This CC practice question tests your understanding of security principles. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A security engineer is designing a backup strategy for a critical database. The database must be recoverable within four hours in the event of a failure. Which security principle primarily drives this requirement?
Availability
The requirement specifies recovery within a time frame, which is a measure of availability.
Integrity
Why wrong: Integrity ensures data is unaltered, but recovery time is about availability.
Non-repudiation
Why wrong: Non-repudiation provides proof of actions, not system recovery.
Confidentiality
Why wrong: Confidentiality protects data from unauthorized access, not recovery time.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Availability
Availability ensures that systems and data are accessible when needed. Recovery time objective (RTO) of four hours is an availability requirement. Option C is correct. Option A (confidentiality) protects data secrecy. Option B (integrity) ensures data accuracy. Option D (non-repudiation) prevents denial of actions.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Availability
Why this is correct
The requirement specifies recovery within a time frame, which is a measure of availability.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Integrity
Why it's wrong here
Integrity ensures data is unaltered, but recovery time is about availability.
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation provides proof of actions, not system recovery.
Confidentiality
Why it's wrong here
Confidentiality protects data from unauthorized access, not recovery time.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Identify which CC exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Security Principles — This question tests Security Principles — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Availability — Availability ensures that systems and data are accessible when needed. Recovery time objective (RTO) of four hours is an availability requirement. Option C is correct. Option A (confidentiality) protects data secrecy. Option B (integrity) ensures data accuracy. Option D (non-repudiation) prevents denial of actions.
Identify which CC exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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