Quick Answer
The answer is poor account management. This is the correct choice because the contractor’s access was not revoked after the project ended, representing a clear failure in the account lifecycle management process where privileges must be disabled or removed when a user’s role or affiliation changes. On the Systems Security Certified Practitioner SSCP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of administrative controls and the principle of least privilege, often appearing as a trap where candidates confuse authorization or authentication issues with the real problem of unrevoked access. The search intent keywords—account management failure and access not revoked—directly point to this lifecycle oversight, not to how access was originally granted. A solid memory tip: think of “termination triggers revocation”—when a contract or role ends, the account must be disabled immediately, or you have an account management failure.
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of access controls. 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.
During an audit, it is discovered that a contractor’s account has read access to a financial database even though the contractor’s project ended six months ago. Which type of access control failure is this?
Inadequate authorization
Why wrong: Authorization was initially correct; the problem is lack of de-provisioning.
Insufficient authentication
Why wrong: Authentication is about verifying identity, not about ongoing authorization.
Weak password policy
Why wrong: No password issue mentioned.
Poor account management
Accounts must be disabled when no longer needed.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Poor account management
The correct answer is D because the contractor's account retained access privileges after the project ended, which is a failure of the account lifecycle management process. Proper account management requires disabling or removing accounts when a user's role or affiliation changes, such as when a contract terminates. This is not an authorization or authentication issue, as the access was originally granted correctly but was not revoked in a timely manner.
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.
Inadequate authorization
Why it's wrong here
Authorization was initially correct; the problem is lack of de-provisioning.
Insufficient authentication
Why it's wrong here
Authentication is about verifying identity, not about ongoing authorization.
Weak password policy
Why it's wrong here
No password issue mentioned.
Poor account management
Why this is correct
Accounts must be disabled when no longer needed.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'inadequate authorization' (which is about granting excessive permissions) with 'poor account management' (which is about failing to revoke access when it is no longer needed), even though the original authorization was correct.
Detailed technical explanation
Account management encompasses provisioning, maintenance, and deprovisioning of user identities, often governed by an identity and access management (IAM) system with automated lifecycle workflows. In practice, a contractor's account should be tied to an expiration date or linked to a project status in a directory service like Active Directory or LDAP, triggering automatic disablement or removal via scripts or IAM tools. Failure to implement such automation is a common audit finding, as manual processes often miss orphaned accounts that retain access long after the user's affiliation ends.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Access Controls — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Access Controls — This question tests Access Controls — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Poor account management — The correct answer is D because the contractor's account retained access privileges after the project ended, which is a failure of the account lifecycle management process. Proper account management requires disabling or removing accounts when a user's role or affiliation changes, such as when a contract terminates. This is not an authorization or authentication issue, as the access was originally granted correctly but was not revoked in a timely manner.
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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