Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) Practice Test

The scenario involving the programmer and the operator represents the most critical segregation of duties (SOD) violation because it combines two distinct roles that, if performed by the same individual, could lead to significant risks related to system integrity and security. The programmer's role involves creating and modifying software, while the operator's role involves running the systems, managing jobs, and handling data processing.

If one person has both capabilities, they could manipulate the system to create unauthorized changes while simultaneously ensuring that those changes go undetected during operation. This could result in disastrous financial or operational impacts, as data integrity can be compromised without proper checks and balances.

In an SOD framework, the goal is to ensure that no one individual has control over multiple phases of a process. In this case, maintaining a separation between programming and operational duties is crucial in safeguarding against potential fraud and ensuring accountability. Thus, this combination is viewed as the worst violation because it significantly undermines an organization's ability to maintain security and control over its systems and processes.