The answer is the plan testing and maintenance element of the Business Continuity Plan. This is correct because a backup tape format incompatibility during a disaster recovery test reveals that the restoration tools and procedures were never validated against the current production environment, a failure directly addressed by regular testing and maintenance. On the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam, this scenario tests your understanding that a plan is only as good as its verification; a common trap is to blame the backup software or hardware vendor, but the core issue is the lack of scheduled testing to catch format drift. To remember this, think of the mnemonic "Test to Rest"—if you don't test the tape format, you can't restore the data, so the plan's testing and maintenance cycle must be updated to include format compatibility checks.
ISC2 CC Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response Practice Question
This CC practice question tests your understanding of business continuity, dr & incident response. 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.
During a disaster recovery test, backup tapes fail to restore data due to format incompatibility. Which element of the Business Continuity Plan should be updated?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Plan testing and maintenance
The failure of backup tapes to restore data due to format incompatibility indicates that the recovery procedures and tools were not validated during testing. This directly points to a deficiency in the 'Plan testing and maintenance' element, which ensures that backup media formats, restoration tools, and procedures are regularly verified and updated to match the current production environment. Without scheduled testing and maintenance, format drift between backup software versions or hardware changes can render tapes unreadable.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Plan testing and maintenance
Why this is correct
This phase includes reviewing test results and updating the plan to fix discovered problems.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
Why it's wrong here
BIA identifies criticality but doesn't address technical backup format issues.
✗
Recovery strategies
Why it's wrong here
Recovery strategies are high-level; the specific failure points to a need for testing and maintenance updates.
✗
Communication plan
Why it's wrong here
Communication plan deals with notifications, not technical recovery failures.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the distinction between 'plan testing and maintenance' (which validates technical execution) and 'recovery strategies' (which are high-level design choices), leading candidates to mistakenly select recovery strategies when the root cause is a failure in validation and upkeep.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Backup tape format incompatibility often arises from changes in tape drive firmware, backup software version upgrades (e.g., from LTO-5 to LTO-6), or proprietary compression/encryption algorithms that are not backward-compatible. A robust testing and maintenance schedule should include periodic restore drills using the actual backup media and target systems, verifying that the backup software's 'read' drivers match the tape format. In real-world scenarios, organizations may discover that a backup tape written with a newer version of Veritas NetBackup cannot be read by an older restore server, forcing a costly re-architecture of the recovery environment.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CC question in full detail.
Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response — This question tests Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Plan testing and maintenance — The failure of backup tapes to restore data due to format incompatibility indicates that the recovery procedures and tools were not validated during testing. This directly points to a deficiency in the 'Plan testing and maintenance' element, which ensures that backup media formats, restoration tools, and procedures are regularly verified and updated to match the current production environment. Without scheduled testing and maintenance, format drift between backup software versions or hardware changes can render tapes unreadable.
What should I do if I get this CC question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.