Which security threat occurs when authorized users increase their level of access in an unauthorized...

Escalation of privilege occurs when an authorized user gains higher access rights than originally granted, without proper authorization. Managing Cloud principles describe this threat as particularly dangerous because it involves legitimate credentials being abused rather than external attackers breaching the system.

In cloud environments, privilege escalation may occur due to misconfigured access controls, vulnerable applications, or excessive permissions. Once elevated access is obtained, a user can modify configurations, access sensitive data, or disrupt services beyond their intended role. This directly violates the principle of least privilege and increases the impact of insider threats.

The other options do not describe this scenario. Man-in-the-middle attacks intercept communications, role assumption is a legitimate access mechanism when properly authorized, and segregation of duties is a control designed to prevent abuse. Therefore, escalation of privilege is the correct answer.