hardMultiple Choice
ISC2 CC Practice Question: Implementing a data loss prevention (DLP) solution
A company is implementing a data loss prevention (DLP) solution. Which strategy BEST balances security and productivity when monitoring outgoing email?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the concept that DLP is not just about blocking or encrypting data, but about applying policy with context and user feedback to balance security and productivity, leading candidates to mistakenly choose overly restrictive options like B.
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
✓
Alert on policy violations and allow user to override with manager approval
It balances security and productivity by alerting on policy violations while allowing users to override the block with manager approval. This approach ensures that legitimate business communications are not disrupted, while still enforcing DLP policies through a secondary review process. In a DLP solution, this is often implemented via a 'justify and override' workflow, where the user must provide a reason and receive approval from a manager before the email is sent.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Log all emails without any alerts
Why it's wrong here
Logging every message without alerts produces no enforcement or notification, so a breach continues undetected and the security half of the balance is unmet. It is tempting because passive logging suits forensic auditing and baseline visibility, and would be correct where monitoring only, not prevention, is required.
- ✗
Block all emails containing keywords like 'confidential'
Why it's wrong here
Keyword blocking quarantines legitimate business mail containing 'confidential', halting workflows and generating false positives that erode productivity. It is tempting because content-based blocking is a genuine DLP control, and would be correct where strict prevention of specific regulated data patterns is the priority.
- ✗
Encrypt all outgoing emails automatically
Why it's wrong here
Encrypting all outbound mail protects data in transit but does not detect or prevent exfiltration, so the monitoring requirement is unaddressed. It is tempting because encryption is a recognised data-protection control, and would be correct where confidentiality of messages in transit is the objective rather than DLP monitoring.
- ✓
Alert on policy violations and allow user to override with manager approval
Why this is correct
Alerting on violations while permitting manager-approved overrides satisfies the stem's balance requirement: sensitive data triggers detection, yet business-critical email is not blocked outright. This human-in-the-loop workflow preserves productivity through a documented approval path, unlike hard blocking, which halts legitimate communication, or silent logging, which fails to prevent exfiltration.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Key term
DLP
Data Loss Prevention — security technology that detects and prevents unauthorised transmission of sensitive data outside an organisation.
Key term
Data Loss Prevention
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a set of tools and processes that help organizations stop sensitive information from being shared, leaked, or stolen, whether accidentally or on purpose.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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