This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of access controls. 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.
An organization implements an attribute-based access control (ABAC) system with the following policy: if user.role == 'doctor' and resource.type == 'patient_record' and environment.time between 08:00-18:00 then permit. A doctor tries to access a patient record at 20:00. What is the result?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deny
The ABAC policy requires the environment.time to be between 08:00 and 18:00 for access to be permitted. Since the doctor attempts access at 20:00, which falls outside this time window, the condition is not met, and the policy evaluates to 'deny' by default in a closed-system ABAC model. The correct result is Deny (option D).
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Permit
Why it's wrong here
The policy requires time between 08:00-18:00; 20:00 is outside this range, so access is not permitted.
✗
Indeterminate
Why it's wrong here
Indeterminate results occur when there is missing or conflicting attribute data; here all attributes are present and consistent.
✗
Not applicable
Why it's wrong here
The policy is applicable because the user role and resource type match; it is evaluated and results in deny.
✓
Deny
Why this is correct
Since the time condition is not satisfied, the policy does not grant access, and the default deny rule applies.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the default deny principle in ABAC, where candidates mistakenly assume a missing explicit 'deny' rule means 'permit' or 'not applicable', but the absence of a matching permit condition results in an implicit deny.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In ABAC, policies are evaluated as boolean expressions; if any condition is false, the rule evaluates to false, and the default deny principle (common in XACML and NIST SP 800-162) applies. The environment attribute 'time' is typically derived from system clock or NTP, and the policy's time range is a simple comparison; no ambiguity exists here. Real-world implementations often combine time-based restrictions with break-glass mechanisms for emergencies, but this policy lacks such an override.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Access Controls — This question tests Access Controls — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deny — The ABAC policy requires the environment.time to be between 08:00 and 18:00 for access to be permitted. Since the doctor attempts access at 20:00, which falls outside this time window, the condition is not met, and the policy evaluates to 'deny' by default in a closed-system ABAC model. The correct result is Deny (option D).
What should I do if I get this SSCP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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