SNOW-CAD Integrating and managing application data Practice Question
A ServiceNow instance integrates with an external HR system via REST. The integration retrieves employee records and updates the 'sys_user' table. Recently, the integration started failing with '403 Forbidden' errors. The REST API endpoint and authentication credentials have not changed. Which action should the administrator take first to resolve the issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse a 403 Forbidden with a 401 Unauthorized or a connectivity issue, leading candidates to focus on credentials or endpoint URLs instead of the authorization layer within ServiceNow's ACLs.
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
✓
Check the Access Control List (ACL) rules on the sys_user table for the integration user.
A 403 Forbidden error indicates that the server understood the request but is refusing to authorize it. Since the REST endpoint and credentials haven't changed, the most likely cause is that the integration user's access rights within ServiceNow have been altered, specifically the Access Control List (ACL) rules on the 'sys_user' table. The administrator should first check these ACLs to ensure the integration user still has the necessary read/write permissions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Review the inbound REST message configuration for rate limiting settings.
Why it's wrong here
Rate limiting typically returns 429 Too Many Requests, not 403.
- ✗
Reset the password for the integration user in the external system.
Why it's wrong here
Credentials are unchanged; resetting password is not the first step.
- ✓
Check the Access Control List (ACL) rules on the sys_user table for the integration user.
Why this is correct
A 403 error indicates forbidden access; ACLs or user permissions are the most common cause.
- ✗
Verify the REST API endpoint URL in the integration record.
Why it's wrong here
The endpoint hasn't changed, so this is unlikely the issue.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SNOW-CAD practice question is part of Courseiva's free ServiceNow 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 SNOW-CAD exam.