CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

What is the term for when a user receives account privileges that they should not possess?

1. Privilege escalation

2. Access control

3. User authentication

4. Data leakage

The correct answer is: Privilege escalation

The term for when a user receives account privileges that they should not possess is privilege escalation. This concept refers to a situation where a user either exploits a vulnerability or misconfiguration within a system to gain higher access rights than intended. This can occur inadvertently when administrative permissions are assigned incorrectly or through malicious intent, where an attacker seeks to gain unauthorized access to sensitive or critical system functions. Understanding this term is essential in the context of cloud security and overall IT governance, as it emphasizes the importance of strict access controls and the need to regularly audit user permissions to prevent unauthorized access to resources. In contrast, access control pertains to the methods employed to ensure that users can only access the resources they are entitled to, user authentication is the process of verifying a user's identity, and data leakage refers to the unauthorized transmission of data from within an organization to an external destination.