easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CISA Practice Question: Wants to protect its intellectual property from…
An organization wants to protect its intellectual property from unauthorized disclosure via email. Which control should be implemented?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse encryption (which protects data in transit) with data loss prevention (which controls what data can leave the organization), leading candidates to choose encryption as a catch-all security measure.
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
✓
Implement a data loss prevention (DLP) system.
A DLP system is the correct control because it can inspect email content and attachments in real time, applying policies to block or quarantine unauthorized disclosures of intellectual property. Unlike encryption, which only protects data in transit but does not prevent an authorized user from sending sensitive information, DLP provides content-aware enforcement at the point of transmission.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Encrypt all outgoing emails.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption protects confidentiality in transit but does not prevent users from sending sensitive data in the first place.
- ✓
Implement a data loss prevention (DLP) system.
Why this is correct
Correct. DLP can inspect content and block unauthorized transmission of sensitive data.
- ✗
Disable email altogether.
Why it's wrong here
This would disrupt business operations and is not a practical control.
- ✗
Require employees to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Why it's wrong here
NDAs are legal controls but do not technically prevent disclosure.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 995 original CISA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.