mediumMultiple Choice
Just-in-Time Provisioning: Preventing Orphaned Accounts in Federated Systems
A company needs to ensure that when an employee leaves the organization, their accounts are disabled promptly to prevent unauthorized access. Which approach is MOST effective for timely account deactivation?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers choose option B because it seems proactive, but they overlook the inherent delay and unreliability of manual reporting compared to automated synchronization, which is the only option guaranteeing timely deactivation.
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
✓
Automatically synchronize with the HR system to disable accounts upon termination.
Automatically synchronizing with the HR system ensures that account deactivation occurs immediately upon termination, eliminating human delay or error. This approach leverages identity lifecycle management (ILM) to enforce the principle of least privilege and prevent unauthorized access through orphaned accounts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Conduct quarterly access reviews to identify and disable unused accounts.
Why it's wrong here
Quarterly reviews detect stale accounts only at fixed intervals, leaving a departed employee's access live for up to three months. Reviews suit periodic attestation of entitlements; prompt deactivation requires an event-driven trigger from HR on the termination date.
- ✗
Require managers to report departures via a ticketing system.
Why it's wrong here
Ticketing depends on a manager remembering to raise it, so deactivation waits on human action and can lag for days. It suits tracking non-urgent requests; prompt revocation needs an automated feed from the HR system of record triggering immediate disablement.
- ✗
Implement a self-service password reset system to empower users.
Why it's wrong here
Self-service password reset lets users regain access to their own accounts, which is the opposite of revoking it, and does nothing once the account owner has left. It suits reducing helpdesk load for active staff, not timely deactivation.
- ✓
Automatically synchronize with the HR system to disable accounts upon termination.
Why this is correct
Automated HR-system synchronisation disables accounts as part of the termination workflow itself, removing reliance on manual notification. This closes the window between departure and deactivation, satisfying the promptness constraint that manual or periodic review processes cannot guarantee.
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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.