CS0-003 Reporting and Communication Practice Question
During a security incident, a SOC analyst identifies that customer PII has been exfiltrated. The company operates in multiple states and processes EU residents' data. Which of the following is the MOST critical immediate communication requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
CS0-004 often tests the specific 72-hour GDPR notification requirement, while candidates may confuse it with other timelines like 24 or 48 hours for different notifications.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Notify the relevant data protection authority within 72 hours
Notifying the relevant data protection authority within 72 hours is the most critical immediate communication requirement because the GDPR mandates that organizations report personal data breaches to the supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, especially when EU residents' data is involved. This is a legal obligation with strict timelines. Other notifications may be required but are not as immediately critical or universally mandated within that timeframe.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Notify law enforcement within 24 hours
Why it's wrong here
While law enforcement may be engaged during a cybercrime investigation, there is no universal regulatory mandate under frameworks like GDPR requiring notification to law enforcement within 24 hours. Such notifications are typically optional, handled internally, or dictated by local criminal statutes rather than standard data privacy compliance timelines.
- ✗
Notify affected customers within 48 hours
Why it's wrong here
Under GDPR Article 34, affected data subjects must be notified without undue delay if the breach poses a high risk to their rights and freedoms. However, there is no strict 48-hour hard deadline, and organizations must prioritize assessing the risk level and notifying the supervisory authority before or alongside customer communications.
- ✓
Notify the relevant data protection authority within 72 hours
Why this is correct
GDPR Article 33 explicitly mandates that in the event of a personal data breach, the controller must notify the competent supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, unless the breach is unlikely to result in a risk to individuals' rights. This is a strict, legally binding timeline tested heavily on the CySA+ exam.
- ✗
Issue a press release within 24 hours
Why it's wrong here
Issuing a public press release within 24 hours is premature and highly discouraged during active incident response. Public relations efforts must be carefully coordinated with legal counsel, and regulatory notifications to supervisory authorities must take precedence to avoid disclosing unverified details or violating compliance protocols.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Security Posture Reporting and Dashboards
Key term
Incident
An incident is a security event that violates an organization's policies or threatens its data, systems, or operations, requiring a structured response.
Key term
SOC
A Security Operations Center (SOC) is a centralized team that monitors, detects, analyzes, and responds to cybersecurity incidents to protect an organization's information systems.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This CS0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CS0-004 exam.