What solution secures external consultant access without sharing passwords?

SY0-701 By islever Editorial Last updated

Short answer

E PAM software

Question

A company hired an external consultant to assist with required system upgrades to a critical business application. A systems administrator needs to secure the consultant's access without sharing passwords to critical systems. Which of the following solutions should most likely be utilized?
  1. TACACS+
  2. SAML
  3. An SSO platform
  4. Role-based access control
  5. PAM software Correct Answer

Key Takeaways

This question tests PAM's purpose of securing privileged accounts via credential vaulting and session monitoring, with the common trap being to confuse SSO or RBAC with privileged access control.

Privileged Access Management (PAM) software is the correct solution because it provides temporary, monitored access to critical systems without sharing passwords. Community consensus strongly supports PAM over SSO, SAML, or RBAC for this scenario.

Common mistake: Choosing an SSO platform (Option C) because it simplifies authentication, but SSO does not eliminate password sharing or provide the fine-grained, audited privileged access control needed for a consultant.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

PAM software is specifically designed to manage privileged accounts and credentials. It allows administrators to grant time-limited, session-based access to critical systems without exposing the underlying passwords. The consultant can access the system through a controlled, monitored session that is logged and audited, which directly addresses the requirement to secure access without sharing passwords.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

  • TACACS+ (A) is a network authentication protocol for device administration, not a complete privileged access management solution for application access.
  • SAML (B) is an authentication standard for federated identity, but it does not manage or vault credentials for critical systems.
  • SSO platform (C) simplifies user authentication across applications but still requires credential management and does not provide the same level of strong audit and time-boxed access for consultants.
  • Role-based access control (D) is an authorization model that assigns permissions based on roles, but it does not secure or manage the actual credentials and cannot prevent password sharing on its own.

Community Comment Notes

Comment [1] correctly explains that PAM software "helps manage and secure privileged accounts and access credentials" and allows "temporary, controlled access" while tracking, monitoring, and logging activities. Comment [2] simply verifies PAM as the answer, and comment [3] reinforces the choice with the acronym expansion. The community consensus is unanimous in favor of PAM, and no counterarguments were presented.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When you see external consultants and critical systems without password sharing, immediately think PAM. Differentiate PAM from SSO and RBAC by noting that PAM specifically addresses credential vaulting and privileged session monitoring, while SSO and RBAC address authentication and authorization, respectively.

Community Votes

E
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer E. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 3 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 3

  1. a4e15bd 👍 12
    E. PAM Software PAM software helps manage and secure privileged accounts and access credentials. It allows admins to grant temporary, controlled access to critical systems without sharing passwords directly. PAM software can track, monitor and log all activities performed by the consultant.
  2. scoobysnack209 👍 4
    PAM Privileged Access Management
  3. kalmax5400 👍 1 Answered E
    Privileged Access Management software

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