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CISA Practice Question: Wants to ensure that its backup tapes are…
An organization wants to ensure that its backup tapes are protected from unauthorized access. Which of the following is the MOST effective control?
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
✓
Encryption of the backup data
Encryption protects data confidentiality even if physical security is breached. Physical locks, access controls, and offsite storage are important but do not protect against all threats like theft during transit.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Physical locks on the tape library
Why it's wrong here
Physical locks prevent unauthorized physical access but not if tapes are stolen.
- ✓
Encryption of the backup data
Why this is correct
Correct: Encryption renders data unreadable without the key.
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Access control lists on the backup server
Why it's wrong here
ACLs protect the server but not tapes offsite.
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Offsite storage of tapes
Why it's wrong here
Offsite storage provides geographic separation but does not inherently protect data.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA 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 CISA exam.