CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
During a review of encryption practices, the IS auditor finds that an organization uses the same encryption key for all customer data at rest. What is the PRIMARY concern?
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
✓
Increased risk of data exposure if the key is compromised
Using a single key for all data increases the impact of key compromise. If the key is compromised, all data becomes accessible. Key management should include key rotation and different keys for different data sets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Performance degradation due to key reuse
Why it's wrong here
Key reuse does not typically cause performance issues.
- ✗
Inability to revoke access to specific data
Why it's wrong here
Revocation of access is separate from encryption key management.
- ✗
Non-compliance with GDPR pseudonymization requirements
Why it's wrong here
GDPR pseudonymization does not require multiple keys.
- ✓
Increased risk of data exposure if the key is compromised
Why this is correct
A single key compromise exposes all encrypted 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.