Ethics, Professional Conduct, and Access Control
What this domain tests
Ethics, professional conduct, and access control: the exam tests integrity, confidentiality, conflict of interest, nondiscrimination, and consistent access-control decisions.
Core rules
- Ethics: honesty in reports, no false statements, no theft, no using position for personal advantage, no accepting gifts that could influence decisions, protect confidential information, and report misconduct.
- Professional conduct: follow lawful orders, stay in scope, treat people with dignity, avoid discrimination, and do not retaliate. Off-duty conduct can still affect licensure.
- Access control: verify identity, use visitor logs, issue and check badges, enforce least privilege, challenge unknown persons politely, prevent tailgating, and escort visitors as required. Never bypass controls for convenience or familiarity.
- Document access exceptions and incidents objectively.
Worked example
A person in a contractor shirt asks you to “just let me in” because the badge printer is down. Reasoning: verify identity against the contractor list, call the host, log name/company/time/purpose, issue a temporary badge, and escort if policy requires. Letting him in because he looks right is a tailgating and access failure. If he refuses verification, deny entry and notify the supervisor.
Traps
- Letting in friends or VIPs without credentials.
- Sharing access codes or camera locations.
- Accepting gifts from vendors with pending decisions.
- Writing a report to protect a coworker rather than facts.