Which security measure MOST effectively reduces unauthorized access in cloud environments?

Question

Options

• AEnforcing strong access control policies
• BDisabling encryption for performance
• CAllowing unrestricted access
• DUsing shared administrator accounts

• A
  92% (34)
• B
  3% (1)
• C
  5% (2)

Explanation

Enforcing strong access control policies (A) is the most effective measure because it ensures only authenticated, authorized users can access resources - the foundation of cloud security through mechanisms like IAM roles, least-privilege principles, and MFA.

Why the distractors fail:

• B (Disabling encryption) introduces a critical vulnerability by exposing data in transit and at rest, trading security for marginal performance gains - the opposite of sound practice.
• C (Unrestricted access) eliminates all security boundaries, making unauthorized access trivially easy by design.
• D (Shared admin accounts) destroys accountability and auditability; if credentials are compromised or misused, there's no way to trace actions to an individual.

Memory tip: Think "CIA" - Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability. Access control policies directly protect Confidentiality by ensuring only the right people see the right data. Whenever a choice removes controls (B, C, D), it attacks CIA rather than defending it.

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