ISC Systems Lifecycle Management Practice Question
When decommissioning an application, which action should the ISSMP prioritize to ensure data privacy requirements (e.g., GDPR) are satisfied?
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
✓
Secure sanitization of storage media.
The most critical step in decommissioning is the secure sanitization (clearing or purging) of storage media according to industry standards (e.g., NIST SP 800-88).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Archiving the data to unencrypted tape drives.
Why it's wrong here
Unencrypted backups pose a massive data leak risk.
- ✓
Secure sanitization of storage media.
Why this is correct
Sanitization ensures sensitive data cannot be retrieved from decommissioned systems.
- ✗
Notifying all third-party vendors.
Why it's wrong here
Notification is a communication step, not a technical data security step.
- ✗
Deleting the source code repository.
Why it's wrong here
While necessary, this does not address the production data remnants.
About these practice questions
This ISC question is part of Courseiva's 219-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official (ISC)² exam blueprint
This ISC practice question is part of Courseiva's free (ISC)² 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 ISC exam.