasks.
- ✓
The finance officer approves invoices and also reconciles the bank statements
Why this is correct
This combines authorization with verification, a SoD violation.
- ✗
Two managers must each approve any expenditure over $10,000
Why it's wrong here
This is a control, not a violation.
- ✗
The purchasing manager creates purchase orders, and the accounts payable clerk processes payments
Why it's wrong here
Duties are properly separated.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SSCP 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 SSCP exam.