hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: During an audit, it is discovered that a…
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many 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.
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
✓
Poor account management
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.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
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.
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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.