ISC2 CC Security Principles Practice Question
A security analyst is evaluating controls to protect the confidentiality of customer data. Which TWO of the following are effective controls? (Select TWO).
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse controls that support availability or integrity (backups, redundancy, hashing) with controls that specifically enforce confidentiality — candidates often pick backups or hashing because they 'sound secure' without mapping them to the CIA property being tested.
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 data at rest
Encryption of data at rest (C) is correct because it renders stored customer data unreadable to unauthorized parties, protecting confidentiality even if the storage media or database is compromised. Role-based access controls (E) are correct because RBAC enforces least privilege, ensuring only authorized users with the appropriate role can access customer data, directly limiting exposure. Hashing of passwords (A) protects password integrity/verification but is not a general confidentiality control for customer data, and hashes are one-way rather than reversible protection of data. Redundant network links (B) address availability through fault tolerance, not confidentiality. Regular data backups (D) support availability and recovery, not confidentiality, since backups can themselves expose data if unprotected.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Hashing of passwords
Why it's wrong here
Hashing passwords is one-way and irreversible, so it protects stored credential integrity, not the confidentiality of customer data traversing or residing in other systems. It is tempting because hashing is a genuine security control, and it would be the correct choice when the requirement is protecting stored authentication secrets from disclosure.
- ✗
Redundant network links
Why it's wrong here
Redundant network links address availability, not confidentiality: they carry the same plaintext customer data across parallel paths, so interception remains possible. They are tempting because link redundancy genuinely protects against a single path or device failure, which is the correct choice when the requirement is uptime rather than preventing unauthorised disclosure.
- ✓
Encryption of data at rest
Why this is correct
Encryption of data at rest renders stored customer data unreadable without the correct cryptographic keys, directly satisfying the confidentiality requirement. If disks or backups are stolen, ciphertext remains protected, unlike plaintext storage. This control addresses the stem's constraint by preventing unauthorised disclosure of data while it resides on storage media.
- ✗
Regular data backups
Why it's wrong here
Backups create additional copies of customer data, widening the exposure surface rather than restricting who can read it; confidentiality requires encryption or access control. Backups are tempting because they are a genuine control, and they would be the correct choice when the requirement is recovering data after loss, corruption or ransomware.
- ✓
Role-based access controls
Why this is correct
Role-based access controls restrict data access to users whose assigned organisational role requires it, directly enforcing least privilege over customer records. This satisfies the confidentiality constraint by limiting exposure to authorised personnel only, preventing unnecessary access that could lead to disclosure.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Secure Network Architecture and Design
Key term
Role
A role is a named set of permissions that can be assigned to users or groups to control access to resources in an IT environment.
Key term
Recovery
Recovery is the process of restoring systems, data, and operations after a security incident, failure, or disaster to return to normal functioning.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.