hardMultiple Choice
SSCP Practice Question: A company implements a new policy requiring all…
A company implements a new policy requiring all privileged access requests to be approved by a manager. However, after deployment, analysts report that they cannot perform emergency changes outside business hours. What is the best solution?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates choose option A (extending on-call hours) thinking it solves the availability issue, but they fail to recognize that it does not address the fundamental need for immediate, unattended access during emergencies, which is the core purpose of a break-glass procedure.
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
✓
Implement a break-glass procedure for emergency access.
A break-glass procedure provides a predefined, auditable method for granting emergency privileged access without requiring real-time manager approval. This balances security with operational continuity, allowing analysts to perform critical changes outside business hours while maintaining accountability through post-event review and logging.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Extend manager on-call hours to cover all times.
Why it's wrong here
Extending manager on-call hours to cover all times does not resolve the delay: analysts still wait for a manager before acting, so emergency changes remain blocked. It is tempting because it preserves approval coverage, and it would be correct where emergencies are infrequent enough that round-the-clock manager availability is feasible.
- ✓
Implement a break-glass procedure for emergency access.
Why this is correct
A break-glass procedure grants pre-authorised emergency access, bypassing the manager approval workflow when urgent changes are needed outside business hours. It satisfies the availability constraint while preserving accountability through logging and post-incident review, ensuring privileged access remains auditable without blocking critical fixes during unstaffed periods.
- ✗
Remove the approval requirement for privileged access.
Why it's wrong here
Removing approval entirely eliminates the manager authorisation control the policy requires, leaving privileged actions unaudited and unapproved. It is tempting because it restores out-of-hours access instantly, and it would be correct only where no approval control over privileged access is mandated at all.
- ✗
Require analysts to call a manager for approval each time.
Why it's wrong here
Telephoning a manager for every emergency change still depends on synchronous human availability, so out-of-hours changes remain blocked when no manager answers. It is tempting because it preserves approval, and it would be correct where emergencies are rare and managers are reliably reachable by phone.
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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.