hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: The security administrator for a mid-sized…
You are the security administrator for a mid-sized financial company that processes credit card transactions. The company has a mix of on-premises servers and cloud-based services. Recently, the company experienced a data breach where an attacker exfiltrated customer data from a database server. The investigation reveals that the attacker used compromised credentials of a database administrator (DBA) account. The DBA account had been used by multiple administrators without proper auditing. The company wants to implement a solution to prevent such incidents in the future. The solution must: 1) ensure that each administrator has a unique account for database access, 2) require approval for privileged actions, 3) provide a full audit trail of all privileged activities, and 4) be cost-effective. Which of the following is the best course of action?
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
✓
Implement a privileged access management (PAM) solution that provides just-in-time access and session recording.
A privileged access management (PAM) solution provides just-in-time access, approval workflows, and session recording, meeting all requirements. Shared accounts violate uniqueness; MFA alone doesn't provide approval or audit; database auditing software logs activities but does not enforce approval.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enforce the use of a shared DBA account with a complex password that is changed monthly.
Why it's wrong here
Shared accounts defeat accountability and uniqueness.
- ✓
Implement a privileged access management (PAM) solution that provides just-in-time access and session recording.
Why this is correct
PAM addresses all requirements: unique accounts (via vault), approval workflows, and full audit trails.
- ✗
Require multi-factor authentication for all database access without any additional controls.
Why it's wrong here
MFA enhances authentication but does not provide approval workflows or audit trails.
- ✗
Install a database activity monitoring (DAM) solution that logs all SQL queries.
Why it's wrong here
DAM provides auditing but does not enforce unique accounts or approval.
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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.