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FC0-U71 Practice Question: A company stores sensitive data and wants to…
A company stores sensitive data and wants to ensure that if a hard drive is stolen, the data cannot be read. Which security measure should be implemented?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse data-at-rest protection (encryption) with access control (passwords) or redundancy (RAID), mistakenly thinking that strong passwords or RAID alone can prevent data exposure from a stolen drive.
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
✓
Full disk encryption
Full disk encryption (FDE) encrypts the entire contents of a hard drive, including the operating system, applications, and all data, using algorithms such as AES-256. If the drive is stolen, the data remains unreadable without the decryption key or passphrase, even if the drive is physically removed and attached to another system. This directly addresses the requirement of protecting data at rest on a stolen drive.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
RAID 1
Why it's wrong here
RAID 1 mirrors data for fault tolerance, not security.
- ✓
Full disk encryption
Why this is correct
Encryption scrambles data so it cannot be read without the key.
- ✗
Antivirus software
Why it's wrong here
Antivirus protects against malicious software, not physical theft.
- ✗
Strong passwords
Why it's wrong here
Passwords protect logical access, but a stolen drive can be bypassed.
Quick reference
Symmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Size | Block Size | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AES-128 | 128-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | NIST approved; WPA3, TLS |
| AES-256 | 256-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | Preferred for sensitive / govt data |
| 3DES | 112-bit effective | 64-bit | Deprecated (2023) | Replaced by AES |
| DES | 56-bit | 64-bit | Broken | Cracked in < 24 h; never deploy |
| ChaCha20 | 256-bit | Stream cipher | Current | TLS 1.3, WireGuard |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This FC0-U71 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 FC0-U71 exam.