CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)Security OperationsEasy
A financial company requires that the employee who initiates a wire transfer request cannot also be the employee who approves and releases the transfer. Which security principle does this control enforce?
- ALeast privilege
- BSeparation of duties
- CMandatory vacation
- DJob rotation
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Separation of duties
Separation of duties splits a critical task among multiple people so no single individual can complete a sensitive process alone, reducing fraud and error risk.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Least privilege limits access rights, not division of tasks between roles.
- C. Mandatory vacation forces time away to reveal wrongdoing, unrelated to task splitting.
- D. Job rotation periodically changes duties to expose fraud, not split a single transaction.
Separation of Duties
A control that divides critical tasks among multiple people so no single individual can complete a sensitive process alone.
- Prevents fraud and error by requiring collusion for abuse
- Common in financial approvals and change management
- Different from least privilege, which limits access scope
Memory trick: Two hands must sign the check—no single hand controls it all.