This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Exhibit
Backup status for the billing application
Current design:
- Nightly full backup at 01:00
- Backup repository: NAS-BACKUP01
- NAS-BACKUP01 is joined to the same Active Directory domain as production servers
- Backup share is mounted over SMB from the production network
- Last restore test: 5 months ago, failed due to permissions error
Business targets:
- RTO: 4 hours
- RPO: 30 minutes
Based on the exhibit, which change best helps the company meet its recovery objectives after a ransomware event?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Backup status for the billing application
Current design:
- Nightly full backup at 01:00
- Backup repository: NAS-BACKUP01
- NAS-BACKUP01 is joined to the same Active Directory domain as production servers
- Backup share is mounted over SMB from the production network
- Last restore test: 5 months ago, failed due to permissions error
Business targets:
- RTO: 4 hours
- RPO: 30 minutes
A
Increase the retention period on the existing NAS backups to one year.
Why wrong: Longer retention helps archival needs, but it does not improve ransomware resilience, recovery speed, or point-in-time recovery capability.
B
Move backups to an immutable, offline or logically isolated repository and test restores regularly.
An isolated, immutable backup target reduces the chance that ransomware can encrypt or delete backups. Regular restore testing confirms that the company can actually recover within the stated RTO and RPO. Because the current repository is domain-joined and reachable over SMB, it is too exposed. Isolation and tested recovery provide the strongest practical resilience improvement.
C
Store the backup administrator password in a shared team spreadsheet so more staff can restore data quickly.
Why wrong: Sharing privileged credentials increases risk and weakens accountability. It does not improve backup resilience or ransomware resistance.
D
Replace the nightly full backup with a longer full backup window to capture more data each day.
Why wrong: A longer full backup window can increase operational overhead without solving the RPO gap. It also does not protect the repository from compromise.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Move backups to an immutable, offline or logically isolated repository and test restores regularly.
Option B is correct because ransomware often encrypts or deletes accessible backups. An immutable, offline, or logically isolated repository prevents attackers from modifying or deleting backup data, ensuring a clean recovery point. Regularly testing restores validates that the backups are functional and meet recovery objectives (RTO/RPO). This aligns with the 3-2-1 backup rule and NIST SP 800-184 guidance for ransomware recovery.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Increase the retention period on the existing NAS backups to one year.
Why it's wrong here
Longer retention helps archival needs, but it does not improve ransomware resilience, recovery speed, or point-in-time recovery capability.
✓
Move backups to an immutable, offline or logically isolated repository and test restores regularly.
Why this is correct
An isolated, immutable backup target reduces the chance that ransomware can encrypt or delete backups. Regular restore testing confirms that the company can actually recover within the stated RTO and RPO. Because the current repository is domain-joined and reachable over SMB, it is too exposed. Isolation and tested recovery provide the strongest practical resilience improvement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Store the backup administrator password in a shared team spreadsheet so more staff can restore data quickly.
Why it's wrong here
Sharing privileged credentials increases risk and weakens accountability. It does not improve backup resilience or ransomware resistance.
✗
Replace the nightly full backup with a longer full backup window to capture more data each day.
Why it's wrong here
A longer full backup window can increase operational overhead without solving the RPO gap. It also does not protect the repository from compromise.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume longer retention or more frequent backups alone improve recovery, but they overlook the need for isolation and immutability to protect against ransomware's ability to target accessible backup data.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Immutable backups are typically implemented using object lock (e.g., S3 Object Lock with retention modes like GOVERNANCE or COMPLIANCE) or write-once-read-many (WORM) storage, which prevents deletion or modification for a defined period. Offline backups (e.g., tape or air-gapped storage) physically disconnect from the network, while logically isolated repositories use separate authentication domains or network segmentation (e.g., VLANs, firewall rules) to restrict access. Regular restore testing, such as using automated recovery validation scripts or manual drills, ensures that backup integrity and application consistency are maintained, which is critical for meeting RTOs after a ransomware event.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SY0-701 question in full detail.
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Move backups to an immutable, offline or logically isolated repository and test restores regularly. — Option B is correct because ransomware often encrypts or deletes accessible backups. An immutable, offline, or logically isolated repository prevents attackers from modifying or deleting backup data, ensuring a clean recovery point. Regularly testing restores validates that the backups are functional and meet recovery objectives (RTO/RPO). This aligns with the 3-2-1 backup rule and NIST SP 800-184 guidance for ransomware recovery.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.