This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of security operations and administration. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
A security analyst is reviewing the access control policy and notices that some users have been granted 'write' access to a directory that contains sensitive financial reports. Which principle of information security is being violated?
Non-repudiation
Why wrong: Non-repudiation ensures actions cannot be denied, not related to access levels.
Least privilege
Granting more access than needed violates least privilege.
Availability
Why wrong: Availability ensures data is accessible when needed, not related to excess permissions.
Confidentiality
Why wrong: Confidentiality is about preventing unauthorized disclosure, not about limiting access rights.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Least privilege
The principle of least privilege dictates that users should be granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their job functions. Granting 'write' access to a directory containing sensitive financial reports to users who do not require that level of access violates this principle, as it introduces unnecessary risk of unauthorized modification or data leakage.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation ensures actions cannot be denied, not related to access levels.
Least privilege
Why this is correct
Granting more access than needed violates least privilege.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Availability
Why it's wrong here
Availability ensures data is accessible when needed, not related to excess permissions.
Confidentiality
Why it's wrong here
Confidentiality is about preventing unauthorized disclosure, not about limiting access rights.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse the violation of least privilege with a breach of confidentiality, but the question specifically highlights the granting of unnecessary write permissions, which is a direct violation of the least privilege principle, not merely a confidentiality issue.
Detailed technical explanation
In file system access control lists (ACLs), 'write' permission typically includes the ability to modify, delete, or create files within the directory, which could allow a user to alter financial reports or inject malicious content. Under the hood, operating systems like Linux enforce this via inode-based permissions (e.g., chmod 777) or POSIX ACLs, where write access to a directory also requires the 'execute' bit to traverse it. A real-world scenario is a financial auditor who only needs read access to verify reports but is mistakenly given write access, enabling accidental or intentional data corruption.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security Operations and Administration — This question tests Security Operations and Administration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Least privilege — The principle of least privilege dictates that users should be granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their job functions. Granting 'write' access to a directory containing sensitive financial reports to users who do not require that level of access violates this principle, as it introduces unnecessary risk of unauthorized modification or data leakage.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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.
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