SK0-005 security-disaster-recovery Practice Question
An organization uses a cloud-based backup solution with immutable storage to protect against ransomware. However, after a recent attack, an attacker with stolen administrator credentials was able to delete the backup data. Which of the following BEST explains why the backups were deleted?
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
✓
The immutable storage policy was not configured correctly or had a retention lock that was not enabled.
Option A is correct because true immutable storage prevents any deletion or modification, even by administrators, for a specified retention period. The fact that an admin could delete it indicates the immutability feature was misconfigured or not properly locked. Option B describes encryption at the source, but that would not allow deletion of existing backups. Option C is irrelevant to deletion. Option D: versioning helps but does not prevent deletion if immutability is not configured.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The backup solution did not support versioning.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning allows recovery of previous versions but does not prevent deliberate deletion of all versions if the storage itself is not immutable.
- ✓
The immutable storage policy was not configured correctly or had a retention lock that was not enabled.
Why this is correct
Without a properly configured retention lock, even immutable storage may allow administrative deletions, defeating the purpose.
- ✗
The attacker used ransomware to encrypt the backup data at the source before it was sent.
Why it's wrong here
Encrypting data at the source would affect new backups but would not explain deletion of already stored backups.
- ✗
The backup data was stored in a different geographic region than production.
Why it's wrong here
Geographic location of storage does not affect the ability to delete data if credentials are compromised.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed July 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This SK0-005 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 SK0-005 exam.